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When it comes to dairy alternatives, we already have a lot of “milks” to
choose from, but the latest alternative could prove to be a game-changer
due to how available and cheap its main ingredient is.
Potato milk doesn’t sound like the most delicious thing in the world,
but then again, neither does oat milk or soy milk and look how popular
they turned out to be. Not to mention that this new dairy alternative is
apparently “deliciously creamy” and works great for homemade lattes and
cappuccinos. Plus, the humble potato uses a lot less land and resources
than other plants that are currently used for milk, which makes both the
vegetable and the milk more affordable.
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DUG, the world’s only commercially available potato milk brand, recently
made its debut on the UK market, where it is expected to make quite an
impact purely based on the demand for animal product alternatives in
that market. The Swedish company has plans to expand to other European
countries, as well as the Chinese market, but a U.S. launch doesn’t seem
likely in the near future.
However, if you’re dying to try potato milk, you’ll be happy to know
that you can make it yourself, as there are dozens of recipes available
online. Basically, you just boil the potato, then blend it with the
water it boiled in, strain it and add more water until it reaches the
desired consistency.
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DUG’s version of potato milk also contains maltodextrin, pea protein,
chicory fiber, rapeseed oil, fructose (a sugar), sucrose (a sugar),
acidity regulator, calcium carbonate, sunflower lecithin (an
emulsifier), natural flavor, and is laced with vitamins.
Although the recent launch of DUG potato milk in the UK made some waves,
the success of this dairy alternative isn’t guaranteed, as some who have
tried it either described its taste as “neutral” or complained of a
saline aftertaste. The lack of proteins could also be an issue for some
people. With just one gram of protein per serving, compared to the eight
grams of soy milk and the three for oat milk, it’s not exactly a protein
powerhouse, but that shouldn’t matter too much if you get your protein
from other sources.
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But where potato milk is likely to make a big difference in is
sustainability. The crop is twice as efficient as growing oat, in terms
of land use, requires little water and has a better yield than most
plants. The new drink may have a huge hill to climb to actually compete
with other plant-based milks, but it certainly has a chance to become
the next health food craze.
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