Potato milk is the trendy plant-based milk that is something you never expected to see in the non-dairy milk section of your grocery store. But it happened when a Swedish company, Dug, introduced this nut-free milk that is claimed to be a more sustainable plant-based milk option of all. It might be the newest member of the non-dairy milk family, but it has quickly become the popular alternative to dairy milk. This milk-like drink is made using everyone’s favourite spud- potato. It is available in supermarkets across the UK, but you can make it at home with a handful of ingredients. In this article, you will learn what is potato milk, how to make it at home and what are its health benefits.
What is Potato Milk?
Potato milk is plant-based milk you can make from cooked potatoes without the peel. It tastes neutral, and you can add natural or artificial sweeteners to your homemade potato milk to develop flavour.
Potato milk is thicker than other plant-based milk alternatives like rice milk, soy milk, and oat milk. The high starch content of potatoes makes potato milk creamy and thick, although it has no fat.
Allergy-friendly potato milk is perfect for those allergic to gluten, nuts, or dairy products. Potatoes are naturally free of gluten and free, meaning they’re suitable for those with related allergies. You can make it at home with a handful of ingredients or buy it from your nearest supermarket.
How to make Potato Milk
Sustainable and nutritious, potato milk is versatile non-dairy milk that can be made at home easily. It is a great option for those looking for an affordable, allergy-friendly plant-based milk option. Made from boiled, peeled potato, it can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for around 3 days. It’s easy to make potato milk at home by blending boiled, peeled potatoes in water and squeezing out the potato milk using a cheesecloth or nut milk bag. You can add different flavours to your potato milk recipe, but remember that freezing potato milk can ruin it.
Quick and easy potato milk recipe
You’ll need a large white potato, sweetener, salt, 3 cups cool water and 3-4 cups water for boiling.
Just follow these simple steps to make potato milk at home:
- Peel and cut a large white potato into cubes before boiling them in water.
- Drain the potato cubes before they become mushy and transfer them to a blender.
- Add salt and sweetener to taste along with 3 cups of cool water, and blend until smooth.
- Strain the mixture into a bowl using a cheesecloth or nut milk bag.
- Add more water or sweetener if you like, and chill in the refrigerator.
Now, your nutritious potato milk is ready for serving!
Use cases of potato milk
It is typically used in any way you use non-dairy and dairy milk. However, potato milk works well in curries, beverages and smoothies. Homemade potato milk curdles in hot liquids, so packaged potato milk would be best for recipes that include hot liquids. You can replace cow’s milk with potato milk in sweet and savoury recipes.
Beverages
Homemade potato milk might not be suitable for adding to hot drinks like coffee and tea because it can curdle. Look for potato milk brands that sell potato milk specially developed for beverages like coffee.
Some people prefer potato milk over other plant-based milk options for tea and coffee because potato milk is creamier than the other options and tastes more neutral.
Cold desserts with potato milk
Homemade potato milk is ideal for low-calorie cold desserts since the sugars and starch in potatoes complement sweet flavours. Potato milk tastes neutral, highlighting the other flavours in your recipe.
Choose potato milk when you want creaminess in your dessert without extra fat. You’ll get a creamy texture and thick consistency without using fattening dairy products containing lactose.
Cooking and baking with potato milk
You may use potato milk for cooking and baking, but it’s best to use ready-made potato milk if you don’t want it to curdle in the middle of following a recipe that requires high heat.
If you want to create a fat-free or low-fat version of a recipe, potato milk is excellent because it doesn’t contain any fat. Remember that packaged potato milk has a small amount of rapeseed oil for stability.
Other uses:
If you want dairy-free ice cream, ice cream made with potato milk is a winner that usually comes in chocolate flavour. Dreamy, isn’t it?
However, potato milk yoghurt is also a great option for plant-based yoghurt, which is as good as dairy yoghurt.
Health Benefits of Potato Milk
People trying to follow a low-carb diet often avoid potatoes which are highly nutritious. A medium-sized potato provides 265 calories out of the 2000-2500 daily calories your body needs. However, the 100 ml of unsweetened potato milk by DUG contains around 39 calories. Let’s take a look at the health benefits of this low-caloric plant-based milk!
