Barista milk is formulated to produce beautiful and tasty milk-based coffees, especially when using plant-based (e.g. almond, oat, soy) milks.
Why barista milk?
A milk-based coffee with stunning latte art requires milk that won’t break when heated and that will produce the right size of bubbles for texture. For the most part, this is not an issue with cow’s milk. However, non-dairy (i.e. plant-based) milks can be tricky to work with. In addition, coffees bought at cafes need to taste better than anything you can make at home.
Barista milk in the Australian market
Many manufacturers of dairy and non-dairy milks now offer a barista range of products. Brands include Milklab (which belongs to Procal and is used in many cafes), Vitasoy, Australia’s Own, Sanitarium So Good, Almond Breeze, Inside Out, Oatly and Coles. Most brands are available in supermarkets and cafes, and some sell only to businesses.
Ingredients in non-dairy barista vs regular milk
I made a comparison for brands that have both barista and non-barista products. I had the suspicion that barista milks would have a lot more ingredients than regular milks. However, a lot of non-barista dairy-free milks do contain several additives, and the difference stems on which extra ingredients (highlighted in yellow below) are added to the core ones (i.e. water and nuts/soybeans/soy protein).
Vitasoy Home Barista Almond Milk |
Vitasoy Unsweetened Almond UHT Milk |
filtered water |
filtered water |
whole almonds (min 3.5%) |
whole almonds (min. 3.8%) |
raw sugar |
|
sunflower oil |
|
|
mineral (calcium phosphate) |
emulsifiers (471, 322) |
emulsifier (sunflower lecithin) |
sea salt |
sea salt |
natural flavour |
natural flavour |
vegetable gums (407, 418) |
vegetable gum (gellan) |
food acid (331) |
|
Vitasoy Home Barista Oat Milk |
Vitasoy Oat Long Life Milk |
filtered water |
filtered water |
whole oats |
whole oats (min. 10%) |
sunflower oil |
sunflower oil |
oat flour |
oat flour |
|
gum arabic |
mineral (calcium, phosphate, calcium carbonate) |
mineral (calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate) |
food acid (340) |
food acid (340) |
emulsifiers (471) |
|
natural flavour |
natural flavour |
sea salt |
sea salt |
Vitasoy Home Barista Soy Milk |
Vitasoy Soy Milk Original |
filtered water |
filtered water |
whole soybeans (min. 14%) |
organic whole soybeans (min. 15%) |
|
barley malt |
|
barley flour |
raw sugar |
raw sugar |
|
sunflower oil |
mineral (calcium phosphate) |
mineral (calcium phosphate) |
vegetable gums (460, 466, 407) |
|
natural flavours |
natural flavour |
sea salt |
sea salt |
food acids (340, 331) |
|
|
kombu (kelp) |
|
vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B2) |
Sanitarium So Good Barista Edition Almond Milk |
Sanitarium So Good Long Life Unsweetened Almond Milk |
filtered water |
filtered water |
ground almonds (3%) |
ground almonds (2.5%) |
cane sugar |
|
corn starch |
|
mineral (calcium) |
mineral (calcium) |
emulsifiers [473, 472(c)] |
emulsifier (sunflower lecithin) |
|
natural flavour |
salt |
salt |
|
mineral salt (sodium bicarbonate) |
vegetable gum (gellan) |
vegetable gum (gellan) |
antioxidant (ascorbic acid) |
antioxidant (ascorbic acid) |
vitamins (B12, B2, B1) |
vitamins (B12, B2, B1) |
acidity regulators (332, 450) |
|
Sanitarium So Good Chilled Barista Almond |
Sanitarium So Good Chilled Unsweetened Almond Milk |
filtered water |
filtered water |
ground almonds (3%) |
almonds (2.5%) |
cane sugar |
|
corn maltodextrin |
|
vegetable oils (sunflower, canola) |
|
minerals (phosphorus, calcium) |
mineral (calcium) |
emulsifier (322) |
emulsifier (sunflower lecithin) |
|
natural flavour |
|
salt |
|
mineral salt (sodium bicarbonate) |
vegetable gums (410, 418) |
vegetable gum (gellan) |
antioxidant (ascorbic acid) |
antioxidant (ascorbic acid) |
vitamins (B12, B2, B1) |
vitamins (B12, B2, B1) |
Sanitarium So Good Barista Edition Oat Milk |
Sanitarium So Good Oat No Added Sugar UHT Milk |
filtered water |
filtered water |
