While soft green peas may come to mind, this beverage actually requires dried yellow split peas—the same ingredient used to make pea protein powder. There aren’t many brands on the market yet, but Ripple and Bolthouse Farms are two options for anyone looking to purchase pea protein milk. Otherwise, with just a little bit of patience and the right materials, making pea protein milk at home is totally doable (more on that below). Pea protein milk is generally fortified in vitamins A, D, calcium, and phosphate. These will show up on the end of the ingredient list, and are healthy additions to the product, registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Julie Stefanski, MEd, RDN, tells us. The USDA hasn’t created standard nutrition information for pea milk. As an example of the nutrition breakdown, here’s what you’ll find in one cup of Ripple unsweetened pea protein milk. Compared to cow’s milk, pea protein milk does come up short on one amino acid. However, Stefanski says, “As long as you have a balanced diet, that’s not a major problem.” No plant-based beverages are naturally high in calcium, Stefanski says. Many of them are fortified, though, which makes calcium levels similar across most plant-based and dairy milks. It’s also uniquely high in iron, compared to other alt-milks. “Iron deficiency is really the biggest nutrient deficiency we see in kids,” Stefanski says, “especially for teenage athletes and teenage girls.” This is also beneficial for anyone following a plant-based diet, who may not be getting iron from red meat. “Iron that’s in plants is not absorbed as easily as iron from animal sources,” Stefanski explains. “That’s why it’s important to be getting iron from multiple food sources.” Not optional, however, is the addition of oil, which, according to the blog post, emulsifies the milk and prevents it from separating. A post shared by So Vegan (@sovegan) on May 19, 2020 at 10:20am PDT Unflavored pea protein milk can be used in mashed potatoes, vegan macaroni and cheese, soups, smoothies, oatmeal, or anything that calls for milk. For anyone who’s worried about a pea-like taste, Stefanski suggests easing into it with half pea protein milk and half of another alt-milk. “But I’ve found that most people don’t really notice a change in flavor or other taste attributes,” she says.
