Per 500ml / 2 cups, I compared 5 brands to find the number used. I couldn’t believe the results. I knew that there were chemicals in commercially bought products, some even ‘unnatural’.. but to think that there are only 9–14 almonds per 2 cups of almond milk came as a bit of a shock to me.
Look at the brands below
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk — 14 almonds
INGREDIENTS: Almond Milk (filtered water, almonds), calcium carbonate, sea salt, possatium citrate, sunflower lecithin, Gellan Gum, Natural Flavors, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2 and D-Alpha-Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E).
Alpro Almond Milk Unsweetened — 14 Almonds
INGREDIENTS: Water, Almond (2%), Calcium (tri-calcium phosphate), Sea salt, Stabilisers (Locust bean gum, Gellan gum), Emulsifier (Sunflower lecithin), Vitamins (Riboflavin (B2), B12, E, D2)
Silk Almond Milk Original Unsweetened — 9 almonds
INGREDIENTS: Almondmilk (Filtered Water, Almonds), Sea Salt, Locust Bean Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Gellan Gum, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin E Acetate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2.
Califia Farms Unsweetened Almond Milk — 10 almonds
INGREDIENTS: Almond milk (Water, Almonds). Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Vitamin/ Mineral Blend (Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin D2, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B2, Zinc), Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Potassium Citrate, Natural Flavors, Locust Bean Gum, Gellan Gum
Pacific Organic Almond Bev. Original Unsweetened — 9 almonds
INGREDIENTS: Almond Base (Water, Almonds), Rice Starch, Sea Salt, Vanilla, Natural Flavor, Carrageenan, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2.
Should it be called Almond Milk?
My homemade contains 80 almonds, and many would agree, that their homemade one would account for more almonds. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still better than dairy, but if you were hoping to benefit off almonds from commercially bought almond milk, you should probably buy homemade instead, or make your own.
To say that commercially bought almond milk ‘can’t be called milk or almond milk’ has been argued for years, with class-action lawsuits made against the biggest brands such as Blue Diamond for their almond milk products.
Here’s the thing, 2% of almonds is still almonds. 14 almonds are still almonds. If you’re vegan or plant-based, I think you’ve already realised that companies will emphasis on words and claim benefits, it’s our own job to do the research and find out what’s actually good for us.