oat flour (9%) |
milled oats (min. 9%) |
vegetable oils (sunflower, canola) |
vegetable oils (sunflower, canola) |
minerals (phosphorus, calcium) |
minerals (calcium, phosphorus) |
|
acidity regulator (332) |
salt |
salt |
antioxidant (ascorbic acid) |
antioxidant (ascorbic acid) |
vitamins (B12, A, B2, B1) |
vitamins (B12, A, B2, D, B1) |
Sanitarium So Good Barista Edition Soy Milk |
Sanitarium So Good Long Life Regular Soy Milk |
filtered water |
filtered water |
soy protein (3.5%) |
soy protein (3.5%) |
corn maltodextrin |
corn maltodextrin |
vegetable oils (sunflower, canola) |
vegetable oils (sunflower, canola) |
cane sugar |
cane sugar |
minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium) |
minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium) |
acidity regulators (332, 450) |
acidity regulators (332, 450) |
corn starch |
|
soy fibre |
|
antioxidant (ascorbic acid) |
antioxidant (ascorbic acid) |
vitamins (B12, A, B2, B1) |
vitamins (A, B12, D2, B2, B1) |
|
natural flavour |
Coles Dairy Free Barista Almond Milk |
Coles Unsweetened Almond Milk |
water |
water |
almonds (2.5%) |
ground almonds (2.5%) |
maltodextrin |
|
sugar |
|
sunflower oil |
|
acidity regulators (340, 332) |
|
|
tapioca starch |
salt |
salt |
sunflower lecithin |
vegetable emulsifier (322, sunflower) |
vegetable gums (gellan gum, xanthan gum) |
vegetable gums (418, 415) |
natural flavour |
natural vanilla flavouring |
|
mineral salt (170) |
Coles Dairy Free Barista Soy Milk |
Coles Regular Soy Milk |
water |
water |
milled soy beans (4.7%) |
|
|
soy protein (4%) |
maltodextrin (from corn) |
maltodextrin (corn) |
sugar |
sugar |
canola oil |
canola oil |
|
mineral salts (450, 509, 526, 504) |
acidity regulators (332, 340) |
acidity regulators (338, 332) |
natural flavours |
|
sunflower lecithin |
|
stabilisers (460, 466) |
|
salt |
|
|
vegetable gum (407) |
|
vitamins (riboflavin, A, B12) |
Almond Breeze Barista Blend Blue Diamond |
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk |
filtered water |
filtered water |
ground whole almonds (2.5%) |
ground whole almonds (2.5%) |
sunflower oil |
|
corn maltodextrin |
|
|
tapioca starch |
|
mineral salt (calcium carbonate [ground limestone]) |
acidity regulator (dipotassium phosphate, potassium citrate) |
|
stabiliser (carrageenan, locust bean gum, sodium alginate, guar gum) |
stabiliser (carrageenan) |
salt |
salt |
emulsifier (sunflower lecithin) |
emulsifier (sunflower lecithin) |
natural flavour |
natural flavour |
Australia’s Own Barista Almond |
Australia’s Own Unsweetened Almond Milk |
water |
water |
organic almonds (3.5%) |
organic almonds (3%) |
sugar |
|
sunflower oil |
organic sunflower oil |
maltodextrin (from corn) |
|
acidity regulator (340, 332) |
|
vegetable gums (418, 415, 410) |
|
sunflower lecithin |
|
salt |
salt |
Inside Out Barista Almond UHT Milk |
Inside Out Almond Unsweetened UHT Milk |
filtered water |
filtered water |
activated almonds (5%) |
activated almonds (5%) |
maltodextrin |
|
raw sugar |
|
minerals (potassium citrate, potassium phosphate) |
mineral (calcium phosphate) |
coconut fat [coconut oil, glucose syrup, E1450, E551] |
|
vegetable oil (rapeseed) |
|
faba bean |
|
sea salt |
sea salt |
vegetable gum (gellan) |
vegetable gum (gellan) |
Oatly Oat Milk Barista Edition |
Oatly Oat Milk |
water |
water |
oats (10%) |
oats (10%) |
rapeseed oil |
rapeseed oil |
acidity regulator (dipotassium phosphate) |
|
calcium carbonate |
calcium carbonate |
calcium phosphates |
calcium phosphates |
iodised salt |
iodised salt |
vitamins (D2, riboflavin, B12) |
vitamins (D2, riboflavin, B12) |
From the analysed products, we can see the most common ingredients added to barista milk are salt, vegetable oil, sugar, minerals, acidity regulators, maltodextrin, vegetable gum, emulsifier and natural flavour. The most common ingredients added to non-barista milks are salt, minerals, natural flavour, vegetable oil, vitamins, vegetable gum, emulsifier and mineral salt.
