This is a guest post from Sori.
Joshua also contributed to this post.
People have all kinds of reasons for going dairy free. It might be because they are lactose intolerant, or because they are pursuing a more vegan lifestyle. Regardless of the reasons, almond milk has emerged as a popular alternative to traditional cow’s milk.
The same is true of coffee creamers. Milk creamers can be a problem for those same people. In addition, non-dairy creamers like the ones Aldi sells contain milk extracts like sodium caseinate, which can be a problem for people with milk allergies, not to mention an issue for vegans.
So there’s no surprise that, with all the talk of going fully dairy free, Aldi has come out with an almond milk creamer.
Friendly Farms Almond Milk Creamer is a Regular Buy, meaning it is available in stores all the time. (It’s also achieved some international recognition, as it was a finalist in the 2019 World Dairy Innovation Awards.) It comes in two flavors, caramel and vanilla. The options are a bit more limited for dairy free than for Aldi’s regular dairy creamers, but these are two popular flavors.
This review covers the caramel flavor.
In my area, in the Northeast, the almond milk creamer is $2.99 for a 16-ounce bottle (18.6 cents an ounce). Aldi’s non-dairy coffee creamer is $1.99 for a 32-ounce bottle (6.2 cents an ounce), making almond milk more expensive. However, compared to Califia Farms Almond Milk Creamer, which runs $4.89 for 25 ounces (19.5 cents an ounce) at Target, Aldi’s almond milk is a superior deal. I actually like that Aldi gives you a bit less of the product because I can try more flavors and rarely do I ever finish an entire bottle of creamer!
[EDITOR’S NOTE: in the Midwest, almond milk creamer currently runs $1.99 for a 16-ounce bottle, or 12.4 cents an ounce. This is the same price as Aldi’s milk creamer, which is also $1.99 for a 16-ounce bottle. Here, Aldi’s non-dairy creamer is currently $1.79 for a 32-ounce bottle, or 5.5 cents an ounce.]
The nutrition facts between Aldi’s non-dairy and almond milk creamer are quite similar, with each coming in at 35 calories and 5-6 grams of sugar per tablespoon.
Nutrition information for the caramel almond milk creamer. (Click to enlarge.)
After brewing coffee for my boyfriend and myself, we thoroughly enjoyed the caramel creamer. We couldn’t notice a taste difference between this dairy-free creamer and a dairy one. For me personally, it was a little too sweet, but that may be because of the caramel. Keep in mind that I usually add a splash of whole milk to my morning coffee, and no sugar. My boyfriend thought it was delicious and said he would gladly finish the rest.
The one thing we did agree on is that it does taste like regular caramel creamer (especially like the ones from Dunkin Donuts Caramel Lattes). So if you have a sweet tooth and want to decrease your dairy intake, this affordable delight is the one for you.
The Verdict:
If you are lactose intolerant or trying to cut dairy out of your diet, I would highly recommend this Friendly Farms Almond Milk Creamer. It not only tastes exactly like brand name almond milk creamer, but we think it tastes like dairy creamer, too. Pick it up on your next haul!
Sori is a graduate optometry student who adores Aldi.
Mine curdelled too
I have had the same experience, time and time again. Finally, I researched the issue. It turns out, the temperature difference between the hot coffee and refrigerated almond milk creamer causes the curdling. It’s inevitable. Unless you have “cold” coffee, you can’t escape this creamer curdling. Which unfortunately, is a deterrent for me. I like my coffee hot. It does however beg the question, why market this product as a coffee creamer?
Thanks for the info. Chris. Why would they keep selling it, knowing people would assume it is spoiled?
Its not curdled… this is made with Coconut oil (look at the ingredients) which naturally clumps together looking like its curdled. It may look odd, but the taste is in changed.
This was already answered even though I can’t imagine selling something with an expectation of creamy not curdly. I took it back to the store Aldi’s was wonderful. No further comments are needed. Resolved
Hello, does this creamer or almond milk have carrageenan in it?
Thank you!
No. If you click on the photo of the nutrition label, you can read the full ingredients list.
Thank you so much!!!
Have a blessed day,
Jessica
Do you know how much it costs to grow almonds in CA? Ridiculous amount of water that seems very wasteful to me.
I just wanted to compliment them on their product packaging. The protective film at the top was nicely labelled and easy to pull off, as was the interior liner. I have to stab some of these containers with a knife to get the safety linings off, but these were well designed. Thank you!