The Best Milk For Your Cereal When You're Avoiding Dairy

While you can eat handfuls of Cheerios or Frosted Flakes right out of the box, a bowl of cereal isn't complete without milk. Of course, dairy milk isn't your only option for this iconic duo. There are numerous types of plant-based milk to pour over your next bowl. But, which is the best for your cereal when you're avoiding dairy? No matter which breakfast cereal is your favorite, oat milk could be the creamy and versatile swap that you might end up liking more than dairy.

Oat milk should be your top choice for dairy-free milk since it best imitates the flavor and texture of cow's milk. With a thickness akin to whole milk, it also has a rich, slightly sweet flavor that mirrors dairy more closely than any other plant-based variety. The oat-based beverage is famous for its creaminess that bubbles and froths beautifully. Consequently, it's also the best plant-based milk for your coffee. You can kill two birds with one stone by topping your coffee off with leftovers you've poured over your morning cereal. What's more, oat milk is one of the most sustainable plant-based milks because of its minimal water usage and lower carbon footprint, as well as its soil benefits.

Oat milk brands abound, and we've tasted and ranked the best brands – our favorite is Minor Figures. If you want to save the money, however, oat milk is one of the easiest beverages to make from scratch.

Oat milk is our top choice in terms of taste and texture when swapping dairy milk. But, if you're looking for a good runner-up that supplies nutritional characteristics more similar to dairy milk, soy milk is a great option. It has a distinct, yet subtle flavor that's both nutty and savory. It also has a thicker, creamier consistency than options made from rice or almonds. More importantly, soy milk has a decent amount of protein. Not only does it have around the same amount as dairy milk, but it's also cholesterol-free. Most brands of soy milk are even fortified with calcium and other vitamins that dairy milk contains. It's also one of the most budget-friendly plant based milks you can find at the grocery store.

Oat milk and soy milk can both serve as decadent dairy milk dupes for a bowl of cereal. If you can resist the urge to drink up all that deliciously sugary cereal milk left at the bottom of your cereal bowl, save it to hack your way to a sweeter bowl of oatmeal. Cereal-infused oat (or soy) milk would also be an upgrade to work into chia seed pudding — use a chocolate breakfast cereal-infused oat milk to make this vegan chocolate chia seed pudding even more rich and chocolatey.