A: The top plant bases for alternative milks, ranked by popularity, are: 

• Almond – accounting for 28% 
• Coconut – accounting for 22% 
• Oat – accounting for 19%
• Soy – account for 4% 

Of those top bases, only oat milk is continuing to trend upward over the past year; the rest are currently stable.

A: We’re seeing a few plant bases demonstrate early trend signals in recent months: 

• Pistachio milk is up +10% YoY in consumer interest
• Mung bean milk is up +8% YoY in consumer interest (and is a traditional Chinese beverage that is starting to attract attention outside of the cuisine) 
• Grain and seed milks are on the move; barley milk and sesame milk are up 30% and 13% YoY respectively in consumer interest
  
  

A: It’s an interesting time for “new” or niche flavors; interest in “unique” flavors and food experiences is up +53% since the start of COVID as consumers have broadened their horizons throughout the pandemic by exploring new recipes, cuisines, and dishes. 

This extends to plant-based dairy; while sweet flavors dominate (20% of all plant-based dairy dining occasions feature sweet flavors), we’re seeing some new flavor profiles rise over the past year: smoky is up 12% in popularity in plant-based dairy contexts, savory +15%, and salty +23%. Specifically, the following savory ingredients are trending upward within plant-based dairy, either as a flavor or a pairing:   

• Fennel +20% YoY
• Miso +38% YoY
• Chili +28% YoY
• Pickle +42% YoY
• Ube +67% YoY
  
  

A: Plant-based Milk: The top recipes with plant-based milk revolve around soups, sorbet, and shakes – like these all with over a million uses!

Plant-based Yogurt: The top recipes involving plant-based yogurt gravitate towards heartier items, like baked and fried goods. These three recipes all claim around 25K uses and are the top recipes for the category.

Plant-based Creamer: Top recipes involving plant-based creamer tend to focus on heartier items as well – like protein-rich veggie dishes or indulgent baked goods. The creamy French lentil recipe has over 175K uses. Others in the category have much less traffic and indicate opportunities for growth (such as the recipes for the vegan brioche brand and vegan French toast bake).

A: We see that the social media posts attracting the most attention in the category focus on:

Dairy-free versions of classic dairy desserts, like ice cream – like this news about Baskin Robbins’ oat milk ice cream

Twists on popular trends outside of the plant-based category – such as espresso martinis using dairy-free milk.

Non-vegan, protein-heavy dishes that use coconut milk to amp up flavor and authenticity – including this post for chicken thighs in coconut milk demonstrates how plant-based dairy consumption isn’t always about veganism – or even plant-based.

A: Plant-based dairy isn’t just for vegans or the lactose intolerant anymore. A range of people turn to the category, whether it is to accomplish functional health goals, leave a smaller footprint on the environment, or experience their meal in a new way. Specifically, we’re seeing a lot of diversity among audiences in how they relate to the category. A few major takeaways: 

• Gen X is 10x more likely than Gen Z to eat alternative dairy products
• Millennials account for 40% of people who eat plant-based dairy (that’s 2x more than Gen X consumers, and 15 x Baby Boomers!) 
• Moms only account for 7% of alternative dairy eaters, and have seen a low dip in interest over the past two year — this may indicate an opportunity to re-engage moms around health and convenience qualities of plant-based products
• Foodies account for 16% of plant-based dairy eaters and drinkers, supporting the movement towards plant-based dairy as a hip, interesting, and gourmet category. However, chefs only account for 3% of plant-based dairy eaters and drinkers, indicating an opportunity to expand that perspective to foodservice. 
• Females account for 48% of plant-based dairy eaters and drinkers – 6x more women eat alt dairy than men!
• Health-focused audiences account for 14% of plant-based eaters and drinkers.
  
  

A: Within the plant-based dairy category, we are watching three themes closely: functional health, sustainability, and gourmet experience. 

First up, functional health

Interest in health broadly is going down, but specific claims are going up in consumer interest – which points to the rising specificity of today’s consumption. ‘Functional health’, a concept in food and beverage that has been around in the American mainstream for a few years, encompasses health benefits that extend beyond nutritional content to positive impact on specific areas of our health and wellness – benefits like sleep support, gut and brain health, stress relief, and more.

Plant-based dairy is a category that is naturally aligned with health and wellness. Health is the top motivation behind vegan eating and drinking in the US, and is 7x more common than animal rights considerations for vegan eating occasions — and consumers call out the health benefits of plant-based dairy in nearly a third of all dining occasions.

Next, sustainability

When eating plant-based dairy, consumers are discussing sustainability 13% more than last year. It’s no longer enough for plant-based dairy to be healthy, or simply “dairy-free”; increasingly, consumers expect the ingredients to also be ethically sourced for planetary health. We expect there to be new innovations in this space that allow for plant-based dairy to become more ubiquitous in the market without damaging effects on the market.   

Finally, gourmet experiences

Plant-based dairy is no longer just a “second-place prize” for vegans or the lactose intolerance or a category just for health nuts; instead, it adds specific value to the dining experience in and of itself that’s accessible and desirable for a range of people. Gourmet applications of plant-based dairy are up 28% in consumer interest year-over-year, and consumers are 3x more likely to consider a dish with plant-based dairy to be indulgent than the average meal. That means that more people are actively seeking out gourmet meals that use plant-based dairy, and restaurants are more and more creating dishes that involve plant-based dairy ingredients. 

We expect to see the rise of authentic and traditional dishes that use plant-based dairy instead of traditionally animal-based dairy ingredients. For example, the top trending cuisines for plant-based dairy are Asian, particularly Japanese. Japanese dishes that use plant-based dairy are up 42% YoY, largely because of the vegan ramen trend that utilizes ingredients like oat milk.

We’re anticipating seeing similar growth of “twists” on traditional dishes on other cuisines that feature dairy heavily, like French (which already is seeing a 19% growth in interest YoY in dishes with plant-based dairy) and Italian (+28% for the same).

A: For restaurant buzz (which we define as consumer conversations in restaurant settings), the plant-based dairy ingredients that are trending most in US restaurants today are: 

• Hemp milk: up 21% YoY
• Macadamia nut milk: up 19% YoY 
• Cashew ricotta: up 13% YoY