Chocolate milk is not only a favorite among kids, but it’s gained popularity among adults as “the perfect post-workout drink”. When we refer to chocolate milk, we’re talking about good ole’ chocolate-flavored cow’s milk.
Chocolate milk can come in different milk fat percentages (skim, full-fat, etc), but what makes it chocolate milk is the chocolate flavoring – which makes it one of the highest-sugar milks on the market. That’s of course why it tastes so good, though!
If you’re looking to substitute chocolate milk for something else, which are your best bets? In this article, we’ll review the four best chocolate milk substitutes, including:
- Lactose-free chocolate milk
- Chocolate-flavored plant-based milks
- Vanilla milk
- Strawberry milk
Which substitute is the best for vegans, those watching their sugar intake, or a swap for a kiddo who doesn’t like chocolate? Find out next!
Reasons to substitute chocolate milk
There are several reasons you might want a substitute for chocolate milk. Here are a few possible reasons:
- Food intolerance or allergy. If you can’t drink cow’s milk for any reason, then regular chocolate milk isn’t going to be a reasonable option. Fortunately, there are chocolate milk substitutes that utilize non-dairy milk or lactose-free milk to help create a close substitute. (Pssst…did you know you usually can’t even taste the difference between regular cow’s milk and lactose-free milk? We’ll explain more about the reason soon!)
- Reducing sugar intake. Cow’s milk is already a source of sugar because of lactose, which is the naturally occurring sugar in milk. Adding on chocolate flavoring can make it higher in carbs and sugar than you might want, so some of our best chocolate milk substitutes are lower in sugar.
- Avoiding chocolate. If you don’t like chocolate or are avoiding it for any reason, but you also want a sweet dairy drink, then we have some options for you.
4 best chocolate milk substitutes
1. Lactose-free chocolate milk
If you need a substitute for chocolate milk simply because you can’t tolerate lactose, then there’s good news. Lactose-free chocolate milk is the same as regular chocolate milk, with the addition of the lactase enzyme.
What the heck is the lactase enzyme? It’s what you’re probably lacking in your digestive tract if you have lactose intolerance!
The lactase enzyme resides in your small intestine, and its job is to break down the sugars in milk (lactose) so you can properly digest them. Without enough lactase enzyme, lactose is poorly digested, leading to uncomfortable symptoms like nausea and stomach upset.
Lactose-free chocolate milk adds the lactase enzyme directly to the milk so you don’t have to worry about stomach issues. Most people can’t even tell the difference between regular and lactose-free milk, so this is one of the best substitutes if you’re simply avoiding lactose! (It’s not suitable if you have a cow’s milk allergy, though.)
Nutrition stats for Lactaid lactose-free chocolate milk:
| Serving | 1 cup |
| Calories | 210 |
| Total fat (saturated) | 8 g (5 g) |
| Total carbs | 25 g |
| Total sugars (incl. Added sugars) | 24 g (12 g) |
| Protein | 8 g |
2. Chocolate-flavored plant-based milks
For vegans wanting a good milk alternative, those with cow’s milk allergies, or other dietary preferences, chocolate-flavored plant-based milks are among the best chocolate milk substitutes. Chocolate-flavored almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk, and oat milk are some of your potential options, but you can add chocolate to pretty much any type of milk out there.
Chocolate-flavored plant-based milk might not always be low-sugar options – in fact, many have large amounts of added sugar similar to regular chocolate milk. However, many of them are lower in sugar since they don’t contain lactose, which can make their overall sugar content lower. (One low-sugar exception is the unsweetened version of Almond Breeze’s chocolate-flavored almond milk, which is free of added sugar as you’ll see in the nutrition table below!)
These options are suitable if you have a cow’s milk allergy, and the vast majority are vegan-friendly as long as there aren’t any added animal-based ingredients. These are also lower-fat options, but they don’t contain as much protein as regular chocolate milk.
Nutrition stats for chocolate-flavored unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze):
| Serving | 1 cup |
| Calories | 40 |
| Total fat (saturated) | 3 g (0 g) |
| Total carbs | 2 g |
| Total sugars (incl. Added sugars) | 0 g |
| Protein | 1 g |
Nutrition stats for chocolate-flavored (sweetened) almond milk (Almond Breeze):
| Serving | 1 cup |
| Calories | 100 |
| Total fat (saturated) | 2.5 g (0 g) |
| Total carbs | 21 g |
| Total sugars (incl. Added sugars) | 19 g (19 g) |
| Protein | 1 g |
3. Vanilla milk
If you want flavored cow’s milk but aren’t a fan of chocolate, then vanilla milk is a great substitute. It’s hard to find commercial options available, but there are plenty of recipes for you to make a DIY version using cow’s milk, sugar, and vanilla extract.
You can also find vanilla-flavored plant-based milk as another alternative. Since it’s tricky to find store-bought vanilla cow’s milk, we’ll include the nutrition stats for vanilla soy milk. As you’ll probably notice, soy milk is higher in protein than other plant-based milk like almond milk, which is one of its perks!
Nutrition stats for vanilla soy milk (Silk):
| Serving | 1 cup |
| Calories | 100 |
| Total fat (saturated) | 3.5 g (0.5 g) |
| Total carbs | 11 g |
| Total sugars (incl. Added sugars) | 9 g (8 g) |
| Protein | 6 g |
4. Strawberry milk
For a kid-approved non-chocolate option, strawberry milk is the closest alternative you’ll get among the other chocolate milk substitutes here. Like chocolate milk, it’s made with cow’s milk and is flavored with sugar, but with strawberry flavoring instead of chocolate.
Nutrition stats for strawberry milk (TruMoo):
| Serving | 1 cup |
| Calories | 210 |
| Total fat (saturated) | 8 g (5 g) |
| Total carbs | 27 g |
| Total sugars (incl. Added sugars) | 25 g (14 g) |
| Protein | 8 g |
Comparison of chocolate milk vs. best chocolate milk substitutes
All nutrition stats are for one cup/8 oz.
| Name | Calories | Total fat (saturated) | Carbs | Total sugars (incl. added) | Protein |
| **Regular chocolate milk** (Darigold 2%) | 220 | 5 g (3.5 g) | 33 g | 31 g (16 g) | 11 g |
| Lactose-free chocolate milk (Lactaid) | 210 | 8 g (5 g) | 25 g | 24 g (12 g) | 8 g |
| Unsweetened chocolate almond milk (Almond Breeze) | 40 | 3 g (0 g) | 2 g | 0 g | 1 g |
| Sweetened chocolate almond milk (Almond Breeze) | 100 | 2.5 g (0 g) | 21 g | 19 g (19 g) | 1 g |
| Vanilla soy milk (Silk) | 100 | 3.5 g (0.5 g) | 11 g | 9 g (8 g) | 6 g |
| Strawberry milk (TruMoo) | 210 | 8 g (5 g) | 27 g | 25 g (14 g) | 8 g |
FAQs:
The lowest-sugar chocolate milk we found is Almond Breeze’s unsweetened chocolate almond milk, which contains no added sugar. It won’t taste like regular sweetened chocolate milk since it contains no sugar, but it’s a great option if you’re slashing sugar but want a bit of that cocoa flavor.
The ingredients in chocolate-flavored plant milk like chocolate soy milk are typically vegan. These milks contain cocoa for chocolate flavoring, which is vegan-friendly.
Fairlife milk is ultra-filtered which reduces its carbohydrate content and boosts the protein content compared to regular chocolate milk. Fairlife chocolate milk contains 6 grams of added sugar per serving, which is much lower than most brands of chocolate-flavored cow’s milk, which makes it a healthier option.
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