The Vegan Milk That Doesn’t Curdle In Coffee (UK)

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Looking for vegan milk that doesn’t curdle in your coffee? I’ve got heaps of recommendations for you to avoid the dreaded curdling that you can get with some types of plant-based milk.

I’ve been on the hunt for vegan milk that doesn’t split or separate in my coffee for years. Years. For me, personally, it’s been the biggest barrier in switching from regular milk to vegan milk.

I don’t drink coffee that much. However, I like a cup in the morning to fire me up for the day. And yet with every vegan milk I tried, each curdled in my morning coffee. See Exhibit A. A cup of milky coffee is an indulgence of mine, and curdled milk was not cutting it for me.

The Vegan Milk Problem

I tried so many kinds of vegan milk in the quest to find something that didn’t curdle at the mere mention of the word coffee. From rice milk and soya milk to almond, hazelnut and coconut milk, all of them seemed to curdle.

Then I thought maybe the problem wasn’t the milk, and that the problem was actually me. Specifically, in that perhaps my coffee-making technique was all wrong. So I tried all of the tips.

I tried heating the milk before using it (a total faff). Waiting for my coffee to cool (torture, when all you want is a drink of coffee). Pouring the milk into my coffee over the back of a spoon (tedious). You name it I tried it. No matter what I did, the pesky milk still curdled.

Why Plant-Based Milks Curdle

Before I abandoned the idea of going plant-based, I looked into it more. It was here that I found the reason that plant-based milk tends to curdle in coffee is due to four main factors. These being the acidity of coffee, the milk’s protein content, the type of vegan milk, and whether or not any stabilisers and emulsifiers have been added to the milk.

Here’s the full breakdown:

  1. Acidity of Coffee: Coffee is naturally acidic, and when it’s hot, its acidity becomes more pronounced. This acidity can cause the proteins in vegan milk to coagulate and separate from the liquid, resulting in curdling.
  2. Protein Content: Different types of vegan milk have varying protein contents and compositions. Some proteins are more sensitive to heat and acidity than others, leading to different reactions when mixed with coffee.
  3. Type of Milk: Some types of plant-based milk are more prone to curdling in coffee than others. Almond milk, for example, tends to curdle more easily due to its lower protein content compared to oat milk.
  4. Stabilisers and Emulsifiers: Some commercially produced plant-based milk brands contain food-safe stabilisers or emulsifiers to prevent splitting and separating. Carrageenan, gellan gum, guar gum or xanthan gum, rapeseed oil and soy lecithin are common stabilisers and emulsifiers found in many types of plant-based milk. Checking the ingredient list and opting for brands that include these additives can help minimise splitting in coffee. To make it even easier for you, most ‘barista’ blend types of milk contain these types of additives.

The Best Vegan Milk That Doesn’t Curdle In Coffee

Two cups of cappuccino next to purple flowers with a blue text box that reads guide to the best vegan milks that don't curdle in coffee.

After years of trying different types of plant-based milk, I’ve now firmly landed on oat milk. I’ve found that most brands of oat milk don’t curdle in coffee. While I’ve got a whole post dedicated to which oat milk is the best in terms of ethics, here’s a rundown of my favourite tried-and-tested vegan milk brands that definitely do not curdle in coffee.

Use the short links to jump to a specific milk, or keep scrolling for the full post:

MOMA Barista Oat Milk

MOMA is one of the brands that we use most often. The barista oat milk version is nice and creamy, froths up well when you want a frothy coffee, and doesn’t curdle in any circumstances.

MOMA Original Oat Milk

Whilst barista versions of vegan milks are less likely to curdle, we often buy the MOMA Original oat milk and haven’t had any issues with splitting or separating. It’s a little thinner than the barista version but still tastes good in tea and coffee.

Califa Farms Barista Oat Milk

Like many households, we vary what oat milk we buy based on what’s on offer. Especially at the moment when the price of food is so high. As such, I don’t stick with MOMA, and we quite often buy Califa Farms.

I’m drinking a cup of coffee as I update this post, and it’s got Califa Farms Barista Oat Milk in it. It’s lovely and creamy and doesn’t curdle. You can just pour it straight into a steaming hot cup of coffee and you’re good to go. It’s definitely one of my favourites.

Minor Figures Barista Oat Milk

Minor Figures is another milk that we regularly buy when it’s on offer. It’s another one that I love, and have zero issues with using it in hot drinks or my cereal.

Oatly Barista Milk

Carton of vegan Oatly barista oat milk next to a mug of milky coffee and a plant.

Oatly Barista Oat Milk is another good vegan choice to avoid curdling in your coffee. It’s got a nice thick, non-watery texture and a pleasant taste that doesn’t overpower your tea or coffee. It tastes nice in breakfast cereal and porridge too.

Asda UHT Oat Milk

If you’re looking for budget-friendly milk, then I’m a big fan of Asda’s UHT Oat Milk. It performs just as well as the more expensive brands. Do completely avoid the fresh oat milk at Asda though – it’s a complete abomination!

Morrisons UHT Oat Milk

Again, Morrison’s own brand UHT Oat Milk is a great budget-friendly choice. I’d buy this more often if a Morrison’s supermarket was closer to us. It’s creamy, tastes good, and doesn’t split or separate. Similar to Asda though, whatever you do, don’t buy the fresh oat milk. It’s absolutely vile.

Oato Oat Milk

We tried out oat milk deliveries to our door for a little while and had Oato delivered to us in glass bottles. This is a great vegan oat milk, that doesn’t curdle in coffee and tastes great too. Plus there’s zero plastic involved.

We only stopped getting deliveries as the company we used to deliver the milk didn’t have a great online system. We’d try to pause the milk deliveries if we were going away, yet they’d still deliver. We ended up with a lot of wasted milk. I think other delivery companies are better, so unless you live in West Lothian, like me, then you probably won’t end up in this situation!

My Top Plant-Based Milk Resources

Cream mug with a cat design on it, that's full of milky coffee

I’ve got loads of other plant-based milk resources for you to help reduce your food waste – helping you save money and help the environment:

Do check them out! And if you are a tea drinker then might like this post on the plastic-free teabags to know.

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