Barista milk
Blog,  Diet,  Health,  Nutrition

Barista milk

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 MilkVitasoy Unsweetened Almond UHT Milk
filtered waterfiltered 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 saltsea salt
natural flavournatural flavour
vegetable gums (407, 418)vegetable gum (gellan)
food acid (331) 
Vitasoy Home Barista Oat MilkVitasoy Oat Long Life Milk
filtered waterfiltered water
whole oatswhole oats (min. 10%)
sunflower oilsunflower oil
oat flouroat flour
 gum arabic
mineral (calcium, phosphate, calcium carbonate)mineral (calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate)
food acid (340)food acid (340)
emulsifiers (471) 
natural flavournatural flavour
sea saltsea salt
Vitasoy Home Barista Soy MilkVitasoy Soy Milk Original
filtered waterfiltered water
whole soybeans (min. 14%)organic whole soybeans (min. 15%)
 barley malt
 barley flour
raw sugarraw sugar
 sunflower oil
mineral (calcium phosphate)mineral (calcium phosphate)
vegetable gums (460, 466, 407) 
natural flavoursnatural flavour
sea saltsea salt
food acids (340, 331) 
 kombu (kelp)
 vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B2)
Sanitarium So Good Barista Edition Almond MilkSanitarium So Good Long Life Unsweetened Almond Milk
filtered waterfiltered 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
saltsalt
 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 AlmondSanitarium So Good Chilled Unsweetened Almond Milk
filtered waterfiltered 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 MilkSanitarium So Good Oat No Added Sugar UHT Milk
filtered waterfiltered 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)
saltsalt
antioxidant (ascorbic acid)antioxidant (ascorbic acid)
vitamins (B12, A, B2, B1)vitamins (B12, A, B2, D, B1)
Sanitarium So Good Barista Edition Soy MilkSanitarium So Good Long Life Regular Soy Milk
filtered waterfiltered water
soy protein (3.5%)soy protein (3.5%)
corn maltodextrincorn maltodextrin
vegetable oils (sunflower, canola)vegetable oils (sunflower, canola)
cane sugarcane 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 MilkColes Unsweetened Almond Milk
waterwater
almonds (2.5%)ground almonds (2.5%)
maltodextrin 
sugar 
sunflower oil 
acidity regulators (340, 332) 
 tapioca starch
saltsalt
sunflower lecithinvegetable emulsifier (322, sunflower)
vegetable gums (gellan gum, xanthan gum)vegetable gums (418, 415)
natural flavournatural vanilla flavouring
 mineral salt (170)
Coles Dairy Free Barista Soy MilkColes Regular Soy Milk
waterwater
milled soy beans (4.7%) 
 soy protein (4%)
maltodextrin (from corn)maltodextrin (corn)
sugarsugar
canola oilcanola 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 DiamondAlmond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk
filtered waterfiltered 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)
saltsalt
emulsifier (sunflower lecithin)emulsifier (sunflower lecithin)
natural flavournatural flavour
Australia’s Own Barista AlmondAustralia’s Own Unsweetened Almond Milk
waterwater
organic almonds (3.5%)organic almonds (3%)
sugar 
sunflower oilorganic sunflower oil
maltodextrin (from corn) 
acidity regulator (340, 332) 
vegetable gums (418, 415, 410) 
sunflower lecithin 
saltsalt
Inside Out Barista Almond UHT MilkInside Out Almond Unsweetened UHT Milk
filtered waterfiltered 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 saltsea salt
vegetable gum (gellan)vegetable gum (gellan)
Oatly Oat Milk Barista EditionOatly Oat Milk
waterwater
oats (10%)oats (10%)
rapeseed oilrapeseed oil
acidity regulator (dipotassium phosphate) 
calcium carbonatecalcium carbonate
calcium phosphatescalcium phosphates
iodised saltiodised 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).

ProductAlmond Breeze Barista Blend Blue DiamondAlmond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk
Energy10067
Protein0.60.5
Fat, total1.91.2
– Saturated0.2<0.1
Carbohydrate1.20.7
– Sugars0.20.1
Sodium4752
ProductAustralia’s Own Barista AlmondAustralia’s Own Unsweetened Almond Milk
Energy15590
Protein1.00.6
Fat, total2.52
– Saturated0.20.2
Carbohydrate2.50.3
– Sugars1.70.1
Sodium4140
ProductColes Dairy Free Barista Almond MilkColes Unsweetened Almond Milk
Energy10875
Protein<1.0<1.0
Fat, total2.01.4
– Saturated<1.0<1.0
Carbohydrate1.3<1.0
– Sugars<1.0<1.0
Sodium4139
ProductColes Dairy Free Barista Soy MilkColes Regular Soy Milk
Energy227244
Protein1.93.1
Fat, total2.63
– Saturated<1.0<1.0
Carbohydrate5.44.7
– Sugars1.81.6
Sodium3560
ProductInside Out Barista Almond UHT MilkInside Out Almond Unsweetened UHT Milk
Energy19968
Protein0.70.16
Fat, total2.01.4
– Saturated0.20.1
Carbohydrate6.20.2
– Sugars1.50.1
Sodium2634
ProductOatly Oat Milk Barista EditionOatly Oat Milk
Energy247193
Protein1.01
Fat, total3.01.5
– Saturated0.30.2
Carbohydrate6.66.7
– Sugars4.04.1
Sodium4242
ProductSanitarium So Good Barista Edition Almond MilkSanitarium So Good Long Life Unsweetened Almond Milk
Energy10669
Protein0.70.6
Fat, total1.51.4
– Saturated0.10.1
Carbohydrate1.90.3
– Sugars1.40.1
Sodium4036
ProductSanitarium So Good Chilled Barista AlmondSanitarium So Good Chilled Unsweetened Almond Milk
Energy16469
Protein0.80.6
Fat, total2.61.4
– Saturated0.20.1
Carbohydrate2.80.3
– Sugars1.60.1
Sodium3936
ProductSanitarium So Good Barista Edition Oat MilkSanitarium So Good Oat No Added Sugar UHT Milk
Energy239181
Protein1.00.8
Fat, total3.11.5
– Saturated0.40.2
Carbohydrate6.06.4
– Sugars2.02.3
Sodium4143
ProductSanitarium So Good Barista Edition Soy MilkSanitarium So Good Long Life Regular Soy Milk
Energy241273
Protein3.43.2
Fat, total3.13.5
– Saturated0.40.4
Carbohydrate3.95.1
– Sugars1.92
Sodium4040
ProductVitasoy Home Barista Almond MilkVitasoy Unsweetened Almond UHT Milk
Energy12386
Protein0.50.7
Fat, total2.21.8
– Saturated0.40.2
Carbohydrate1.80.3
– Sugars1.50.1
Sodium6836
ProductVitasoy Home Barista Oat MilkVitasoy Oat Long Life Milk
Energy209201
Protein0.60.6
Fat, total2.22.1
– Saturated0.40.3
Carbohydrate6.56.2
– Sugars1.01
Sodium5150
ProductVitasoy Home Barista Soy MilkVitasoy Soy Milk Original
Energy175257
Protein3.03.3
Fat, total1.83.3
– Saturated0.30.5
Carbohydrate3.15
– Sugars2.12.6
Sodium7060

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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