This article needs more medical references for verification or relies too heavily yogurt substitute primary sources. A range of packaged plant milks from a Western grocery store.

A milk substitute is any substance that resembles milk and can be used in the same ways as milk. Such substances may be variously known as non-dairy beverage, nut milk, grain milk, legume milk, mock milk and alternative milk. For adults, milk substitutes take two forms: plant milks, which are liquids made from plants and may be home-made or commercially produced, and coffee creamers, synthetic products invented in the US in the 1900s specifically to replace dairy milk in coffee. Around the world, humans have traditionally consumed plant milks for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

1200 AD to refer to plant juices. The Latin root word of lettuce is lact, as in lactate, for its milky juice, which indicates that even the Romans had a fluid definition for milk. Plant-based milk substitutes have grown rapidly in popularity since the start of the 21st century, with an expected growth rate of 10. The reasons for this increase in popularity range from a growth in vegan and plant-based diets to perceptions of health benefits of milk substitutes to personal flavor preference. This section does not cite any sources.

Plant-sourced substitutes for dairy milk may be expected to meet such standards, though there are no legal requirements for them to do so. In comparison with cow’s milk, fortified milk substitutes have a comparable amount of calcium, however tend to fall behind in essential vitamin B12 and minerals such as iodine and iron. Plant milks are mass-produced fluids made from plant extracts and water. They are made to replace dairy milks as beverages and as cooking ingredients. Coconut milk is made by mixing water with the freshly grated white inside pulp of a ripe coconut. Almond milk is produced from almonds by grinding almonds with water, then straining the pulp from the liquid. This procedure can be done at home.

Almond milk is low in saturated fat and calories. Soy milk is made from soybeans and contains about the same amount of protein as dairy milk. According to one study, soy protein may be a substitution for animal protein to prevent and control chronic kidney disease. Some milk substitutes use cereal grains instead of nuts or legumes. Oat milk is a relatively recently developed plant-based milk substitute. Different preparations are available for either direct consumption or to use in coffee. Popular seed-derived milk substitutes include Hemp milk and Flax milk.