I ranked every plant-based milk for cooking and baking and the winner surprised me

Here's something nobody tells you when you go vegan: the milk you love in your latte might completely wreck your muffins. I learned this the hard way after producing a batch of pancakes so dense they could've doubled as hockey pucks.

Turns out, plant-based milks behave wildly differently when heat and other ingredients enter the picture.

So I did what any reasonable person would do. I bought eight different plant milks and spent a weekend turning my kitchen into a dairy-free test lab. I made béchamel sauce, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, and creamy pasta.

I evaluated each milk on flavor neutrality, texture performance, and how well it played with others. The results genuinely caught me off guard, and I think they'll change how you stock your fridge.

1. Oat milk takes the crown

I expected oat milk to perform well, but I didn't expect it to dominate so completely. In every single test, it delivered. The béchamel came out silky and rich. The cookies had that perfect chewy center. Even the banana bread rose beautifully with a tender crumb.

What makes oat milk special is its natural creaminess and subtle sweetness. It mimics the fat content and body of dairy milk better than most alternatives. The flavor stays neutral enough that it won't compete with your other ingredients.

Just make sure you grab the unsweetened version for savory dishes. Barista blends work great here too since they're formulated to handle heat without separating.

2. Soy milk is the reliable workhorse

Soy milk has been around forever for good reason. It's the highest in protein among plant milks, which matters when you need structure in baked goods. Protein helps with browning, binding, and creating that satisfying texture we associate with homemade treats.

In my tests, soy performed admirably across the board. The cookies browned nicely. The pasta sauce had good body. Where it lost a few points was in flavor. Soy has a distinct taste that some people love and others find distracting.

In heavily spiced or chocolate-forward recipes, you won't notice it. In a delicate vanilla custard, you might. It's a solid all-rounder that deserves its spot near the top.

3. Coconut milk brings the richness

Full-fat canned coconut milk is a powerhouse for certain applications. Curries, obviously. But also rich desserts, creamy soups, and anything where you want that luxurious mouthfeel. The high fat content makes it behave almost like heavy cream in some recipes.

The catch is that coconut flavor comes through. Sometimes that's exactly what you want. A coconut milk panna cotta is a beautiful thing. But coconut-flavored mashed potatoes? Less ideal.

I'd recommend keeping canned coconut milk on hand for specific recipes rather than using it as your everyday cooking milk. The carton versions are thinner and work better for general use, though they still carry that tropical note.

4. Almond milk works in a pinch

Almond milk is probably sitting in your fridge right now. It's everywhere, it's affordable, and it's perfectly fine for most cooking tasks. The keyword there is fine. Not great, not terrible. Just serviceable.

The main issue is that almond milk is thin. Really thin. In my béchamel test, it produced a sauce that tasted okay but lacked body. The cookies spread more than I wanted.

For recipes where milk plays a supporting role, almond works. For recipes where milk is a star ingredient, you'll notice the difference. If almond is your go-to for drinking, consider keeping a carton of oat or soy around specifically for cooking projects.

5. Cashew milk surprises with creaminess

Cashew milk doesn't get enough attention, and that's a shame. It's naturally creamy with a mild, slightly sweet flavor that disappears into recipes. My pasta sauce made with cashew milk was genuinely impressive. Smooth, rich, and completely neutral in taste.

Where cashew milk struggles is in baking. It doesn't have the protein content to provide much structure, and it can make baked goods slightly gummy if you're not careful. Think of cashew milk as your secret weapon for savory cream sauces, soups, and anything you'd finish with a splash of cream. For cookies and cakes, look elsewhere.

6. Rice milk is too thin for most jobs

Rice milk is the lightest option on this list, and unfortunately that works against it in the kitchen. It's essentially rice-flavored water with a touch of sweetness. In my tests, it produced flat cookies, watery sauces, and banana bread that didn't rise properly.

The one place rice milk shines is in recipes where you want moisture without richness. Think light crepes or certain Asian-inspired desserts. It's also a solid choice for people with multiple allergies since it's free from nuts, soy, and gluten. But for everyday cooking and baking, rice milk sits near the bottom of my list.

7. Hemp milk has potential but quirks

Hemp milk is nutritionally impressive, packed with omega fatty acids and protein. The earthy, slightly grassy flavor is where things get complicated. Some people love it. Others find it overwhelming.

In my kitchen tests, hemp milk performed decently in baking. The cookies had good structure and an interesting depth of flavor. The béchamel, however, tasted noticeably green. If you're already a hemp milk fan, you can absolutely cook with it. Just know that the flavor will make itself known, especially in lighter-colored dishes. It's not a neutral player.

8. Macadamia milk is lovely but expensive

Macadamia milk is the luxury option. It's creamy, subtly buttery, and genuinely delicious. My banana bread made with macadamia milk had a richness that surprised me. The flavor was complex without being distracting.

The problem is price. Macadamia milk costs significantly more than other options, and using it for everyday cooking adds up fast. I'd save this one for special occasion baking or recipes where you really want that extra touch of indulgence. For Tuesday night pasta sauce, oat milk does the job just as well at half the cost.

Final thoughts

After all that testing, my kitchen looked like a dairy-free disaster zone, but I walked away with clear conclusions. Oat milk wins for overall versatility. It handles heat well, provides good body, and stays out of the way flavor-wise. Soy milk is your best bet when protein and structure matter. Coconut milk remains unbeatable for rich, creamy applications where you want that tropical note.

The real lesson here is that no single plant milk does everything perfectly. Building a small rotation based on what you actually cook makes more sense than searching for one universal solution.

Keep oat milk for everyday use, coconut milk for curries and desserts, and maybe cashew milk for those creamy pasta nights. Your recipes will thank you, and you'll never produce hockey puck pancakes again.