We Style-Examined 11 Almond Milks—Right here Are the Creamiest, Nuttiest, and Sweetest

Within the US, many might consider almond milk as a comparatively new fad, born of the dairy-substitute revolution, however almond milk has been round for greater than a thousand years. One of many first identified mentions of it was in The Golden Treatise, an Islamic textual content from the early ninth century. Almond milk gained recognition, as almonds had been extra shelf-stable than dairy milk, and unfold to Europe by the 1200s. It even acted as a dairy substitute for Christians throughout Lent, when dietary restrictions usually dominated out the consumption of dairy milk.

In far more current historical past, almond milk took maintain within the US, when producers started stocking it alongside dairy milk. It shortly turned the most well-liked dairy various within the nation and has remained so.  However with recognition comes saturation. There are such a lot of choices these days, all touting totally different superlatives, from “further creamy” blends to “clear” labels. To seek out one of the best almond milk, we taste-tested 11 broadly accessible manufacturers. We sampled them in random order, searching for a mix of creaminess, taste stability, and texture. We tabulated the outcomes and located three favorites.

The Standards

Almond milk is, at its core, a mix of floor almonds and water. However one of the best almond milk is greater than the sum of these elements. Our excellent almond milk has the options of dairy milk: a thick physique just like entire milk, delicate sweetness, and no grittiness or chalkiness. We additionally need it to have a transparent, nutty, pure almond taste. It ought to work nicely in a wide range of makes use of—in espresso, in cereal, and even perhaps used in its place for baking or cooking.

General Winner: Most Versatile

Good & Collect Unsweetened Unique Almond Milk (Obtainable at Goal)

This almond milk stood out to our testers for its thick physique, which was just like that of entire milk. Laila, our affiliate culinary editor, famous that whereas the flavour was delicate, she gave it factors for texture. “It isn’t too skinny, and I can see it working in espresso,” she mentioned. It struck the precise stability between drinkability and richness, making it probably the most versatile choice of our samples. Two of our testers discovered this almond milk palatable sufficient to get pleasure from a full glass. I appreciated its stability of sweetness and nuttiness—it was delicate however simply candy sufficient—in comparison with the overwhelming sweetness of different samples.

Runner-Up: Most Almond-Ahead

MALK Natural Unsweetened Almond Milk

This almond milk was the nuttiest of the samples, however its taste and texture divided tasters. Most appreciated its milk-like physique. Our editorial director, Daniel, famous that it’s “just like entire milk in texture,” and our affiliate director of visuals, Amanda, commented on its thickness. As for its taste, Laila praised its nuttiness, “with no sweetness,” which made it her favourite. Daniel discovered it drinkable, however he thought that the nutty taste had a stale, dusty high quality.

Runner Up: The Greatest Alternative for Creamer

Nature’s Promise Plant-Based mostly Unique Almond Milk

This almond milk—which is bought at numerous outlets, together with Hannaford, Cease & Store, and Large Meals—did not make the highest spot as a result of its extra distinguished sweetness. All of our testers famous that this milk was candy. Whereas Amanda discovered that sweetness nice, I assumed it was candy to the purpose of tasting like sugar had been added. Laila mentioned, “It tastes candy, with a heat, vanilla-leaning observe that reads synthetic.” That mentioned, in the event you often take your espresso with milk and sugar, or a dairy-based creamer, this can be an excellent various on your morning cup. 

The Contenders

• Almond Breeze Unique Almond Milk
• Califia Farms Almond Milk
• Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Almonds
• Good & Collect Unsweetened Unique Almond Milk (Goal)
• Kirkland Signature Almond Milk
• MALK Natural Unsweetened Almond Milk
• Nature’s Promise Plant-Based mostly Unique Almond Milk (Cease & Store, Hannaford, and Different Shops)
• Silk Almond Milk
• Dealer Joe’s Natural Unsweetened Almond Beverage
• Healthful Pantry Natural Unsweetened Unique Almond Milk (Shoprite)
• 365 by Complete Meals Market Natural Almond Milk

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Our favourite almond milks every have their very own strengths: Good and Collect is simply candy sufficient, with a milk-like texture; MALK is almond-forward; and Nature’s Promise is wealthy and candy. Any of them may be one of the best almond milk, relying on its use. 

Our winner, Good and Collect, makes use of gellan gum, xanthan gum, and sunflower lecithin as thickeners and emulsifiers, which straight correlate to its creaminess and dairy-fat-like richness. MALK, as compared, lists solely filtered water, natural almonds, and Himalayan pink salt as elements. This explains its genuine, nutty taste, however its bare-bones ingredient left these almonds extra uncovered, and could also be why some tasters discovered it stale. 

The Nature’s Promise almond milk that we picked solely as a advice for espresso creamer was intensely candy (cane sugar is its second ingredient). That sweetness put most tasters off, although, as famous, it could work as a espresso creamer for many who like some sweetness of their brew. 

Finally, we most well-liked Good and Collect for its gentle sweetness and creamy mouthfeel, however really feel that for various makes use of, MALK and Nature’s Promise may also be good selections.

Our Testing Methodology

All style exams are performed with manufacturers utterly hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A might style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. That is to stop palate fatigue from unfairly giving anybody pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets, rating the samples in keeping with numerous standards. All information is tabulated, and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter to offer probably the most neutral illustration of precise outcomes potential.

January, 2026