Who is this for?

Bakers replacing dairy milk

If you want an unsweetened almond drink for a cake, compare its declared fat, sugars and protein before using the recipe’s milk quantity. The result can vary with the role dairy milk plays in that recipe.

Bakers controlling added sweetness

If the recipe already specifies sugar, fruit or icing, an unsweetened or no-sugars drink lets you avoid choosing a sweetened milk substitute by default. Check the ingredients and sugars value on the carton.

Ingredient-conscious bakers

If a short ingredient list or organic ingredients matter to you, Plenish and Rude Health offer options worth examining. Compare the carton’s fat value separately rather than treating an ingredient preference as a fat comparison.

What should you check?

Start with the nutrition panel, then consider what the milk contributes to your particular cake and who will eat it.

Priority What to check Your needs
Declared fat Read fat on the current carton and compare values on the same per-100g or per-100ml basis. Marks & Spencer lists 0.9g per 100g; Tesco lists 1.1g and Sainsbury’s 1.4g per 100ml for their unsweetened drinks. I want to choose by the stated fat value, not assume that differently measured figures form a precise ranking.
Cake texture Consider whether milk mainly adds liquid or whether the recipe depends on dairy richness. King Arthur Baking explains that milk protein, fat and sugar can affect structure, mouthfeel, flavour and browning. For a cake where texture matters, I can use a plant-milk recipe or make a small test bake before serving it to others.
Sweetness Check both the unsweetened or no-sugars wording and the sugars value. Read the ingredient list if other ingredients could affect the cake’s flavour. I’d rather measure sweetness through the recipe than add a sweetened drink without accounting for it.
Allergens Check the exact carton for almond and precautionary allergen statements. Tesco’s checked drink may contain peanuts and other nuts; Sainsbury’s warns that its drink is unsuitable for people allergic to other nuts because of manufacturing methods. When baking for someone else, I need to know about their allergies before choosing an almond-based ingredient.
Ingredients Compare ingredient lists if oils, rice or thickeners matter to your recipe. Plenish lists water, organic almonds and salt for its Almond M*lk; Rude Health’s standard Almond Drink also lists rice and sunflower oil. A short ingredient list matters to me, but I’ll check fat separately rather than assuming fewer ingredients means less fat.
Opened-carton storage Follow the carton’s refrigeration and use-by instructions after opening. The checked Tesco drink specifies five days after opening, while the checked M&S drink specifies three days. If I’m baking over several days, I need a carton I can use within its stated post-opening period.

Common baking and buying mistakes

  • Assuming an almond drink behaves exactly like dairy milk

    King Arthur Baking notes that protein, fat and sugar can change a baked good’s structure, mouthfeel, flavour and browning. The checked M&S, Tesco and Sainsbury’s drinks list 0.5g to 0.6g protein per 100g or 100ml.

    Use the recipe’s stated milk quantity as a starting point. If dairy richness is important to the recipe, choose one developed for plant milk or make a small test bake.

  • Ranking cartons by front-of-pack wording

    Even unsweetened drinks have different declared nutrition values, and a figure per 100g is not on the same stated basis as one per 100ml.

    Compare fat, sugars and protein on the current cartons using matching measurement units before deciding which drink meets your priority.

  • Overlooking allergies when baking for others

    Almond is a nut allergen. The checked drinks also differ in their warnings about peanuts and other nuts.

    Do not use an almond drink for someone with an almond or nut allergy. Ask about allergies and check the current labels of every ingredient before serving the cake.

  • Assuming every opened carton keeps for the same time

    The checked Tesco drink specifies use within five days of opening; the checked M&S drink specifies three days.

    Read the storage instructions on the carton you buy and plan when you will open it for baking.

Almond drink brands to consider

These examples show different label and ingredient considerations; a brand name alone does not establish how its drink will perform in a cake.

M&S

M&S Unsweetened Almond Drink is a retailer own-label option with a declared nutrition panel.

  • Marks & Spencer lists 0.9g fat, 0.2g sugars and 0.5g protein per 100g.
  • It contains almond and carries nut- and peanut-allergy restrictions; check the current carton before using it for guests.

Tesco

Tesco Unsweetened Almond Drink is an own-label choice with listed nutrition and ingredients.

  • Tesco lists 1.1g fat, 0.3g sugars and 0.5g protein per 100ml.
  • Its formulation includes stabilisers and lecithins. It contains almond and may contain peanuts and other nuts.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s Unsweetened Almond Drink is another own-label option with stated nutrition values.

  • Sainsbury’s lists 1.4g fat, less than 0.5g sugars and 0.6g protein per 100ml.
  • Its allergen information warns that the drink is unsuitable for people allergic to other nuts because of manufacturing methods.

Plenish

Plenish Almond M*lk is an ingredient-led option that the brand describes as suitable for baking.

  • Plenish lists water, organic almonds and salt as its ingredients.
  • If fat content drives your choice, compare the value on the carton with other drinks on the same measurement basis.

Rude Health

Rude Health offers distinct almond-drink formulations, so choose by the particular product rather than the brand alone.

  • The brand’s No Sugars Organic Almond Drink lists spring water, 3% organic almonds, carob seed flour and sea salt.
  • Its standard Almond Drink lists rice and sunflower oil. Check the nutrition panel and allergen information for the variant you intend to bake with.

Alpro

Alpro offers almond drinks labelled No Sugar, including a chilled product listed by Tesco.

  • Tesco describes the chilled Almond No Sugar drink as containing no sugars or sweeteners.
  • Check the nutrition panel of the exact chilled or long-life variant you buy; a listing for one variant does not establish another variant’s values.

Joybuy almond drink option

The option below is a long-life, no-sugars almond drink sold as an eight-carton pack for bakers considering an almond-based substitute.

Alpro Almond No Sugars Long Life Drink, eight 1L cartons

Alpro Almond No Sugars Long Life Drink, 8 x 1L

For a cake recipe using an almond drink as its liquid, this is a long-life option supplied in eight 1L cartons. Check the carton’s fat value, allergen declaration and post-opening instructions; the product name alone does not establish how it will behave in a particular cake.

View on Joybuy

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace dairy milk with almond drink in a cake?

An almond drink can work in many cake recipes at the stated milk quantity, but it is not a guarantee of the same result. King Arthur Baking explains that milk protein, fat and sugar affect structure, mouthfeel, flavour and browning; consider a plant-milk recipe or a test bake if the cake depends on dairy richness.

Which of the checked drinks has the lowest listed fat figure?

Marks & Spencer lists the smallest numerical figure of these three unsweetened drinks: 0.9g per 100g, compared with Tesco’s 1.1g and Sainsbury’s 1.4g per 100ml. Because M&S uses a different measurement unit, compare current cartons on the same basis before treating those figures as a precise fat ranking.

Should I use sweetened or unsweetened almond drink for cake?

Choose an unsweetened or no-sugars drink if you want the recipe’s measured ingredients to determine its sweetness. Read the sugars value and ingredient list too: drinks with similar front-of-pack wording can have different formulations.

Can I serve an almond-drink cake to someone with a nut allergy?

Do not use almond drink for someone with an almond or nut allergy. The checked products contain almond, and some carry additional peanut or other-nut warnings; ask about allergies and check every ingredient’s current label before baking for others.

How long can I keep an opened carton before baking?

Follow the instructions on the carton you have. The checked Tesco drink specifies refrigeration and use within five days after opening, while the checked M&S drink specifies three days; do not apply either period to every almond drink.