Consumption of plant-based milk is exploding, and it’s no wonder why. Plant-based milk comes in a huge array of styles, including almond, soy, oat, coconut, cashew, pistachio, macadamia, rice, sweetened, unsweetened and chocolate, just to name a few. In addition to helping make delicious, dairy-free coffees and lattes, plant milks also comply with the ever-growing vegan diet. Regardless of type, the majority of non-dairy milk is purchased from stores, where it’s typically sold in cardboard cartons and plastic containers.
As food waste is inextricably linked to climate change, many eco-conscious consumers have begun using reusable storage bags to keep food fresh longer, along with kitchen composters to turn food waste into reusable compost instead of sending it to landfills. For those consuming plant-based milk, another way to reduce waste is by cutting down on or eliminating the number of plastic and cardboard cartons consumed.
That’s why I was eager to try the Almond Cow Starter Set to see if it could minimize or completely eliminate the need to purchase milk cartons. I tested the device over a month, during which time I made several batches of each type of pre-mixed milk bag Almond Cow offers, along with several batches of my own recipes.
The Almond Cow is a plant-based milk machine that allows you to make milk at home using raw ingredients and water. The machine requires some dedicated room on your countertop or cupboard, but if you want to make a lot of almond or oat milk and want to reduce or eliminate the milk cartons you go through, then the Almond Cow could be just for you.
What we liked about it
Easy to use
First and foremost, this machine is very simple and straightforward to use. The printed instructions are clear, and should you lose the paper booklet, you can find instructions online (with pictures).
To use the machine, you fill the base with water either to the minimum line (2 cups), maximum line (6 cups) or somewhere in between, depending on how thick you want the milk. Next, you add the dry ingredients to the filter basket (up to the 1-cup “max” line), and affix the filter basket to the top of the Almond Cow machine by twisting it into place. After connecting the power cord to the base and plugging it into the wall, you look for the blue light, which indicates the machine is ready to use.
Press the cow button on the top of the device, which will flash white while the milk is processing. When the flashing white light switches to solid blue, then the milk is ready. Remove the top of the machine and stand it up in the provided “collector cup” to drain out. Then, pour the milk into the provided glass jug (or whatever container you’re using) and store it in the fridge for up to three to five days.
Makes milk in a minute
I was pleasantly surprised by just how fast the Almond Cow makes milk. After reading the directions, which mentioned three stages of the milk-making process, I was expecting the machine to run for several minutes, as is required when attempting to make non-dairy milk in most blenders. However, all three stages were completed in about 60 seconds. During each stage, the small blue light on the top of the machine blinks to let you know the stage has completed, and when the entire process is finished, the blue light is steady.
No cheesecloth or straining is required, and you also don’t need to pre-soak most ingredients (though if you’re making your own ingredient blend and use something hearty like rolled oats, you may want to pre-soak them).
The milk was ready so much faster than I expected and the process was simple and streamlined. The machine itself is a little bulky and cumbersome, and because it makes small quantities, it didn’t seem worth my time to just make a single batch. As such, I found myself making three to four batches at at time and then hand-washing the machine (more on that below). Though the process is not a big ordeal, there are a few parts; you’ll need to allow time to hand-wash the parts after use and you’ll also likely want to make multiple batches for efficiency, so it’s probably not something you’ll want to do every morning.
Wide variety of milks
Because there are so many different kinds of non-dairy milks sold in supermarkets, I was very pleased to discover that you can make many varieties of milk with the Almond Cow. Despite its name, the machine is not limited to making almond milk, and many of the pre-made mixes sold by Almond Cow rely on other ingredients, such as oats, coconut or cashews.
I also love that users aren’t required to use Almond Cow’s pre-made mixes of ingredients. Not only can making your own mix save you money and allow you to customize recipes to your liking, but buying ingredients in bulk uses even less packaging. I’m a huge fan of buying in bulk from my local food co-op, so I also tested out a few of my own recipes using bulk organic oats and dates from my food co-op, which means completely package-free nut milk. Depending on the prices of almond milk and bulk almonds in your area, you might even be able to save money when using the Almond Cow.
If you already know that you’d rather use your own bulk ingredients over buying pre-made mixes from Almond Cow, then you could save $100 by just buying The Milk Maker for $245. If you’d also like the glass jug and cleaning brush, pick up The Essentials bundle for $271.
Sustainable packaging
Almond Cow’s pre-mixed Milk Medley ingredient bundles come in compostable paper bags, and the refill bulk bags are fully recyclable (the company is working toward making them home-compostable). This is a really great feature and it’s far more sustainable than most companies’ packaging. That said, it’s still packaging, and the goods are then shipped in cardboard boxes (which is more packaging), so this is another reason I appreciate that Almond Cow has designed the machine to work with any bulk ingredients and not just its own pre-made bag blends. Still, packaging is necessary to a certain extent when buying new products, and I love how Almond Cow is reducing the impact its packaging makes.
