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Almond milk is one of the most popular non-dairy alternatives on the market. It’s affordable, has a mild taste and is widely available in most grocery stores. Yet choosing which brand to buy can be confusing. With the help of the Simple Green Smoothies Team, we shopped and blind taste-tested all the almond milk brands we could find online and in grocery stores.
Best Almond Milk Brands Results
In our very own rawkstar report, you can see how almond milk brands stack up when tested side by side. We focused on unsweetened and unflavored varieties, which I recommend using all the time. We rated them based on the quality of ingredients, taste (and texture) and sustainable packaging.
Elmhurst Milked Almonds
Thrive Market Organic Almond Beverage
Silk Almond Organic
Silk Almond Unsweetened
365 Organic Original Almondmilk
Three Trees Organic Original Almondmilk
Simply Almond Original
discontinued
Good & Gather Original Almond (refrigerated)
Sprouts Organic Almondmilk Original
Great Value Almondmilk Original
Pacific Foods Organic Almond
Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk Original
Califia Farms Almondmilk
ALDI’s Friendly Farms Almond Original Almondmilk
Publix Original Almond Milk
Trader Joe’s Almond Beverage Original
Kirkland’s Almond Milk
Good & Gather Original Almond (shelf-stable)
Factors To Determine the Best Brands
As you’ll see from the ratings above, almond milk is not all the same. Many brands add fillers, gum, fortify with vitamins, and alter taste with “natural flavors” to modify the true flavor.
Always read labels when shopping; you never know what you’ll get if you don’t. The best quality you will ever find is homemade almond milk. Yet if that’s not a possibility for you, then let this list be your guide to getting the very best brand.
High-Quality Ingredients
Just because the branding looks clean, attractive and healthy, it doesn’t mean the ingredients tell the same story. While we know taste and texture are huge buying factors, we also compared ingredient lists to give our best recommendations:
- Elmhurst Milked Almonds
- Organic Almond Malk
- Unsweetened Three Trees Organic Almond Milk
Taste + Texture
Blind taste-testing was a game-changer when it came to comparing the taste of a variety of milk. Some were gritty, others were smooth. Some had a bitter taste. Others had a smooth sweetness. We took all this into account when rating each brand.
- Silk Almond Unsweetened
- Friendly Farms Original Unsweetened Almond
- Good & Gather Original Almond, refrigerated
Silk Unsweetened Almond was the top-tasting winner hands down (and the only was to get a “green pass” for its taste score). Overall, we realized that every brand of store bought almond beverage isn’t that tasty, especially when you compare it to oat milk or coconut milk.
Eco-Conscious Packaging
Eco-friendly packaging also gave certain brands a boost. If a brand used recyclable materials or had B-Corp status then they got bonus points.
- Elmhurst Milked Almonds
- Silk Almond Organic + Silk Almond Unsweetened
- Thrive Market Organic Almond Beverage
Where to Buy Almond Milk
Erin spent a day driving around Tampa Bay, so that she could buy every brand available. She purchased every almond beverage brand available at Costco, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Target, Aldi, Publix, The Fresh Market, and NutritionSmart. We also purchased online from Thrive Market and Amazon to get everything we could. You can pretty much find it in every grocery store in 2024.
- Elmhurst Milked Almonds: Publix, Amazon, Elmhurst.com, Wegman’s, Thrive Market, Whole Foods, etc.
- Thrive Market Almond: ThriveMarket.com is the online grocery story loved by many, including myself. They make their products at an affordable price too.
Health Benefits of Almond Milk
Almond milk has exploded on the market in recent years. Consumers are buying more plant-based products and grocery stores are listening. Dairy also happens to be one of the most common food sensitivities, which makes this milk, oat milk and coconut milk great options. Whether you choose to buy one of the best brands above or make homemade almond milk, you can enjoy some wonderful health benefits.
If you’re concerned with almond milk production with regard to water use and pesticide use then check out my reviews for Oat Milk Brands and Coconut Milk Brands.
Here’s how one cup of almond milk stacks up to one cup of dairy:
Unsweetened Almond Milk (on average)
- 50 calories
- 2 grams of carbs
- 35% daily Vitamin E
- 35% daily Calcium (manufacturers enrich most almond milks to compete with dairy milk)
Low Fat Dairy Milk (on average)
- 103 calories
- 12 grams of carbs (mostly sugar)
- 28% daily Calcium
How to Use Almond Milk
We love using almond beverages as a recipe base to create a creamy, protein-enriched meal, so here are a few of our favorites:
- Chocolate Banana Protein Smoothie: an ultra creamy, filling shake to drink before or after a workout.
- Maple Cauliflower Smoothie Bowl: a delightfully sweet smoothie bowl recipe.
- Spiced Almond Drink: my go-to bedtime beverage to help stabilize blood sugar.
- Chocolate Fiber Smoothie Cubes: an easy blender bomb recipe to add to smoothies for extra fiber.