Protein in potato milk
You may be surprised to learn that potatoes contain essential amino acids your body can’t produce on its own. But potatoes are overall low in protein, and 100 ml of potato milk contains around 1.3 grams of protein.
Did you know that the skin of a potato contains half its protein content? You might want to create a tasty snack out of the potato skins leftover after making homemade potato milk.
Carbohydrates in potato milk
The rich, creamy goodness you taste in potato milk comes mainly from its starch content. Remember not to drink too much potato milk in a day. Otherwise, it’s a great source of energy.
You get 61g of carbohydrates in a medium-sized potato and around 1.3g of carbohydrates in potato milk. If a recipe lacks carbohydrates, potato milk provides a convenient source of carbohydrates for nutritional balance.
The fibre in potato milk
You get around 4g of fibre in an un-skinned potato and slightly less in a half cup of potato milk i.e. 0.1g as its recipe calls for peeled potatoes.
Minerals in potato milk
Your body needs vitamins and minerals in minute quantities. Potatoes provide calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Potato milk is high in calcium, but we are not sure if packaged potato milk contains the minerals that are found in potatoes, like potassium. Minerals, such as calcium, play major roles in several daily functions, including nerve function and regulating your normal heart rhythm.
Environmental Benefits
Plant-based milk alternatives aren’t just for vegans and those with lactose intolerance. An increasing number of dairy consumers are starting to share their concerns for the environment.
It’s no secret that livestock rearing and dairy production has a severe impact on the environment. Companies are moving towards environment-friendly plant-based milk alternatives, like potato milk.
The carbon footprint of potato milk
Scientists use the production of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, to measure the carbon footprint of processes such as food production. The carbon footprint of dairy milk is 1.39kg of CO2e per litre.
Despite almond milk being a popular alternative to dairy milk, the carbon footprint of almond milk is almost 0.56kg of CO2e per litre. Almond milk is not as sustainable as potato milk, as you’ll learn later.
Potato milk has the lowest carbon footprint out of all the plant-based milk alternatives at 0.27kg of CO2e per litre. When it comes to sustainability, potato milk is the best option in the market right now.
How much water does a potato crop need?
Water is a precious resource, and environmentalists keep campaigning to reduce water usage for food production. Livestock rearing and dairy farming consume a significant amount of water.
Even crops grown for producing plant-based milk alternatives use too much water. Soy and oat used the least water, while rice ranked third in low water consumption among non-dairy milk options.
Potato milk needs 56 times less water than almond milk, 13 times less water than soy milk, and 9 times less water than oat milk. You only require 1-2 inches of water per week through sprinkler irrigation.
How much land does the potato milk need?
Almond milk production uses much less land than dairy milk, especially since almonds grow on trees. Cow’s milk requires almost 10 times more land than most plant-based milk alternatives.
At the same time, the land usage for plant-based milk production isn’t the same for every crop. You can get nearly 4 tons of oats from a single hectare, which makes it quite sustainable.
Potatoes provide a higher yield per hectare in comparison to the crops grown for other plant-based milk alternatives. For instance, you can get almost 40-60 tons of potatoes per hectare.
The Bottom Line
Potato milk might be the best non-dairy milk eco-friendly choice on the market right now. Potatoes are the side-dish favourite but potatoes milk is not for everyone due to its taste and texture. However, it might be a new favourite plant-based milk option for tater lovers.
Like potatoes, potato milk has a variety of macronutrients and micronutrients. It’s a good source of energy, and fortified potato milk provides additional nutrients.
The production of potato milk requires less water and land than that of cow’s milk and most plant-based milk options. Potato milk has a smaller carbon footprint than other plant-based milk alternatives.
Have you tried this super easy potato milk recipe? Let us know in the comment box!
Andy
Ever since I started cooking I’ve been fascinated by how different people’s techniques are and how they best utilise the ingredients around them. Even the person living next door will have their own unique way of frying an egg or cooking a salmon fillet.
This fascination led me on a journey across the globe to discover the countless practices and traditions the world of cooking has to offer. I thought you’d enjoy and find value in sharing that journey with me so I created Cooked Best!