I’m a dairy girl for the most part, since I truly believe that organic, pasture-raised cow’s milk is the most nutritious milk you can buy. But sometimes it seems like everyone else I know is into almond, coconut, soy, grain, rice and other alternative milks.
Though these milk alternatives are a great option for people with allergies or special diets, most don’t provide much nutritional value in terms of naturally-occurring protein (except soy) and calcium. They also frequently contain a potential harmful additive called carrageenan, which is better to avoid whenever possible.
For those of you who buy non-dairy milks, I thought I’d put together a list of organic options that don’t have carrageenan, so you could taste them and find your favorites.
Almond Milk
- Homemade – it’s easier than you think 🙂
- 365 (Whole Foods private label)
- Beber
- OMilk NYC
- Westsoy Organic (the conventional line may contain carrageenan)
Soy Milk
- Earth Balance* (Older formulations containing carrageenan remain on shelves. Watch ingredients!)
- Eden Soy
- Natur-a
- Organic Valley
- Pacific Foods (organic unsweetened original)
- So Nice (Natural flavor only)
- Soy Dream (Shelf Stable: classic vanilla and enriched chocolate; Refrigerated: classic original)
- Sunrise Soya (all except light fortified sweetened)
- Tofu Shop
- Trader Joe’s Unsweetened in shelf-stable package (refrigerated does contain carrageenan)
- Twin Oaks
- Westsoy (original, unsweetened, lowfat)
Chocolate Soy Milk
- Organic Valley
- Tofu Shop
- Organic Soy Dream (enriched chocolate)
Rice Milk
- Kirkland Signature
- Natur-a
- Nature’s Promise
- Rice Dream – shelf-stable (organic classic original, organic enriched original)
- Trader Joe’s (Check labels, as their private labels vary)
Other Milk Alternatives
- Pacific Foods Oat Milk
- Pacific Foods Hemp Milk
- Pacific Foods 7 Grain Milk
- Pacific Foods Coconut Original or Vanilla
Any other organic brands you like that I’ve missed? Please share your favorites in the comments!
*Some of this information sourced from Cornucopia Institute
46 Comments
Liz S.
April 16, 2015 at 4:37 amSilk is definitely my favorite brand for carrageenan-free milk alternatives (I especially love their almond milk and cashew milk).
Erika
April 16, 2015 at 7:17 amTrader Joe’s refrigerated almond milks do not have carrageenan. They also recently came out with a new Trader Joe’s boxed almond milk without carrageenan, but I only spotted it a couple of weeks before it disappeared.
Samantha
April 17, 2015 at 12:38 pmThank you. I enjoyed reading this post. I have been just grabbing any of these milks from the supermarket shelves without looking at the ingredients for the last few years. I have now decided to switch back to organic cows milk as i don’t have any special dietary requirements. I also watched a television program about the recent studies from the university of Copenhagen about how good dairy can be for us. So I’m keen to reintroduce these foods. But this is one of the reasons i love your blog as you cater for all dietary requirements.
Amelia Winslow
April 17, 2015 at 12:54 pmThanks for your comment, Erika. I think Trader Joe’s brand milk alternatives vary by region (some of the time) so I didn’t include these in the list. The ones in your area may not have carrageenan but some others may.
Amelia Winslow
April 17, 2015 at 12:54 pmThey do have yummy milk alternatives! They are not organic though, which is why they’re not on the list. Silk’s organic versions DO have carrageenan.
Ingredients Solutions
April 17, 2015 at 1:13 pmhttp://www.foodinsight.org/blogs/why-you-should-care-about-carrageenan
Liz S.
April 17, 2015 at 5:41 pmAh, so sorry! I stupidly included my favorites that weren’t organic. I appreciate the list you shared, since I definitely/actively avoid carrageenan.