Nutrients in non-dairy barista vs regular milk
I was expecting barista milks to have more fat and more sugar than regular milks. This is the case for many, but not all products. Check the tables below for a nutrient comparison per 100ml of product. I have highlighted in red those values that are higher in barista than in non-barista milk (except for protein) and in green those values that are lower in barista than in non-barista milk (again, except for protein).
Product |
Almond Breeze Barista Blend Blue Diamond |
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk |
Energy |
100 |
67 |
Protein |
0.6 |
0.5 |
Fat, total |
1.9 |
1.2 |
– Saturated |
0.2 |
<0.1 |
Carbohydrate |
1.2 |
0.7 |
– Sugars |
0.2 |
0.1 |
Sodium |
47 |
52 |
Product |
Australia’s Own Barista Almond |
Australia’s Own Unsweetened Almond Milk |
Energy |
155 |
90 |
Protein |
1.0 |
0.6 |
Fat, total |
2.5 |
2 |
– Saturated |
0.2 |
0.2 |
Carbohydrate |
2.5 |
0.3 |
– Sugars |
1.7 |
0.1 |
Sodium |
41 |
40 |
Product |
Coles Dairy Free Barista Almond Milk |
Coles Unsweetened Almond Milk |
Energy |
108 |
75 |
Protein |
<1.0 |
<1.0 |
Fat, total |
2.0 |
1.4 |
– Saturated |
<1.0 |
<1.0 |
Carbohydrate |
1.3 |
<1.0 |
– Sugars |
<1.0 |
<1.0 |
Sodium |
41 |
39 |
Product |
Coles Dairy Free Barista Soy Milk |
Coles Regular Soy Milk |
Energy |
227 |
244 |
Protein |
1.9 |
3.1 |
Fat, total |
2.6 |
3 |
– Saturated |
<1.0 |
<1.0 |
Carbohydrate |
5.4 |
4.7 |
– Sugars |
1.8 |
1.6 |
Sodium |
35 |
60 |
Product |
Inside Out Barista Almond UHT Milk |
Inside Out Almond Unsweetened UHT Milk |
Energy |
199 |
68 |
Protein |
0.7 |
0.16 |
Fat, total |
2.0 |
1.4 |
– Saturated |
0.2 |
0.1 |
Carbohydrate |
6.2 |
0.2 |
– Sugars |
1.5 |
0.1 |
Sodium |
26 |
34 |
Product |
Oatly Oat Milk Barista Edition |
Oatly Oat Milk |
Energy |
247 |
193 |
Protein |
1.0 |
1 |
Fat, total |
3.0 |
1.5 |
– Saturated |
0.3 |
0.2 |
Carbohydrate |
6.6 |
6.7 |
– Sugars |
4.0 |
4.1 |
Sodium |
42 |
42 |
Product |
Sanitarium So Good Barista Edition Almond Milk |
Sanitarium So Good Long Life Unsweetened Almond Milk |
Energy |
106 |
69 |
Protein |
0.7 |
0.6 |
Fat, total |
1.5 |
1.4 |
– Saturated |
0.1 |
0.1 |
Carbohydrate |
1.9 |
0.3 |
– Sugars |
1.4 |
0.1 |
Sodium |
40 |
36 |
Product |
Sanitarium So Good Chilled Barista Almond |
Sanitarium So Good Chilled Unsweetened Almond Milk |
Energy |
164 |
69 |
Protein |
0.8 |
0.6 |
Fat, total |
2.6 |
1.4 |
– Saturated |
0.2 |
0.1 |
Carbohydrate |
2.8 |
0.3 |
– Sugars |
1.6 |
0.1 |
Sodium |
39 |
36 |
Product |
Sanitarium So Good Barista Edition Oat Milk |
Sanitarium So Good Oat No Added Sugar UHT Milk |
