The pros: Trader Joe's Vanilla Coconut Beverage is vegan, gluten-free, and soy free. Also there is an unsweetened variety. Pretty long shelf life compared to dairy.
The cons: This item only comes in a half-gallon size. Quite a bit of saturated fat in each serving.
The verdict: I am a lifelong milk drinker. Every now and again I seek an alternative. For $2.99 per half-gallon presented a reasonably priced option. I enjoy things like overnight oats, milk in my coffee, and sipping on a glass of chocolate milk on my own. I wanted to see how this compares. Now to be fair, I can't review this one way either. We live in a world full of food allergies where milk may not be an option for some people.
Let me pick this drink apart as a milk drinker. This is thick, like 2% milk and is close to a milk mouth feel. Taste is coconut with a hint of vanilla. I would have preferred trying a smaller container. The package said it should be consumed in 7-10 days. While this product is not a perfect substitute and not to be confused with coconut milk in a can. I did not enjoy it as much on overnight oats, but on its own it was fine to sit on.
If you have allergies to dairy, soy, gluten, or are vegan then this good substitute with the only downside being the amount of saturated fat. However, this saturated fat is common in coconut products. I have not tried the non flavored variety as of yet, but this had a nice flavor to it that was vanilla. It had good mouthfeel and a pleasant vanilla taste. It looks exactly like milk and even coats the glass.
Whether or not this product is right for you will depend upon your needs. It wasn't bad, but wasn't my favorite milk substitute I've tried. If food allergies are a concern there is no reason not to give this a try. As a milk drinker, I'll buy this occasionally, but it wasn't good enough to convince me to switch over completely.
Here is the visual rundown of what you are getting when you purchase this product.
The container of Trader Joe's Vanilla Coconut Beverage:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
Some other information:
Out of the package you get:
Would I buy this again? For me personally, this is a no. However, if you are soy free, dairy free, or have another food allergies, then this is a no brainer and reasonably priced.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
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