Amelia Winslow
April 19, 2015 at 10:44 amDon’t worry, Liz! I’m sure we all want to hear about other available carrageenan-free products!
vanessa
June 18, 2015 at 7:14 amI think Flax Milk is one of the best tasting that’s carrageenan free…
Serena
July 26, 2015 at 12:04 pmGreat article! With some trepidation I checked my carton of Silk unsweetened vanilla almond milk today and didn’t see carrageenan on the ingredient list.
INGREDIENTS: Almondmilk (Filtered Water, Almonds), Sea Salt, Natural Flavor, Locust Bean Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Gellan Gum.
Did they change their ingredients? Should I be worried about those gums?
Amelia Winslow
July 28, 2015 at 10:43 amHi Serena,
This article is only about organic soy milks, and Silk almond milk is not organic. That’s why it’s not listed 🙂
Serena
July 28, 2015 at 9:47 pmEek! Sorry, blonde moment. 😛 Whole Foods 365 here I come… Love the blog by the way!
Amelia Winslow
July 30, 2015 at 12:26 pmNo worries, Serena – it’s hard to keep track of all these products!!
karen
August 1, 2015 at 4:12 pmI was interested in Pacific Coconut Milk until I read the ingredients-they have two synthetic isolated vitamins A and D2. http://thehealthcoach1.com/?p=1640
Kelley
September 2, 2015 at 5:44 pmI buy So Nice, that doesn’t contain carageenan. It’s delicious.
Amelia Winslow
September 3, 2015 at 11:13 amI haven’t heard of So Nice, I’ll check it out.
Ted Robb
September 10, 2015 at 12:12 pmHi All – our almond milk (The New Barn) doesn’t have any carrageenan, natural flavors, or many other necessary ingredients. We are in the process of launching across the country at Whole Foods Market, so it will start to be more widely available. We would be honored if you gave us a look. Thanks and take care! Our website is http://www.thenewbarn.com.
Amelia Winslow
September 10, 2015 at 2:43 pmGreat to know! I love that there’s no natural flavor – as this seems to be present in many organic foods, though it’s not usually an organic ingredient and very hard for the consumer to know exactly what it means. Thanks for sharing!
sb
December 20, 2015 at 9:56 am365 (Whole Foods) Almond Milk doesn’t have CARRAGEENAN, but it DOES have a LOT of ADDITIVES, including Vitamin A Palmitate (not Good).
Allistarr
April 2, 2016 at 4:19 pmThe Pacific Foods hemp milk that I found online DOES have Carrageenan in it.
Rena
April 4, 2016 at 12:51 pmPacific oat milk also has Carageenan. I’m trying to find an oat milk without it, but no luck yet.
Sandeh
April 4, 2016 at 10:21 pmYes, most all the Pacific Foods milks have carrageenan in it, except the Oat Milk and was it the Chocolate Hemp milk?
Tempt Hemps do not, and neither do many of the new coconut and almond creamer pints in the fridge section.
Sadly, many new innovative products do have carrageenan, and potato starch, so looking for nightshade free alterna-cheeses.
Thanks for the article.
Cynthia
May 7, 2016 at 5:16 amDo they actually list carrageenan as an ingredient or is there a “hidden” ingredient like flavor we have to look out for. I buy the silk original cashew. Thnx
Amelia Winslow
May 11, 2016 at 12:35 pmCarrageenan would be listed in the ingredients list.
Mary
June 21, 2016 at 9:59 amIt was good that Liz mentioned silk. I was wondering about that brand
Amelia Winslow
June 23, 2016 at 8:56 amKeep in mind this post is only about Organic milk alternatives, not conventional. The Silk products don’t have Carrageenan but they also aren’t organic.
Kati R.
July 31, 2016 at 5:58 amCalifia Farm almond milk is also carrageenan free
Amelia Winslow
July 31, 2016 at 3:53 pmBut it’s not organic, and this post is only a list of organic almond milks.
