For people who are lactose intolerant or allergic to cow’s milk, a good alternative is to replace it with cheap plant-based milk.
We humans are mammals, therefore, our first food is milk. And as we grow, we add dairy products to our diet. Therefore, cow’s milk and its derivatives make up an important part of an adult’s daily diet. However, cow’s milk can be replaced with cheap plant-based milks.
Mainly for those people who are lactose intolerant or allergic to cow’s milk. Furthermore, plant-based milk is a great alternative for vegans. Who do not consume any food of animal origin. Because, in addition to being of vegetable origin, it contains vitamins and nutrients necessary to maintain a balanced diet.
With the exception of calcium, which can be found in cow’s milk, but in plant-based milk, calcium is added during the industrialization process. Finally, there are currently different types of plant-based milks available in addition to the already known soy milk. For example, it is possible to extract liquid from chestnuts, yams, bananas, rice, coconuts, oats, sunflower seeds, peanuts, among others.
Furthermore, you can combine them according to your taste and use them in your recipes. However, industrialized plant-based milk tends to have a high price. With that in mind, we’ve prepared some recipes for cheap plant-based milk that will help you on a daily basis. Check out.
Cheap plant-based milks
The preparation is quite simple, remembering that the amount of water will alter the creaminess of the vegetable milk. Therefore, you can adapt it according to your taste, increasing or decreasing the amount of water.
1- Yam
One of the cheapest plant-based milks is made from yams. Therefore, to prepare it you will need:
Ingredients
- 1 cup of yam
- 4 cups of very hot filtered water
Preparation mode
First, cook the unpeeled yam. Then, after cooking, let it cool, then remove the skin. Then, blend the yam with water in a blender. Anyway, you don’t need to strain it.
Another option is to use raw yam, but it will be thinner. Furthermore, in more sensitive people, it can cause itching in the hands or mouth, due to the calcium oxalate present in the vegetable. Therefore, if you want a full-bodied vegetable milk, cook the yam beforehand.
2- Coconut milk
A tip before preparing vegetable coconut milk is to only make the portion that you will consume at the time. Because, heating it later will cause the milk to curdle. Furthermore, to prepare coconut milk, you will need:
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh or dehydrated unsweetened coconut
- 4 cups of very hot filtered water
Preparation mode
In short, blend the coconut with water in a blender. Then strain with a sieve or a mesh and that’s it.
And if you want to use it in a recipe, you can reduce the amount of water. This way, the milk will be creamier.
3- Vegetable rice milks
Rice and other grain milk tends to yield a thicker liquid than other plant-based milks. Therefore, avoid blending for a long time in the blender, or it will end up turning into porridge. Therefore, the ideal is to beat less than a minute.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of rice of your choice
- 4 cups of very hot filtered water
Preparation mode
First, cook the rice normally. Next, you will blend the rice with the water in the blender. However, you must do this in two steps to prevent it from boiling over. So, first blend half the rice with 2 cups of water.
Then, blend the other half of the rice with the other 2 cups of water. Finally, strain everything.
4- Peanut milk
One of the cheap plant-based milks, peanut milk can be made raw, cooked or roasted. As long as it is unsalted, without shell or skin. However, before preparing the milk, you need to soak the peanuts for at least 8 hours in water.
This way, it reduces phylates, facilitating digestion and improving the absorption of nutrients.
Furthermore, roasted peanut milk is ideal for replacing cow’s milk in sweet recipes. For example, cake topping, condensed milk, fruit smoothies, coffee or chocolate milk.
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanuts (raw, boiled or roasted)
- 4 cups of very hot, filtered water
Preparation mode
Blend the peanuts with the water in a blender and then strain. In short, raw peanuts have a neutral flavor, similar to rice milk. Therefore, ideal to be used to make ricotta.
Cooked peanuts yield a thicker milk, which is ideal for making white sauces, creams and savory recipes in general.
5- Sesame or sunflower seed milk
Just like peanut milk, before preparing sesame or sunflower seed milk, you need to soak them in water for at least 4 hours, to neutralize the phylates. Furthermore, to prepare the milk you will need:
Ingredients
- 1 cup of grains
- 4 cups of very hot filtered water
Preparation mode
In short, blend the grains with water in a blender and then strain.
6- Oat milk
Just like peanut milk, you need to soak the oats in water for at least 4 hours before preparing the milk. Then discard the water.
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats (small, medium or thick flakes)
- 4 cups of very hot filtered water
Preparation mode
Just blend the oats with the water. Additionally, if you want to spice up oat milk, you can combine it with other plant-based milks.
7- Banana milk
One of the cheapest plant-based milks, banana milk is easy to prepare, as well as being very tasty. Furthermore, banana milk is rich in potassium and vitamin B6 and is recommended for those who are allergic to soy or nuts.
However, milk is not recommended for diabetics and pre-diabetics, due to its high carbohydrate content. Anyway, to prepare it you will need:
Ingredients
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup of water
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- A bit of salt
- Vanilla (optional)
Preparation mode
Just blend all the ingredients well in a blender until it becomes very frothy. Furthermore, there is no need to add sugar, as bananas are already naturally sweet.
Cheap plant-based milk tips
Regardless of the base used in plant-based milk, the milk should be stored in a covered jar in the refrigerator. For about 3 days. Furthermore, it is common that over time, the liquid separates. But that doesn’t mean it’s damaged. Therefore, just stir well before consuming.
Now, if you want to heat plant-based milk, you need to take into account that the fattier the milk, the greater the risk of it curdling. Therefore, avoid heating coconut, sesame and peanut vegetable milk, for example. Oat or rice milk, on the other hand, can withstand heat better, but avoid heating it too much, or it will end up turning into porridge. Anyway, the ideal is to only make the amount of milk that you will use.
Therefore, you can use plant-based milk as a substitute for cow’s milk in several recipes. For example, to drink with coffee, chocolate milk, fruit smoothies, cappuccino, desserts, milkshakes, cakes, among many other options.
Likewise, you can use vegetable milk in savory recipes such as white sauce, pâtés, ricotta, stroganoff, etc. Furthermore, the residue left over from preparing milk can be used as flour in cakes, cookies or farofas.
Ultimately, cheap plant-based milks are easy to prepare and very versatile, and can be used as an alternative to cow’s milk in most recipes.
So, if you liked this article, you will also like this one: Benefits of Oats – Types of oats, how to consume and contraindications.
