Parents using plant drinks in weaning recipes
If your baby is around six to twelve months old, the decision is whether to use a little almond drink in food while breast milk or first infant formula remains their main milk.
Who is this for?
Shoppers comparing unsweetened cartons
If you are choosing between no-sugars, unsweetened and short-ingredient-list drinks, compare the nutrition and allergen labels as well as the flavour you want for a recipe.
Families introducing almond
If your baby has not had almond before, its status as a tree nut matters. You may also need to check a nursery or school’s allergy arrangements before sending almond-containing food.
What should you check?
Decide whether the drink is for a recipe or a main milk feed before comparing cartons; mildness and an unsweetened label cannot answer that question.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Main milk | Check the baby’s age and whether the drink is intended for a feed or for cooking. The NHS advises continuing breast milk or first infant formula until at least age one. | For a baby under one, I need to keep breast milk or first infant formula as the main milk, even if I use a plant drink in food. |
| Fortification | For recipe use, read the current carton for added calcium and iodine and the stated calcium amount. Check the exact variant: similarly named almond drinks need not have the same formulation. | I want to know what this particular carton contributes to a recipe, rather than assuming that every unsweetened or organic drink is fortified. |
| Sugars and ingredients | Compare the sugars value using the unit printed on each label, and read the ingredients. A no-sugars claim does not make a drink a substitute for infant milk. | A mild, unsweetened flavour may suit the food I am making, but I do not want flavour to stand in for an age or nutrition check. |
| Almond allergen | Check the current allergen label. The NHS advises introducing foods that can trigger allergies one at a time and in very small amounts; ask a childcare setting about its arrangements before sending nut-containing food. | If almond is new to my baby, I need to introduce it separately. For food eaten away from home, I also need to know the setting’s allergy rules. |
Common buying mistakes
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Using almond drink instead of an infant’s main milk
For a baby under one, plant drinks used in cooking do not take the place of breast milk or first infant formula as the main milk.
Follow the NHS advice to continue breast milk or first infant formula until at least age one; treat any appropriate almond drink as a recipe ingredient, not a milk feed.
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Choosing by mildness or a no-sugars claim alone
Those descriptions do not tell you whether the exact drink contains added calcium and iodine. Alpro’s Almond Roasted No Sugars and Plenish’s three-ingredient Almond M*lk, for example, have different stated product information.
Read the nutrition and ingredients on the carton you are buying, particularly if fortification matters to your intended recipe.
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Overlooking almond as an allergen
Almond is a tree nut, whether it appears in a drink or another food.
When introducing almond, follow NHS advice to introduce allergenic foods one at a time and in very small amounts. Check a nursery or school’s allergy arrangements before packing almond-containing food.
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Relying on an older product description
Ingredients and nutrition information can change; M&S advises shoppers to read the product label.
Check the carton in hand for allergens, fortification and storage instructions before use.
Almond drink brands to compare
Compare named variants rather than treating a brand’s entire almond range as having one recipe-use label.
Alpro
Alpro Almond Roasted No Sugars is a labelled example for comparing an unsweetened drink with added nutrients.
- Alpro UK lists 0g sugars, 120mg calcium and 22.5µg iodine per 100ml for Almond Roasted No Sugars.
- It contains almond and is not a replacement for breast milk or first infant formula before age one. Do not apply this variant’s figures to a different Alpro carton.
M&S
M&S Unsweetened Almond Drink is another variant whose product information lists added nutrients.
- M&S lists added calcium, iodine and vitamins D and B12 for this drink.
- M&S marks it unsuitable for people with nut or peanut allergy. Check the current carton for its calcium quantity and formulation.
Plenish
Plenish Almond M*lk is a short-ingredient-list option for household recipes.
- Plenish describes the drink as containing water, organic almonds and salt.
- Check the exact carton for any fortification before choosing it for a recipe where added calcium and iodine are important.
Rude Health
Rude Health’s almond drinks illustrate why the variant and its stated age guidance need checking.
- The standard Almond Drink lists spring water, rice, almonds, sunflower oil and salt; other variants have different formulations.
- Rude Health describes its standard Almond Drink as suitable for adults and children from five years onwards. Do not treat that wording as approval for a baby’s main milk.
Tesco
Tesco Unsweetened Almond Drink appears in Tesco Groceries’ almond-drink range.
- Its named unsweetened variant gives shoppers another carton to compare.
- Read the carton for its current ingredients, allergens and any calcium or iodine declaration before using it in a weaning recipe.
Joybuy almond drink options
This long-life, no-sugars almond drink is an option to assess for household recipes. For baby weaning, its role is conditional on age, almond introduction and use in food rather than as a main milk drink.
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Alpro Almond No Sugars Long Life Drink 8 x 1L
For recipes using almond drink, this no-sugars, long-life option comes as eight 1L cartons. It is not a main milk drink for a baby under one; check the current carton for its calcium quantity and iodine declaration before relying on this variant for fortified recipe use.
Questions about weaning and almond drink
Can almond drink be my baby’s main milk during weaning?
No, not before age one. The NHS advises continuing breast milk or first infant formula until at least that age; Frimley Healthier Together NHS distinguishes plant drinks used in cooking from a baby’s main milk drink.
What should I check for an almond drink used in a weaning recipe?
Check the current carton’s calcium and iodine information, sugars and allergen labelling, as well as the baby’s age and whether almond has already been introduced. Frimley Healthier Together NHS says plant drinks can be used in cooking from six months, but not as the main milk drink before age one.
Does unsweetened mean an almond drink is suitable as infant milk?
No. Unsweetened describes the drink’s sugar positioning, not its role as infant milk. Compare the exact carton’s nutrition information for recipe use, and continue breast milk or first infant formula as the main milk before age one, in line with NHS guidance.
How should I introduce almond during weaning?
The NHS advises introducing foods that can trigger allergies one at a time and in very small amounts from around six months, so that a reaction can be identified. Almond drink still contains almond; check its ingredients rather than treating a mild flavour as an allergen check.
Can I send almond-containing food to nursery or school?
Check the particular nursery or school’s allergy arrangements before packing it. Almond is a tree nut, and the setting’s arrangements determine what you need to do for food eaten there.