Suggested uses for leftover pulp
Just like with juicers, which spit out a lot of fruit and vegetable pulp that often goes unused, the Almond Cow milk maker leaves behind a lot of leftover pulp from whatever was used to make the milk (oats, coconut, dates, etc.). However, I really appreciate that the brand provides a lot of recipes online for ways to use this pulp instead of composting or trashing it. For instance, cashew and almond pulp can be used to create banana bread, cookies, cupcakes, popsicles, granola bars and even hummus. I also added leftover almond pulp to my oatmeal for added flavor, nutrition and protein.
What we didn’t like about it
It makes small quantities
Given how large the machine is (12 by 9.5 by 6.5 inches ), you would think it could make quite a bit more milk per batch than it actually does. However, much of the space in the machine needs to remain empty so the milk can properly move around while being processed.
According to Almond Cow, you should not pour more water into the base than what can be accommodated up to the “max” line, which is 6 cups. Though Almond Cow indicates these 6 cups will make 6 cups of milk, I found that some of the liquid stays stuck in the ingredient mush, so I only got about 4 cups of liquid per batch.
If you only want to make enough milk to pour over a few bowls of cereal or to make a smoothie, a single batch should be sufficient, but that’s an awful lot of work (and dishes to be washed) for a single meal. In order to fill up the provided glass jar (which does an excellent job storing the milk and allows for very easy pouring), you’ll need to make at least two to three batches. This might not be a deal breaker, but I had expected more milk per batch.
It’s loud
Though this machine isn’t necessarily louder than some blenders on the market, it’s also not exactly quiet. Because it only takes 60 seconds to make a batch of milk, the sound is bearable, but because you need to make two to three batches to fill up the glass jar, the sound can get a bit grating.
It’s a single-use machine
Though this machine is capable of creating many different types of non-dairy milk, at the end of the day, it still only makes one product: milk. If you go through a ton of milk (or if you have a lot of space to store single-use products), then this might not matter to you. However, if you’re only going to make milk once or twice per month and you have limited cabinet space, then it might not make sense to get a milk maker.
If you have a good blender, you might be able to stick with that and make milk in it. You’ll likely have to use cheesecloth to strain it, or, if you’re like me, you’re fine with the bulk if it’s creamy. I like making oat and coconut milk in my Vitamix blender, which creates a super-smooth puree.
It’s not dishwasher-safe
Unlike many blenders, the Almond Cow is not dishwasher-safe. Though the filter basket is dishwasher-safe, the other components must be hand-washed. Assuming you wash the parts shortly after making the milk, it’s a fairly quick process, but if you let the machine sit around with bits of almond and coconut caked on, you’ll need to use more elbow grease to get them off. Because I always rinsed and washed the machine right after making milk, I could clean the machine out in a minute or two before propping it up in the countertop dish drainer to dry.
Produces very thin milk
I tested all of the Milk Medleys that Almond Cow offers and, aside from the coconut blend, all of them proved to be very thin, which is not my preference. This is understandable, as store-bought milks are typically made thick by using synthetic thickening agents and additives, so a natural milk is going to be a lot thinner. However, as I’m accustomed to the thicker milk I make in my Vitamix (or buy at the store), I wasn’t a big fan of the thin milk and neither was my family. My sister wound up adding the thin almond milk to her coffee and I used the thin oat milk to make chia seed pudding.
The milks I made with my own recipes also proved very thin, including several batches using just rolled oats from my food co-op, and another batch with added dates. The flavor was plain but good (to me, at least), but it had a much thinner texture than you’d find with store-bought oat milks like Oatly or Chobani. The texture was similar to Planet Oat, which is much thinner (and, in my opinion, much less satisfying). I then made a batch with oats, plus a bit of salt, vanilla and maple syrup for sweetener (following the Almond Cow recipe samples that came with the machine). It had a better taste but the texture was still too thin.
The coconut pre-mixed packet is, by far, the best of all the options. It has a very thick, smooth and creamy consistency, and it’s the only one that has a satisfying mouthfeel. I felt the other milks were only good to be added to other recipes or used on cereal, but I enjoyed drinking the coconut milk straight up. I also used it to make chia pudding and I used the leftover coconut pulp in oatmeal to add thickness and flavor.
Almond Cow does offer an instructional video online that shares half a dozen methods for creating thicker milk, but I didn’t even find this for several weeks because it wasn’t clearly marked in the instruction manual. The manual did make a reference to making creamer, but I don’t drink coffee so I didn’t see a need to make creamer; I didn’t understand that they were actually referring to thicker milk in general and not coffee creamer specifically.
The various methods they offer do work well and do produce a thicker milk, but they often take longer (for instance, running the pulp through the machine twice to make a single batch), or they produce even smaller quantities of milk (only 2 cups compared to a promised 6 for the thickest option).
Bottom line
A plant-based milk maker could come in very handy, eliminate a lot of packaging and even save money in the long run for individuals and families who consume a lot of non-dairy milk. The Almond Cow is an effective machine that makes a wide variety of plant-based milk and the company provides a lot of information for how to use the leftover pulp in recipes so it doesn’t go to waste. It’s very easy to use and makes about 2 to 5 cups of milk at a time. If you have the space in your kitchen to accommodate a machine that’s a foot high (and nearly 10 inches wide) and you drink a lot of plant-based milk, this could be a great option for you. However, if you lack counter space and don’t have room for a single-use machine, you may be better off getting a high-end blender that can also make milk.