Collette Turner
September 1, 2016 at 8:57 amDoes anyone out there know of a brand of canned condensed milk that doesn’t contain carrageeban? I’ve searched everywhere. I realize you can make your own, but I would love to find it in a can.
Thanks!
Collette
Amelia Winslow
September 3, 2016 at 9:00 pmI didn’t know any of them did contain it, to be honest. There are a few kinds at Whole Foods, perhaps check there?
Stephanie
September 5, 2016 at 5:52 amI have Pacific Foods Hemp milk (unsweetened vanilla) and it does contain Carrageenan! Maybe depends on the flavor?
Amelia Winslow
September 7, 2016 at 2:59 pmI think flavor does matter, and I only listed flavors that I knew didn’t have it, but this is good info to have and I’ll make sure I’m reporting correctly. Thanks, Stephanie!
Harriet
October 9, 2016 at 11:58 amCostco recently discontinued the Blue Diamond-Almond Breeze Almondmilk. I use to buy the UNSWEETENED VANILLA. They replaced it with their brand- Kirkland Signature Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk. Can anyone tell me how it compares and if it is the healthier choice.
Thank you,
Harriet
Amelia Winslow
October 12, 2016 at 2:01 pmHi Harriet, I’m not familiar with the Kirkland Signature brand of almond milk. However, in my experience, Costco sources high quality products for their private label. I’ll check it out next time I’m at Costco.
Giovanna Nease
February 5, 2017 at 9:24 pmPacific milk has “milk products” like hemp milk that has carageenan and other fillers.
Amelia Winslow
February 7, 2017 at 10:49 amI’ve listed the carrageenan-free types here. It’s hard to find a dairy-free beverage with no emulsifier/filler — even the carrageenan-free ones have other emulsifying agents. Unless you make your own, or buy the fresher high pressure pasteurized versions (HPP) in the refrigerated section, you won’t find a nut/alternative milk with no fillers.
Lisa
May 25, 2017 at 2:01 amI checked TJ soymilk in refrigerated area today. It has carrageenan on the list of ingredients.
Amelia Winslow
May 26, 2017 at 10:41 amHi Lisa, was it organic? When I wrote this article, the organic soymilk did not have carageenan, but the conventional soymilk might.
Karen
August 2, 2017 at 3:45 pmIf you think cows’ milk is healthy for humans, please watch the documentary “What the Health” on Netflix, read “The China Study” (the largest running, most comprehensive and peer reviewed nutritional study ever conducted in the history of the planet), read the article “21 leading sources on the breast cancer/dairy connection”
and watch “Dairy is Scary” on youtube by Erin Janus.
Elizabeth Capuzzo-Peixoto
September 17, 2017 at 4:35 amcan you please clarify again about what does or not contain this filler?
Better I will just read the labels…
Jack B
October 19, 2017 at 8:47 amI have stage 3 kidney disease, thus I must limit if not eliminate dairy products. My renal diet says rice milk is the best alternative. But finding alternative milks without carrageenan, low in potassium , phosphorus & sodium. Still looking. Can you help?
Amelia Winslow
October 25, 2017 at 12:27 pmHi Jack, I would recommend consulting a clinical RD – you may find one in a directory on eatright.org – because I am not an expert when it comes to clinical nutrition-related conditions. Best wishes to you though.
Diana
February 26, 2018 at 9:13 amSoy Dream Enriched DOES have carrageenan, which I think should be highlighted even with the parenthetical list of Soy Dream products that do NOT have carrageenan. The packaging for various Soy Dream products is almost identical across their line, so buyer beware.
Amelia Winslow
March 21, 2018 at 12:25 pmThanks, Diana. I am specifically referring to Organic lines only – but I’ll give Soy Dream another look!
Carrie
April 8, 2018 at 9:28 amha! Carrageeban! Love it!
Bex
May 18, 2018 at 9:06 pmI am searching for an organic dairy alternative that makes a good foam–is this even an option? Thanks.