Best Milk For Smoothies: Dairy-Free Included

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What is the best milk for smoothies you may wonder? Or is milk actually needed for smoothies?
When we first began making smoothies, we had the exact same question.

If you think about it though, liquid (aka milk) whole purpose is to help the ingredients blend, as well as make the ingredients a drinkable consistency. However, this is where it gets interesting.

Some smoothies will work better with milk, others not so much, so it’s important that you understand which liquid is best for the type of smoothie you are trying to make.

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What Is The Best Milk For Smoothies?

Unsweetened dairy-free milk is best for smoothies. Particularly almond or coconut milk.
But oat milk is also a great choice.

Many people are lactose intolerant or have some sort of discomfort when they consume dairy. So, it’s best to just use dairy-free milk for your smoothies.

However, if you don’t mind dairy, and you like your smoothies creamy, low-fat dairy milk is a good option. Dairy milk hasn’t got a very strong flavor, and it blends well with many ingredients.

Best Milk For Smoothies For Weight Loss

Fat-free milk is best for weight loss. Typically, it contains a lot fewer calories than full-fat milk. Low-fat dairy milk contains a good amount of protein, which is crucial for weight loss.

However, in order for you to be able to lose weight, it’s important that you also consider the other smoothie ingredients you add, not just the milk

Saying that you may want to consider switching to water when you make your smoothies in order to cut down on calories even more.

If you are dairy-free, then unsweetened almond milk might be your best choice, as it typically contains barely any calories.

Nondairy Milk For Smoothies

When it comes to non-dairy milk, they are all going to serve the same purpose, however, let’s do a breakdown:

Almond milk if you want to lose weight.
Oat milk for protein shakes & weight gain smoothies.
Coconut milk for tropical-flavored smoothies.
Chia milk for neutral-flavored smoothies.

The best plant milk for smoothies also depends on your preferences, and what kind of smoothies you like to make.

For example, almond milk works well with light-flavored smoothies, such as green smoothies. Whilst oat milk works great for bolder flavored smoothies, such as banana smoothies, and chocolate smoothies.

So, if you are thinking oat milk or almond milk for smoothies, think about what kind of smoothie you want to make.

Best Milk Substitute For Smoothies

Remember, milk and liquids are purely in there to help you achieve the desired consistency and help you blend the ingredients to a smooth consistency.
However, certain liquids can add nutritional value to your smoothies, for example, milk contains protein, calcium, etc.

However, additional nutrition added to your smoothies is not often needed, which is why it’s perfectly fine to use subtitles for milk, and these can be anything like:

Coconut Water
Water
Apple Juice
Orange Juice
Cranberry Juice
Dairy-Free Milks
Coffee
Tea

Best Milk For Different Smoothies:

Personally, as professional smoothie creators, it’s important that you pair the right liquid with the right smoothie recipe and a combination of ingredients.

So, here’s what we tend to do:

What Smoothies Work Well With Dairy Milk?

Protein Smoothies
Banana Smoothies
Peanut Butter Smoothies
Oat Smoothies
Coffee Smoothies
Chocolate Smoothies

What Smoothies Work Well With Dairy-Free Milk?

Now, let’s do the dairy-free milk. Dairy-free milk can be added to any smoothie really, the taste is typically quite neutral.
But here is a list of smoothies we like to use dairy-free milk in:

Berry Smoothies
Green Smoothies
Banana Smoothies
Matcha Smoothies
Weight Loss Smoothies
Protein Shakes
Tropical Smoothies
Smoothies Made With Nuts

Smoothies Made With Water:

Water is one of our favorite liquids. Simply because it does the job of blending down the ingredients, and it has a neutral flavor.
Here’s where we like to use water in our smoothies:

And the list goes.

Coconut Water Smoothies:

We love love, using coconut water in our smoothies. We think it’s just the perfect liquid to add to your smoothie. It compliments many smoothies, but here is our top ones:

Alcohol Smoothies
Tropical Smoothies
Green Smoothies
Low-Calorie Smoothies
Berry Smoothies
Chia Seed Smoothies
Watermelon Smoothies
Kiwi Smoothies
Apple Smoothies

And the list goes on.

What Is The Healthiest Milk To Use In a Smoothie?

Dairy-free milk is the healthiest milk you can add to your smoothies. Why? Because the majority of the world is lactose intolerant. Which tells us, that our bodies don’t agree with milk.

Cheese is fine, but drinking milk in its purest form is one of the worst things you can do for your digestion.

When we are babies, we have special enzymes that break down lactose, but as we grow older, we tend to lose these enzymes.
So, we highly recommend using dairy-free milk for your smoothies.

Is Oat Milk Or Almond Milk Better For Smoothies?

It will really depend on what you are trying to achieve in your smoothie. Oat milk adds more creaminess, but it’s slightly heavier in calories, and it often contains gluten too. Almond milk is excellent as a lower-calorie alternative.

So the answer is, that it depends on what type of smoothie you want.

FAQs:

Is Soy Or Almond Milk Better In Smoothies?

Many people have problems with soy. So, in that instance, almond milk is better. However, many people are also allergic or intolerant to nuts, so in that case, use soy milk.

Should You Use Milk In Smoothies?

You don’t have to use milk in smoothies. Water or coconut water are both great liquids to use in smoothies.

Best Milk For Smoothies For Weight Gain

Full-fat milk for your smoothie is best if you want to gain weight. Full-fat milk contains a lot more calories, and it will help you bulk up.