I can't stand the taste of soy milk....so almond works best for me....but It seems I don't mind soy if it has enough "junk" added....so non dairy coffee creamer works too...hazel nut please!

I like coconut milk the best. We can't use almond, grandson allergic to nuts and dairy. Soy is ok in small amounts for cooking. Coconut milk ice cream is great.

Sweetened almond milk, without the vanilla is my favorite. Calories are low, calcium is higher than regular milk.

Soy is gross. Almond milk is too sweet unless you get the unsweetened and flavored is for coffee IMO. Cashew milk is heavenly and I could drink that all day long, except for the calories/fat. I haven't tried coconut milk except for baking (that I really like), but I do know coconut water is better than Gatorade (for sure). I don't like the imitation milks (coffee creamers) because who knows what those chemicals that somebody invented/mixed to trick our taste buds could cause harm way down the road.

To answer your question - nothing tastes like real cow's milk. Check with your allergist - he/she may let you try goat milk. People with dairy protein (casein) allergies or intolerance may not have the same reaction with goat milk. It does not cause lactose intolerance and is easier to digest. Ask if you are lactose intolerant or if cooked dairy is OK (cheeses, etc.).

When someone says they can't have dairy it doesn't give the whole story - intolerant or allergic? Non-digestible irritated digestion or hives and/or anaphylaxis result, or just reducing dairy for paleo or vegetarianism?

Nancy

I like the unsweetened almond milk the best of all of them.

Maybe a Cheerios substitute, instead? Muesli, for instance, especially if you make you own. You could even throw some Cheerios in it for old time's sake. The great thing about muesli is that it doesn't need a lot of wetting. You can thin down some nut butter, or use a dash of nut milk (you can make your own fairly easily), or use water kefir, or even broth. Think of it as an adventure. I like to just put some bits of this and that (rolled oats, hemp hearts, etc.) in a little dish (don't need a big cereal bowl if no milk) and eat it a pinch at a time, straight.

In order to skip the unnecessary "stuff" found in commercial non-dairy milk, make your own. Commercial almond milk is thickened with carrageenan instead of almonds, and has a small percentage of almonds in the mixture. "Carrageenan has been shown to cause numerous health problems, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. Research has shown that exposure to carrageenan could cause ulcers in the colon and possibly even contribute to GI cancers." Yummmm!

The challenge making your own is that it doesn't keep as long as the commercial products - AND - you have to do something with the nut or coconut pulp. I turn the pulp into high-protein/gluten-free "cereal", cookies, crackers, muffins, and a long list of recipes using the pulp can be found on-line. Dehydrate nut pulp and pulverize it to use as almond flour, and I also dehydrate coconut pulp from making coconut milk and use it for coconut flour.

The nice thing about making your own nut or coconut milk is that you can make it any thickness you like using a ratio of nuts to water (or coconut water) you like. Sweeten it if you like, but I avoid this unnecessary habit. I also keep 5.25 oz. packets of Native Forest Dairy Free/Vegan Coconut Milk Powder on hand. Not all coconut milk powders are dairy-free, so check labels. I use it to make coconut milk kefir, among other things.

You can make a Q & E mug of hot cocoa with nearly any non-dairy milk by heating it and adding 5-6 Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (my favorite).

I'd also suggest finding a copy of "Not Milk...NUT MILKS!" by Candia Lea Cole for more information about dairy-free milk recipes. You can also make rice, quinoa, and oat milk. Personally, I avoid soy at all costs, and I also avoid rice due to the high amounts of arsenic in it, unless I process and sprout it myself to reduce the arsenic.

-Grainlady

I tried Silk Coconut Milk tonight with a bowl of cereal. It's okay, but it's not milk. All for the cause of good health, I'm going to try to get used to it. I only have cereal once or twice a week and it's the only thing I use milk for.

I also like unsweetened almond milk as a substitute for milk in cereal.

I'm with grainlady. If you read the ingredient list on any of the commercial nut/soy/etc milks, you probably don't want to eat that. Much better to make your own.

I don't like any of the milk substitutes, so I'm not helpful. Soy is absolutely the worst, it's vile. Almond milk isn't vile, but it's not milk, not even close. Cashew is better, but still not even close to milk. I use coconut milk in cooking, but can't manage to drink the stuff, it has an odd texture, or mouth feel, or something. Coconut water IS far better than Gatorade, I agree with Nancy. Gatorade is like salty Koolaid.

So, if I had to give up milk, I guess I just wouldn't try to substitute, I'd just have to give it up altogether.

