Rice Milk and Almond Milk - taste? Have you tried them.

i use rice milk - i love it - give it a try - no soy for me either - i have been trying to keep as much dairy out of my diet as possible - i was told that dairy products will cause inflamation.

good luck

I have tried and used both rice and almond milk. Neither really tastes like milk to me but they taste similar. Both types come in two forms: aseptic (like a juice box) and cold like milk. I much prefer the cold cartons of either type over the aseptic. They also come in flavors, usually plain, vanilla, and chocolate. The flavor also varies by brand. I'm not a coffee drinker but both seem thinner than milk so may not work as well.

A long time ago, some of us had a taste test of the various brands of rice milk. At that time, aseptic was the only choice in our area. We had about 10 different brands and flavors (plain and vanilla). I preferred the vanilla Westbrae rice milk, at that time I thought it tasted most like milk. Many others preferred Rice Dream. If I was drinking it, I always added chocolate. It was good in cereal. There was in big difference in taste between the brands that I tried.

Right now, I prefer cold carton almond milk. I've tried a few: Blue Diamond and Silk come to mind. I've had both plain and vanilla and liked both. I think the plain tasted a bit more like milk than the vanilla did. I guess there is a slight nutty taste but not nearly as strong as you would expect. I like to drink it plain and it's great in cereal. The various brands of almond milk that I tried tasted similar enough that I buy whatever is on sale that week.

I hope this helps, let me know your thoughts after you've tried one.

Hemp milk is a pretty good as well, if you want an alternative to rice or almond. I don't know if it is available where you live or not. I think the vanilla flavor is the best. If I have to choose between almond and rice milk, I prefer almond. I guess I'm fortunate to not have to replace my dairy, but my stepson can't drink milk, so we have tried all of the milk replacements in our house and I make it a point not to feed anyone anything I won't consume myself! His vote is also for the hemp milk, and if a 22 year old will eat it with his cereal, it can't be that bad, right?

Ummm, I think almond milk tastes like old wet diapers smell. :) But that's just me. Vanilla or chocolate soy is good.

Sue

I use non-milk "milks" all the time. They are all way thinner than milk, but I think they bring out the natural flavours of your food and are less slimy than milk. The best thing to do is try different flavours in different brands until you find one you like.

So glad I asked this. Good to get all your feedback. I guess there must be a lot of personal preference and individual taste buds that make a difference, too.

I do actually love real dairy - so I will add it back into my diet. But it is good to have alternatives - for times like now. And hey, maybe I'll keep buying both regular milk and rice or almond, too.

Caligirl - your 22 yr old step-son's endorsement does sound solid. :) Can't say I've ever seen hemp milk - but maybe they'll get that here in a few years. Glad it works so well for your family.

Debbie - yeah, I remember reading something a nutritionist wrote for helping an elderly woman with no appetite keep her weight up -- and at the time I thought, that's pretty easy. Now I look at it and can pick out each item as not working for my diet issues. *eye roll* Somehow we'll get passed this and go on to thrive. I'm now going to push myself to have ANY snack when I have the remotest appetite.

Sue - lol @ Diapers. If I notice that, I'll definitely report back. ;)

Fiesty and WhiteChoc - watery - got it. That helps.

Autumnbaby - Hey - I just noticed this is your first post here. WELCOME!! Thanks so much for kindly offering your opinion. This is a very supportive group and I hope we all get to know you better.

I like both, but I think I prefer Almond milk... I don't normally drink it plain, but I like it in cereal or when i make smoothies. My kids LOVE it though! (just a side not for those of you with younger kids) I have heard too many bad things about cow's milk. Our bodies just don't know how to handle it and it can cause a lot of problems. We started on it though because my husband is lactose intolerant.

First, let me start by saying that our whole family is dairy-free. Rice Milk seems a bit watery to me, and almond milk a bit too nutty. Soy milk is definitely too beany, and hemp milk is well, too "hempy." But the coconut milk made by So Delicious seems just right! (I know, I'm starting to sound like Goldilocks!) Seriously, though. So Delicious coconut milk is not only the closest thing to cow's milk in terms of consistency, but the vanilla and original flavors are very tasty. They work perfectly in every thing you'd use dairy milk for from cereal to tea to smoothies and in cooking and baking. It's one of those products that makes everyone in our family feel like we don't miss dairy at all.

Katie - I used the store locator option on the So Delicious web site - and I found an organic store within 8 miles of me that carries the unsweetened version!! YAY! Is the unsweetened original? Did you like that one? They could special order for me if I wanted them to. Does it taste very coconutty? (Not necessarily a bad thing but just curious)


Store locator in case anyone else is interested:
www.turtlemountain.com/locator/locator.html

So Delicious Coconut MIlk
www.turtlemountain.com/products/coconut_milk_beverage.html