This summary will help you to understand the properties of seeds and grains used in plant-based drinks, with particular emphasis on density, texture, flavour and foamability.
🌱 Vegetable drink ingredients - detailed description
- Mandula
Almond milk substitute is one of the most popular herbal drinks. Its slightly nutty flavour is pleasant but not overly distinctive, so it can be paired with a variety of flavours. Its smooth and soft texture, with a milky white colour, makes it look like cow's milk. It has a medium density - not too thin, but not too creamy. The prepared almond drink can be easily whisked and is therefore suitable for coffee or other drinks. It is recommended for anyone who wants a neutral tasting, pleasantly flavoured vegetable drink. - Cashew nuts
The cashew drink is one of the creamiest vegetable milk substitutes. Its texture is extremely silky, almost creamy. The taste is slightly sweet and less pronounced, so it blends well with other flavours. A great advantage of cashew nuts is that they can be completely blended without straining, if you use a good quality machine. It has a very high density and is very easy to whisk, which makes it popular in cafés. It is a particularly good choice for those looking for a barista-style herbal drink. - Zab
The oat-based vegetable milk replacer is rich in fibre, which provides a natural thickening effect. It has a thick and creamy consistency, making it a full-bodied drink even in small quantities ad. The flavour profile is slightly sweetish, with no side flavours. Although it has a limited whisking capacity (the foam is not always stable enough), it is very suitable for muesli, smoothies or baking. Oats are the most cost-effective ingredient for homemade vegetable milk replacers. - Rice
Rice milk substitute is one of the easiest and most easily digestible plant-based drinks. It has a thinner, more watery consistency than oat or cashew drinks, for example. However, its flavour is naturally sweet, so it can be made into a pleasant drink without sweetening. Its foaming does not work well, so it is not the best choice for coffee. - Soy
Soya milk replacer is one of the most protein-rich plant drinks, so it has excellent nutritional value. It has a medium density and a slightly creamy consistency. It is neutral in taste, but has a slightly 'beany' flavour that not everyone likes. It can be easily whisked. - Coconut
Coconut milk substitute is a rich, oily and thick drink with an exotic, intensely sweet taste ad. Foaming is not typical. Best results are obtained when mixed with other seeds with a milder flavour (e.g. oats, almonds). Coconut is ideal if you want a special flavour effect.
I've summarised it briefly in the table below to see if it helps anyone to combine homemade herbal drink recipes at home.
If you want to easily make your own herbal milk replacer at home, I recommend the VEGITAL RAINBOW herbal beverage maker, which you can buy at the link below: www.kovasztunder.hu/vegital
Of course, mixing seeds and grains in your herbal drink is not only worthwhile, but in many cases highly recommended!
Why mix different ingredients?
- Taste and texture customisation: Some seed teas (e.g. almonds) are softer, others (e.g. cashews, oats) are creamier and rice is sweeter - the combination balances the drink's character.
- Improving density: You can thicken a thinner rice milk substitute or a waterier almond drink with oats or cashews.
- Improving nutrient composition: By mixing the composition of the seeds and grains, you will get a more varied and rich protein, fat and fibre content.
- For specific purposes: For example, for barista milk, an oats/cashew/par or soy combination is good, or for kids, rice/oats to make it sweeter and easier to digest.
What proportions should be mixed?
The proportions can vary according to taste, but for best results you can experiment with the following basic recipes:
Recommended mixing ratios for herbal milk replacer
- Almond-oat drink: 50% almonds, 50% oats (e.g. 50g almonds + 50g oats/1 litre water)
A slightly nutty, full-bodied drink, white in colour with a silky texture.
- Cashew-oat drink: 60% cashew nuts, 40% oats (e.g. 60g cashew nuts + 40g oats/1 litre water)
Extra creamy, frothy (good for coffee, cappuccino).
- Almond rice milk substitute drink: 70% almonds, 30% rice (e.g. 70g almonds + 30g rice/1 litre water)
Nutty-sweet, soft-tasting, light-coloured milk.
As a general rule:
In most combinations, use a total of about 80-120g of seeds/grain per 1 litre of water. The ratio of ingredients can be 50-50%, 60-40%, etc., depending on which attribute you want to emphasize (e.g. creaminess, sweetness, neutrality).