Annie

I have a friend who's grandfather would put coffee on his cereal. He was probably lactose intolerant, before it was a recognized condition, and that's how he compensated for it.

I think cashew milk has a good flavor, but I can't eat cashews these days because they are a high-fructan food. Oat milk is also a nice substitute. I've even made sprouted sunflower seed milk and sesame seed milk.

Modern milk is more allergenic than it needs to be due to the killing off of all the bacteria that breaks down lactose in the milk. If you're sensitive (again, not truly "allergic" because that is dangerous) try unpasteurized milk from a reputable dairy. I can get it here delivered once a week to the health food store. Same with goat's milk. You can freeze both. Or try cream, which has less lactose, watered down. I use half and half for my occasional bowl of oatmeal, and eat granola with yogurt. I can't stomach fake milk on cold cereal, for that I splurge on the real thing. But as a result, I hardly ever eat cold cereal. It's kinda overprocessed anyway. I make bars out of cheerios or puffed brown rice, but that's a snack or desert.

I love Wheaties!...And cheerios.....and cornflakes! I use cream when I must have a bowl of Wheaties....and sometimes regular milk and a couple of lactade tablets.....and plan to suffer.

I've tried commercial cashew milk and like it the best. I also like the almond/coconut blend. It's pretty tasty. I can't handle liquid milk of any kind, so I just keep a canister of powdered instant whole milk in my freezer for baking & cooking. I can tolerate cheeses, cream, milk-based cooked sauces, and yogurt. I often have cream in my fridge. I eat cereal as an evening snack sometimes. I don't like it swimming in milk, so a few hefty dribbles of cream on top make a perfect treat for me.

As said above - none are real milk. while I am unlikely to drink a glass of any milk replacement I like some ok on cereal. As grainlady suggested - home-made tastes better. I played around with different ingredient combinations a lot when I first got a vitamix. My favorites are almond/pecan or almond/cashew combos. I add a date also for a touch of sweetness. I don't make it too often unless I'm avoiding milk because of a cold or allergies.

Hope you find what works for you.

Why Cheerios, or any cereal for breakfast. There are plenty of (breakfast) foods that are better than cereal and don't require "milk".

But some of us LIKE cereal. I usually eat it cold and dry, as a snack, but really like Raisin Bran or shredded wheat. Pancakes are good, but I require maple syrup and butter, so it's all fat/carbs/sugar, good for a treat, but not regularly. Same with waffles. I usually have an egg, but I like eggs runny, not hard, so no omelettes, or scrambled or hard boiled (unless they are devilled or egg salad, go figure). Plus, my stomach is usually cranky in the mornings, and only wants something bland, so no tomatoes or onions, nothing spicy or sour or acidic. I do like steel cut oats, but I like milk on those.

It must be genetics, my 80 year old Mother has eaten a bowl of Cheerios with milk every morning for at least 30 years. That's what she likes. (shrug) No berries, no fruit, no sugar, just Cheerios and milk.

Annie

But some of us LIKE cereal.

I'm not disputing that.

But if fawnridge want's to eliminate dairy from breakfast, then maybe eliminating cereal is the easier, better way to do it. There are plenty of non-cereal, non-dairy breakfast options.

As grainlady noted above, there's a lot of stuff in commercial non-dairy "milk". The "stuff" can't be any better than whatever it is in dairy that fawnridge want's to eliminate.

It isn't clear why the dairy elimination is important. Probably why this got a bit confusing. That aside...

I stock powders....non-fat milk, goat milk, cashew milk, hemp milk....and try to get the most pure as so many use starches for thickeners like tapioca, etc.

Cartons are mostly water so just stock your own powders and make it thick or thin. Such a small amount like 3 tbsp makes a good cup and a half depending or how you like it. Cashew is the most like rich milk cream. Just check ingredients. Tapioca is not a bad one...just a filler, thickener.

I prefer just a bit of yogurt or kefir with my granola. 1/2 half cup granola as it is a powerhouse of calories with nuts and dried fruits. No added sugar but full of natural sugars.

Cereals are snack bulk and good fiber. Such a simple treat in the big picture of other processed foods. My dad has a rotation of grape nuts, wheaties, cherios, and been at that for years...87now. Mom likes my granola so i send it often.

They were having digestive issues being elder so they upped the cereals until they discovered some other digestives like psyllium husk.

I don't care much for milk even organic as it all tastes weird and over processed, pasteurized. I'm surprised how much better a bit of powdered has a better sweet milk smell. Just made a cream using powder for a soup and added chives and pesto, some kefir....much better than a carton.

Sleevendog, where do you get your powders? Especially, the cashew.