- Almond Milk Smoothie: a nutty smoothie with berries that is super filling.
Almond Milk Brands FAQs
The healthiest almond milks on the market are the ones with the most limited ingredient list. There are several brands that contain just almonds and water without any extra gums or fillers. Make sure to always read the nutrition label so you know exactly what ingredients are in your preferred brand.
As with any food, you can have too much of a good thing! Almond milk is not a great source of protein and can be filled with lots of gums and other additives to help with the flavor and texture. In recent years, the public has been made increasingly aware of the farming and processing practices of almonds and there has been much discussion and debate on the amount of water and pesticides used. If this is a concern for you, definitely do your homework to determine which milk brand most closely aligns with your beliefs.
Based on our blind review of over 20 brands, we determined that Silk Almond Unsweetened milk is the best tasting one on the market. It might not have the most quality ingredient list yet we all gave it highest marks for flavor and texture.
Leave a comment letting us know if this report was helpful and if there are any almond milk brands we can test next! We’re here to do the work for you, and then give you the inside scoop. If your favorite isn’t listed, then we’d love to know which brand you think has the best-tasting milk because we want to try it, too!
Elmhurst or bust!
Thanks for the lists! I’d love a bit more data. Like where do Silk and Almond Breeze come in on the lists? I don’t have availability of many of the brands you listed so I’d love to know if these mainstream brands are ok or if I should be avoiding them. I will start checking for those ingredients now though!
Thanks for checking out our report, Laura! Silk and Almond Breeze were tested and ended up sort of middle of the pack for us. You can see their results in the infographic in our post. Either is def a better option than others we tested – yet you’re right – check those ingredients to make sure!
Thanks to this guide, I’ve switched the almond milk brand I buy… and I love Simply Almond now!
Dang! This was super helpful. It’s changing my diet – that’s for sure! Didn’t realize Silk was no longer organic. Didn’t realize those gums are such a problem. I printed out some of the information to take shopping with me, while I pick my new milk alternative. Thank you!
Thanks for the detailed information. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for these brands. Some however I know are not available in my area. Thanks for the rating system! Very helpful!
Thank you for the insight on almond milk! Perhaps I’m late to the game and you reviewed these brands before – but I would love to know how Pacific Foods and Simple Truth measure up!
We’d love to include them in our next review. Where do you typically see those brands? They haven’t shown up in our immediate area just yet…
Yes! I loved the comparison last year and was looking forward to it this year! I’ve started making my own almond milk (the ones available here are full of fillers and a bunch of other stuff I don’t want to ingest…or it costs about $8 a liter for the one organic brand I found…), but this is great for when I’m in the States because I don’t want to spend all my time searching when I could just grab it and go. Thank you!
You’re so welcome Holly!
I’m dairy-intolerant so have been using almond milk. So appreciative of your detailed breakdown on gums–information that’s applies to many other products as well. I’ve found that gums have the same effect on me as dairy– they produce mucus, which causes sinus pain. I avoid them entirely. However, I now might see whether locust bean gum is different in how it affects my body. Thanks so much!
So glad you found this helpful. If you use Elmhurst or Simply– there are no gums at all. Which is nice.
Thank you this information was very helpful.
You’re welcome! Excited to hear what you pick next time at the store.
Thanks for the updated list! Now I’ve got some new almond milk brands to try.
You betcha! What are you gonna try first?
I found the article interesting and informative – especially, the breakdown on various gums. I’m not sure, but I think you may have meant to put “insoluble fiber” in the following statement: “It is a soluble fiber, meaning our bodies cannot break it down. ” Either way, I immediately went to my fridge to review ingredients of my almond milk while reading this article. I will share it with my family and friends. Thanks.
Thanks for the tips, Eric!
Interesting. I really like Malk, so surprised you thought the taste was bad. I have had a bad bottle once that was spoiled, but other than that the taste is usually excellent (have to shake really well as it settles). I also like Simple Truth organic almond milk (Kroger brand). You probably don’t have a Kroger in FL to try that one. Thanks for the info on ingredients, found that interesting.
I like Malk, also. I think with Malk it’s either hit or miss flavor-wise for people. Glad you found this helpful. 🙂
Thanks for letting us know about Simple Truth. I’m on the west coast and we don’t have Publix out here, but we do have Vons/Safeway which is the same as Kroger.
Wondering why your team didn’t buy at Costco/Kirkland? [I saw your response to Laura.]
There are just so many to test, they had to cap it at some point. 🙂
I have always wondered about the different kinds of almond milk with some being so much more expensive than others! Of course I want it to taste good but I will give in some on that for cleaner ingredients! Loved this and thanks for doing it!
So glad you found this helpful, Jennifer! 🙂
Very interesting! Did you test the Kirkland brand from Costco? I didn’t see it on the list, but noticed you shopped there.
Hey Laura, the brands listed on the Ratings/Results scoresheet are all the ones they bought and tested. 🙂