What's the best plant-based milk for a cappuccino?
The types of milk
| Score | Quality | Amount of foam | Taste | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole milk | 5 stars | Thick and firm, few bubbles | Good | Full, a bit creamy |
| Oat milk | 5 stars | Thick and firm, few bubbles | Good | Full, creamy, and sweet |
| Soy milk | 4 stars | Firm, airy with some bubbles | Good | Full, sweet, and creamy |
| Almond milk | 3.5 stars | Texture remains good, a lot of bubbles | Good | Nutty, watery, sweet, and creamy |
| Coconut milk | 2 stars | Lots of bubbles, thin, airy, foam collapses fast | OK | Coconut, watery, and a bit creamy |
| Rice milk | 1 star | Lots of bubbles, thin, texture disappears quickly | Minimal | Watery and sweet |
Approach
The quality of the milk foam is determined by several factors:
- The type of milk
- The amount of proteins and fat in the milk
- The milk frothing method
For a comparison that is as fair as possible, we've frothed the milk in 2 ways. We used a steam wand and a fully automatic machine with a milk reservoir. With each type of milk, the amount of proteins and fat can differ per brand. This is why we'll list the amount of proteins and fat for each type of milk, so you can easily compare it to another brand.
Scores
We've scored the types of milk. We considered the following points:
- Texture of the foam (thick and firm)
- How long the texture lasts
- Amount of foam
The type of milk gets a score between 1 and 5 stars. A 5-star rating is the highest. The scores are as follows:
- Whole milk: 5 stars
- Oat milk: 5 stars
- Soy milk: 4 stars
- Almond milk: 3.5 stars
- Coconut milk: 2 stars
- Rice milk: 1 star
Whole milk
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Whole milk - steam wand
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Whole milk - milk reservoir
Score: 5 stars
First, we tested whole milk. This makes good milk foam for a delicious cappuccino.
We used: Campina organic whole milk (fresh).
- Fat: 3.6 grams
- Proteins: 3.4 grams
The foam is very firm and has few air bubbles. The quantity is good. The foam has a full taste and it's a little bit creamy.
Oat milk
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Oat milk - steam wand
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Oat milk - milk reservoir
Score: 5 stars
We used: Oatly Barista Edition oat milk.
- Fat: 3 grams
- Proteins: 1 gram
The foam is very thick and firm. It has few bubbles. The amount of foam is good. The foam tastes full, creamy, and sweet.
Soy milk
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Soy milk - steam wand
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Soy milk - milk reservoir
Score: 4 stars
We used: Alpro Soya (fresh).
- Fat: 1.8 grams
- Proteins: 3 grams
The foam is firm, but it does have some bubbles. This makes it a bit airy. The quantity is good. The foam tastes sweet, full, and a little bit creamy.
Almond milk
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Almond milk - steam wand
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Almond milk - milk reservoir
Score: 3.5 stars
We used: Alpro Roasted Almond Original (fresh).
- Fat: 1.1 grams
- Proteins: 0.4 grams
The foam has many bubbles, but is still firm. The quantity is good. It tastes nut-like, watery, sweet, and creamy.
Coconut milk
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Coconut milk - steam wand
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Coconut milk - milk reservoir
Score: 2 stars
We used: Alpro Coconut (fresh).
- Fat: 0.9 grams
- Proteins: 0.1 grams
The foam has many bubbles and is very thin and airy. The texture doesn't last and the foam collapses fast. The quantity is OK. It has a strong coconut taste. Other than that, it's watery and a little bit creamy.
Rice milk
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Rice milk - steam wand
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Rice milk - milk reservoir
Score: 1 star
We used: Alpro Rice (long-life).
- Fat: 1 gram
- Proteins: 0.1 grams
The foam has many bubbles and is thin. The texture disappears quickly and it melts in your mouth right away. The quantity is minimal. The foam has a watery and sweet taste.