Energy |
239 |
181 |
Protein |
1.0 |
0.8 |
Fat, total |
3.1 |
1.5 |
– Saturated |
0.4 |
0.2 |
Carbohydrate |
6.0 |
6.4 |
– Sugars |
2.0 |
2.3 |
Sodium |
41 |
43 |
Product |
Sanitarium So Good Barista Edition Soy Milk |
Sanitarium So Good Long Life Regular Soy Milk |
Energy |
241 |
273 |
Protein |
3.4 |
3.2 |
Fat, total |
3.1 |
3.5 |
– Saturated |
0.4 |
0.4 |
Carbohydrate |
3.9 |
5.1 |
– Sugars |
1.9 |
2 |
Sodium |
40 |
40 |
Product |
Vitasoy Home Barista Almond Milk |
Vitasoy Unsweetened Almond UHT Milk |
Energy |
123 |
86 |
Protein |
0.5 |
0.7 |
Fat, total |
2.2 |
1.8 |
– Saturated |
0.4 |
0.2 |
Carbohydrate |
1.8 |
0.3 |
– Sugars |
1.5 |
0.1 |
Sodium |
68 |
36 |
Product |
Vitasoy Home Barista Oat Milk |
Vitasoy Oat Long Life Milk |
Energy |
209 |
201 |
Protein |
0.6 |
0.6 |
Fat, total |
2.2 |
2.1 |
– Saturated |
0.4 |
0.3 |
Carbohydrate |
6.5 |
6.2 |
– Sugars |
1.0 |
1 |
Sodium |
51 |
50 |
Product |
Vitasoy Home Barista Soy Milk |
Vitasoy Soy Milk Original |
Energy |
175 |
257 |
Protein |
3.0 |
3.3 |
Fat, total |
1.8 |
3.3 |
– Saturated |
0.3 |
0.5 |
Carbohydrate |
3.1 |
5 |
– Sugars |
2.1 |
2.6 |
Sodium |
70 |
60 |
What about barista dairy milk?
Dairy milk is not commonly marketed as barista milk because it usually has the right composition to make good milk-based beverages. Not surprisingly, the ingredients in barista cow’s milk are most of the time just milk. One brand (Norco Foods) adds milk solids to their barista milk. Fat content in barista dairy milks ranges from 3.5 grams per 100 ml (same as regular full cream milk) to 4.2 grams per 100 ml.
Summary and recommendations
Barista milk is formulated to achieve the desired texture and flavour in cafe-style milk-based coffees. To this end, manufacturers add a number of ingredients, including sugar and vegetable oils, to non-dairy milks (e.g. almond, oat, soy). As a result, barista milks are often higher in energy, fat and sugar than their non-barista counterparts.
Should you drink barista non-dairy milk? Obviously, if you buy your coffee at a cafe you have no control over which milk they use. However, if you have a few options near you, check which milks they use if you wish to make an informed choice. If you buy milk for home and use it regularly, I suggest you choose the milk with better ingredients even if your latte art doesn’t turn out perfect.
For more information about plant-based and dairy milks, check out my previous articles: Oat milk comeback, What’s the deal with almond milk? and Is dairy good for you?.
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