What milk do you take in your tea? Anyone who knows me knows how much I love tea; I can’t get through my day without a few cups a day. Earl Grey is my favourite, but I’m also partial to Jasmine and Oolong.

However, I am lactose intolerant, and drinking cow’s milk can really upset my body. Luckily, there is an excellent range of dairy-free alternatives and plant-based milks on the market that I can enjoy with my morning cuppa.

Being lactose intolerant means you get symptoms when you consume lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. The symptoms occur because your body doesn’t produce enough lactase to digest the lactose found in dairy. The symptoms can be unpleasant, so I don’t actually consume cows’ milk anymore. Currently, I am enjoying my tea black. I tried soy, but it wasn’t for me, so until I find a suitable dairy-free milk alternative for tea, I’ll stick to black.

But what can you add to tea if you don’t drink cows’ milk? These days, there are so many dairy-free milk options that are perfect for tea, and they all come with many health benefits. But what is the best one for you? That all depends on your tastebuds, the tea you drink it with and simply your own preferences. The fact you can purchase dairy-free milk with a milk delivery means you can still get your fix of cow’s milk for you or the family and try out an alternative milk too.

If you want to know more about the best dairy-free milk alternatives for tea, read on.

Almond Milk

Almond milk is one of the more well-known dairy alternatives and is popular for its nutty taste. However, almond milk has many benefits too. It adds a slightly sweeter taste to your tea, so you can potentially even cut down on sugar. If you like a sweeter hot drink, you can buy almond milk, sweetened or unsweetened, from most supermarkets. It’s also lower in calories for those looking for a low-calorie alternative to cow’s milk. On top of this, almond milk is high in vitamin E and healthy fats and even has a little protein in it, too, making it an excellent addition to your diet, whether in tea or not.

However, one drawback people notice with almond milk and hot drinks is that it can appear to curdle and separate when added to hot water, so you might need to experiment to find the right temperature to add it to your drink. While this issue is more prevalent for coffee drinkers, it’s worth knowing when adding to your tea, too! Current top tips for adding almond milk to your cuppa include adding the almond milk first and slowly stirring as you add the hot water. You can leave some almond milk, the amount you are planning to use, out to get to room temperature and allow your hot water to cool slightly before mixing the two or heating the almond milk. But it is one of the more tricky non-dairy milks to use for hot drinks.

Oat Milk

Oat milk has a subtle but delicate flavour, meaning that when you add it to tea, unlike some dairy-free alternatives, it doesn’t overwhelm the tea itself. In fact, it may tone down how bitter the tea is depending on the variety you drink.

You can still enjoy oat milk with your preferred sweetener, and it is a little bit thicker, so it won’t water your drink down as the other options can. If you’re not a fan of oats, you might not like the taste or texture of drinking oat milk on its own, but it can be a great addition to your morning cuppa. Plus, it is cholesterol-free, has plenty of fibre and promotes good gut health. Perfect for those of us struggling with lactose intolerance.

Soy

Soy milk is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It’s also the closest in protein to cow’s milk, but for me, taste-wise, it is one of those flavours I just couldn’t get on board with, and for most people, it’s a bit like marmite.

It’s one of the more neutral options on the list and has many benefits, but the flavour can really stand out in tea. Again, if you drink different varieties of tea, the taste can change.

Coconut

Next up is another of the more popular nut milk, which is common in many plant-based diets. If you like the flavour of Bounty’s and you want to add more of this nutty goodness to your diet, coconut milk could be the option for you. It can be pretty overpowering when added to tea, but then again, it could be just the right level of sweetness for you. The main issue with coconut milk, though, is its high-calorie content. While it is packed with vitamins and minerals, it’s best to drink sparingly.

Like almond milk, coconut milk can curdle in your tea, so you might need to adjust temperatures, volumes, etc., to find the right blend for you. But it can be perfectly delicious when paired with delicious pastries from a sweet treats delivery with your milk order!

What To Know When Changing to Plant-based Milk Alternatives

It’s important to understand that all of these milk alternatives are a good option for anyone not able to tolerate or want to change to nondairy milk. Not all kinds of milk are a good choice for everyone, especially those with nut allergies. Some milks are sweeter than others and may have added sugars to make them more palatable. Almond, for example, does have an unsweetened version, but this isn’t true of all drinks, and if you want low-fat milk, it is important to check the nutritional profile of the milk, as some are more calorific than others.

Not all of these milks have all the vitamins and minerals you need. For example, many will be additionally fortified with vitamin D, while soy milk has vitamin b12 added. It’s actually a good source of protein. While coconut milk is a great source of fatty acids, most of this milk doesn’t contain as much calcium as cow’s milk does, so you might need to find other ways to boost your calcium intake.

Are you drinking dairy-free alternative milk? Whether you opt for any on this list or you add in other milk like cashew milk, pea milk, rice milk, potato milk, flax milk, hemp milk or another whole milk substitute, there are numerous plant milks, many with great nutritional content you can try.

It is definitely something I am going to explore more of in my quest for the right non-dairy milk for my morning cup of tea and even for Mr H’s morning coffee so he can see if he prefers non-dairy milk alternatives, so I always have to drink my tea black. What do you recommend I try?

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