Mom, what I was saying is that "better" is a matter of perspective. I don't think any of those other breakfast options are "better", although they are certainly plausible. I eat (and enjoy) cereal sometimes, and apparently fawnridge does too, which is why he's searching for dairy alternatives. I'm sure he knows that he could make himself huevos rancheros or chocolate chip waffles, or ham sandwiches or chicken noodle soup, but he has chosen to have cereal, as that was the subject of the post.

I just don't think there are any viable "milk" substitutes, although I did know some guys in college who used beer on their cereal in the morning. I don't think that's necessarily an alternative either, but you never know, and it's not dairy. Or maybe coffee, and just get breakfast over and done with and only use one bowl!

Annie

I love, love cereal. Corn flakes, Shreddies, Cheerios, Shredded Wheat, All-bran, Spoon-size. The only thing I put sugar on is Shredded wheat, and I use some brown sugar. For a sweet cereal treat, it's Frosted flakes. I have trouble thinking of alternate breakfasts. French toast, pancakes or biscuits, I save for weekends as a treat. Fruit and yogurt doesn't tempt me at all in the morning,

Since figuring out years ago that cereal is the biggest rip-off in the store, I've made my own - both cold and hot varieties - for decades. There is approximately 17-cents worth of grain in a box of cereal.... And it doesn't matter what kind of liquid you pour over it, that's paying too much for the packaging and advertising.

I just made a large batch of gluten-free mixed-grain pancakes for the freezer this morning. I also make ahead and freeze: waffles, muffins, quick breads, gluten-free French toast, oat scones, breakfast cookies, and several kinds of gluten-free breads. I've got buckwheat sprouting so I can make it into granola (just one of many granola recipes I make).

I also made quinoa milk this morning and used coconut milk kefir in my pancakes. It's nice to have options.....

-Grainlady

shambo, i will not link the amazon cashew...on the fence about that one...i do have one from TraderJoes....but fresh is better. if you do a nut 'tasting', (crazy i know), cashew and macadamia, they are very creamy. Unlike almond. They just milk better. 4 hour soak and wiz in a blender with filtered water. Keeps easy 3-4 days. I realize i adds a step to the crazy day but i'm methodical about processes and don't mind the zip around the kitchen with Kefir, Kombucha, Micro greens, and working full time.

I don't have a milk issue but never have it or buy it. I stock yogurt and now have kefir going and stock nut milk powders.

Making cashew milk is easy once you overcome the initial trial like anything if it is important t you...

So many simple recipes...cashew milk

I had a college classmate who put orange juice on her cereal.

I think the onlynon-dairy milk I would use is coconut. Preferably home made. ( I can't eat regular tree nuts.)

Tho, I am curious about quinoa milk...?

(I haven't had cereal other than oatmeal in ages!!)

Jasdip, when I want a sweet treat cereal, it's Cracklin' Oat Bran. Sounds so healthy and if you look at the box, it's so not. (grin) I eat a handful for a snack, though, no milk. I love Frosted Flakes, but never eat them, and Raisin Bran isn't really much better in the sugar department. Grandma used to take a big shredded wheat biscuit, pour on warm milk and voila! Hot cereal. It works in the microwave too. Right now I have gluten free oatmeal for baking because of Amanda's celiac disease, steel cut oats for my breakfasts, home ground wheat berries for hot wheat cereal, Gluten Free Rice Chex for chex mix, plain Cheerios, a cheap and gluten free rice crisp cereal because Rice Krispies are NOT gluten free, some flavor or another of Kashi that Elery bought. I save my homeground Oaxacan Green cornmeal for hoe cakes, although it's traditionally used for tamales.

I agree with Grainlady that commercially manufactured cereal is crazy expensive, which is one reason I make my own granola, but I can often get it on sale and use coupons, making it less than $2 a box. I'm in Michigan, remember, home of Tony the Tiger, LOL, so deals are common. They're still all processed and GMO filled grains with far too much added sugar, so cereal is a treat, not an every day breakfast.

I've been freezing pancakes, french toast and waffles for years, since the girls were in school, as well as breakfast burritos, muffins and those muffin cup frittatas. Yogurt and fruit just will never be breakfast here, and neither will smoothies. I don't care what you put in that blender, I don't like smoothies. Don't care for milkshakes either, so there's that texture thing rearing its ugly head.

I will admit that if I pour on a little maple syrup, a handful of raisins and maybe some nuts, I can eat oatmeal without milk. I also add salt and pepper and an overeasy egg and make savory oatmeal sometimes, so no dairy needed.

Annie