Is potato milk a thing?
Yes, potato milk exists, and it has some fantastic health benefits!
At first, you might wrinkle your nose or roll your eyes at the thought of drinking potato milk. Nowadays, almost anything can be “milked”—almonds, oats, coconuts, hemp. But a carton of potatoes is something we never anticipated finding in the alternative milk section of the supermarket. Can drinking potatoes really be that bad when we love to eat them in any form (hello, yummy classic potato mash or fries from the Food Basics flyer, anyone?)
What Is Potato Milk—and Is It Good for You?
Potato milk is typically made from peeled and boiled potatoes. However, unlike other plant-based milk alternatives like oat milk and soy milk, there aren’t many options or potato milk brands to choose from when purchasing in-store. In reality, there is just one. Veggemo once existed and created plant-based milk alternatives that included potatoes, but not a potato-only milk. The maker of the first potato milk in history, DUG, has completely taken over Europe.
The existing three potato milk flavours—DUG Original, DUG Barista, and DUG Unsweetened—are all free of dairy, gluten, soy, and nuts. Water, potato, rapeseed (or canola) oil, pea protein, calcium carbonate, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), natural flavour, and vitamins (D, riboflavin, B12, folic acid) are all listed as ingredients in the unsweetened version.
Splendid news if you like the idea of drinking potatoes: overall, it’s good for you. You get fibre and protein, both of which contribute to your feeling fuller for longer. The milk is a good source of fibre because it contains about 3 grams of each nutrient per eight-ounce serving. Potato milk offers a good amount of calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12, which is a crucial nutrient for vegans and vegetarians. This is based on the nutritional information provided by DUG.
Additionally, potato milk is an allergy-friendly choice (DUG’s is nut-free) and lower in saturated fat than some coconut-based milks. However, aside from soy milk, the majority of plant-based milk options are very low in protein. The grams matter if you’re using milk as a source of protein, such as in cereal or a smoothie, but it’s less significant if you’re just adding a splash to your coffee.
What does potato milk taste like?
Like oat or almond, the flavour isn’t strong (and it’s not potatoey); it’s almost like soy milk. It’s mild, somewhat creamy, and tastes like any generic non-dairy milk. Although it does slightly separate, it is thicker than many non-dairy kinds of milk.
Does Potato Milk Help the Environment?
Now that you are aware of potato milk and its health advantages, let’s move on.
Does potato milk also help the environment?
In general, plant-based milk is more environmentally friendly than dairy. You might be surprised by how environmentally friendly potato milk is if you compare it to some other well-liked alternative milks. One of the most tolerant crops is the potato. They don’t really need much to thrive; you just kind of have to let them be. As a result, they are typically more environmentally friendly than other plant-based milks like almond, oat, and soybean.
According to DUG, potato milk has a 75% lower carbon footprint than cow’s milk. It also requires 56 times less water than almonds to grow, which “helps conserve water to prevent supply constraints and droughts.” Even its sparse land use is impressive: it takes up half as much space as oat farming. Unlike other milk brands or other food products in general, DUG also discloses its climate footprint for each product. People, grocery shopping is becoming more environmentally friendly!
How to Make Homemade Potato Milk
You can buy potato milk from Amazon or the DUG website, but you can still make potato milk at home as it may not yet be available for shipping worldwide. However, experts say that making your own plant-based milk leaves some nutritional gaps. According to Catherine Perez, M.D., R.D., vegan registered dietitian and proprietor of the Plant-Based RD blog, “the one big challenge with homemade plant-based milk is that it lacks fortification of other nutrients like some store-bought cow’s milk and plant-based milk contain.”
Recipe for homemade potato milk
You will need:
1 substantial Russet potato
Maple syrup
Canola oil
A dash of salt
Directions:
Peel the potato, then compost the peels. Add a few cups of water and salt, and then boil. When the potato is soft, combine it with a bit of canola oil in a blender. Blend until smooth while adding a small amount of maple syrup for sweetness. You can also include vanilla as an optional flavour. If need be, add more water to the potato milk until it reaches the desired consistency. Pour out the milk through a nut milk bag and refrigerate in an airtight container. It will remain fresh for 3 days.
Homemade Potato Milk Nutrition
The flavourings you add, such as sugar, will affect the nutritional value of your homemade potato milk. However, according to the DUG website, potatoes are extremely high in antioxidants, on par with blueberries and blackberries. Furthermore, they assert that 100 grams of potatoes contain 1/3 of your daily requirements for vitamin C, in addition to protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and carbohydrates.
Final thoughts
Despite the fact that all of the dietitians we consulted agreed that there isn’t much of a nutritional advantage when comparing potato milk to other plant-based alternatives, we are curious to see how potato milk performs on the market. We anticipate a more enthusiastic response from those looking for a dairy-free option that is also allergy-friendly. It is also unique and might provide a different flavour profile and mouthfeel from some of the other plant-based milks that are currently available.
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