After hemp, pistachio, sesame, and pea milk, you’re probably asking yourself: “which vegan milk could possibly be next ?!”
The answer: potato milk.
With the milk-alternatives market booming (in the U.S. alone, plant-based dairy products account for roughly 10% of the entire milk market), this new spud-tacular vegan option promises to be the next big food trend (1).
What is Vegan Potato Milk?
While deceivingly mundane, potatoes are fantastically versatile. From french fries and tater tots to gnocchi and croquettes, potatoes are the basis for popular dishes all around the globe. It’s no wonder that they are the world’s fourth most cultivated food crop (2)!
As of recently, potatoes can even add vegan milk to their abundant repertoire.
The Swedish food-brand DUG first launched potato milk in 2021. So far, the company’s three products (Original, Unsweetened, and Barista) are only available in Sweden and the U.K.
DUG promotes its potato milk as a “delicious, creamy, plant-based drink” that can be used just like any other neutral-tasting vegan milk. Because of potatoes’ high starch content, it has a creamier texture than comparable dairy alternatives.
Ingredients include potatoes (surprise!), pea protein, rapeseed oil, and chicory fiber. Similarly to the barista editions of your favorite soy or oat milk brand, potato milk supposedly doesn’t curdle when added to hot tea or coffee.
Is Potato Milk Nutritious?
Potatoes get a bad rep for containing too many carbs and having a high glycaemic index. It’s true that many potato-based foods are not the healthiest (think potato chips and french fries). But that’s not the potato’s fault. Rather, the added fats and food processing are to blame.
Conversely, potatoes are actually remarkably healthy.
For one, they are incredibly high in antioxidants and gut-health promoting fibers. Additionally, potatoes are a great source of potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C!
Commercial potato milk is fortified with various vitamins and minerals to simulate the nutrition profile of cow’s milk. DUG adds calcium, riboflavin, folic acid, and vitamins D and B12 to its products, which are all nutrients that vegans in particular should keep an eye on. But compared to other vegan dairy alternatives, such as soy and pea milk, DUG potato milk only has 1.3 grams of protein per 100ml.
Moreover, potato milk contains very little amounts of saturated fat and is a great option for people with soy and nut allergies.
Related: What is Nooch? Vegans Love It and You Should Too
Is Potato Milk Good for the Environment?
DUG claims that its products are the most sustainable dairy alternative on the market.
Potatoes are incredibly resource-efficient, which makes them a prime candidate for sustainable agriculture.
For one, potato milk only produces a quarter of conventional milk’s carbon emissions (3). DUG Original has a carbon footprint of 0.27 kg CO2 e/kg. The company’s two other potato milk versions, Unsweetened and Barista, each have a carbon footprint of 0.31 kg CO2
e/kg (4).
Potato milk also measures up well compared to popular plant-based dairy alternatives.
It uses 56x less water than almond milk (5). Because 80% of the world’s almonds are produced in California (6), a state regularly struggling with water shortages, switching to potato milk could help prevent droughts.
Additionally, growing potatoes is twice as land-efficient as the production of oats (4)!
Is Potato Milk the Future of Vegan Milk?
Only time can tell whether potato milk stands a chance against the established consumer favorites of soy, almond, and oat milk.
In light of its decent nutrition profile, potato milk definitely serves as a great dairy alternative for flexitarians, vegetarians, and vegans. Additionally, the new plant-based option has a fantastically low environmental impact, especially compared to cow’s milk.
In conclusion, potato milk could be the next big vegan food trend catering to the environmentally-conscious.
Would you give potato milk a try it?
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References
(1) https://www.forbes.com/sites/daphneewingchow/2022/01/31/potato-milk-could-just-be-a-winner/?sh=3ce1011914bf
(2) https://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/c55eefde-ab51-5e8b-8237-7e8ed9796b93/
(3) https://carboncloud.com/
(4) https://dugdrinks.com/sustainability/
(5) https://waterfootprint.org/en/
(6) https://almazrestaurant.com/how-big-is-californias-almond-industry/#How_much_of_Californias_water_goes_to_almonds
Without doubt the closest plant based milk substitute that actually tastes like the real thing & not some weird nutty flavour nonsense that uses excessive H2O to produce. I’m convinced it will take the North American market by storm once it finally arrives! I had the pleasure of enjoying it whilst in Ireland in July after many failed attempts to procure the product in Canada.
Glad you like it, Robert! I also can’t wait for potato milk to hit the European shelves 🙂