Look, It’s Dairy Free! 8 of the Best Plant-Based Milk Alternatives for Kids

Whether it’s for one-year-old toddlers or kids starting school, here are the best plant-based milk alternatives made specifically for children.

There are a plethora of plant-based milks out there, serving a plethora of needs. Some brands are prioritising clean labels, others are blending different base ingredients to deliver the optimum flavours, yet others are boosting the protein content.

All this can become a minefield. If you’re a parent to a vegan kid, or if your child has a dairy allergy or intolerance, or if you just don’t want to feed your toddlers cow’s milk, there are certain brands catering specifically to your children.

In the US, while plant-based meat and seafood suffered a drop in sales, non-dairy milk actually saw revenue increase by 1%. Underlining its market dominance, the vegan milk segment accounted for 36% of the entire industry’s sales last year. And its influence on the overall milk market is growing too, taking up 15% of its share.

It’s not just vegans buying almond, oat, pea and other milks. Consumers are increasingly turning to these analogues for a variety of reasons: they taste better, they match dairy on the nutrition aspect), they’re much better for the environment, and they cater to lactose intolerance.

This is why research has predicted that plant-based milk will only continue to encroach upon dairy’s market share. But one major challenge to get there is a lowering of prices – currently, milk alternatives cost 104% higher on average than their conventional counterparts in the US.

Nevertheless, nearly half of American households bought these products last year. And homes with children were more likely to spend on dairy-free milk, a trend consistent with the preceding year too. It’s worth noting that many brands say their milk alternatives are suitable for children of various ages, and cater to kids with lunchbox-friendly packaging, such as Oatly.

But some make plant-based milk products specifically for kids. Here are the best ones.

Kiki Milk

Headquarters: Kauai, Hawaii
Founders/parent company: Lauren and Alex Abelin
Total funding: $4M

US kids nutrition company PlantBaby’s Kiki Milk makes milk alternatives exclusively for children, and is recommended for toddlers aged one and above. The product is available in 8oz and 32oz sizes in Original, Unsweetened, Chocolate, and Mac Nut flavours – the former three have a base of oats, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and coconuts, while the latter has a base of macadamia, cashews and brazil nuts. The milks contain 4-5g of protein per serving, plus calcium, magnesium, selenium and iron.

Kiddiwinks

Headquarters: New York
Founders/parent company: Stephanie Banham-Eichner and Jenna Liut
Total funding: Undisclosed

How about some prebiotic plant-based milk for kids? That’s Kiddiwinks’ premise. The oat milk base is combined with chickpea and pea protein, as well as inulin, a prebiotic fibre derived from chicory root. The Vanilla and Chocolate milks promote digestive health and the gut microbiome in an era of gut nutrition, with 8g of protein, 6g of fibre and 75% less sugar per serving than other flavoured milks. Recommended for ages four and above, the brand sold out of its canned formats, and after a hiatus, is now returning with Tetra Paks.

Alpro Growing Up

Headquarters: Ghent, Belgium
Founders/parent company: Danone

An industry giant, Danone first launched its Growing Up range of Alpro plant milk in 2016, which is suitable for ages one to three onwards. The soy milk comes in either 1l cartons or three-packs of 250ml, and contains 2.5g of protein per 100ml, as well as important nutrients like vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron and calcium. The Growing Up oat milk, meanwhile, is only available in 1l cartons and contains all the above nutrients, plus 1.8g of pea protein per 100ml serving.

Ripple Kids

Headquarters: Berkeley, California
Founders/parent company: Adam Lowry and Neil Renninger
Total funding: $274M

The pea milk leader in the US, Ripple Foods launched its kid-friendly line in 2021 with an Original flavour, and has since expanded it with Unsweetened and Chocolate options. The Original and Unsweetened versions come in 48oz, 32oz and on-the-go sizes, while the Chocolate is available in the latter format. Suitable for one- to -five-year-olds, each contains 8g of protein and 2g of prebiotic fibre from corn, as well as essential nutrients like omega-3, vitamin D, vitamin B12 and iron. The company recently also released protein shakes for kids in chocolate and vanilla flavours.

Koko Free From Milk

Headquarters: Bromsgrove, UK
Founders/parent company: First Grade International
Total funding: Undisclosed

A subsidiary of family-owned coconut producer First Grade International, Koko Dairy Free launched its kids offering in 2023 as Growing Up Milk, before rebranding it to Kids Free From M!lk. Aimed at children aged one and over, the coconut milk gets its sweetness from concentrated apple juice, and contains 1.9g of faba bean protein per 100ml. It also boasts vitamins D2 and B12, calcium and iron.

Orgain Kids Plant Protein

Headquarters: Irvine, California
Founders/parent company: Nestlé

Taken over by Nestlé Health Sciences in 2022, Orgain makes plant-based protein shakes for kids. They contain a protein blend of peas and chia seeds, alongside a mix of 23 vitamins and minerals and a fruit and vegetable blend. The Chocolate and Vanilla Nutritional Shakes contain 8g of protein and 3g of fibre per 8oz carton.

Little Steps Plantygrow

Headquarters: Gatwick, UK
Founders/parent company: SMA Nutrition/Nestlé

Another Nestlé-owned entry, SMA Nutrition’s Little Steps Plantygrow milk is suitable for ages one to three. It’s made from a base of wheat, oat, barley, rye, and corn. It only has 1g of pea protein per 100ml, but is fortified with nutrients optimal for growth, like omega-3, omega-5, iodine, vitamins D and B12. It comes in resealable cartons of 200ml and one litre, and has no added sugar.

Califia Farms Complete Kids

Headquarters: Los Angeles, California
Founders/parent company: Greg Steltenpohl
Total funding: $340M

The newest milk on this list, Califia Farms launched its Complete Kids Plantmilk in June, with a multi-ingredient base of pea, chickpea and faba bean protein. It has prebiotic fibre from chicory root, and boasts 8g of protein and half as much sugar as cow’s milk per 8oz serving, alongside nutrients like omega-3, choline, vitamins D and B12, calcium and iron. It’s suitable for children 12 months and older.

If you’re looking for dairy-free baby formula too, we’ve got you covered.