Potato milk: What can the new plant-based milk alternative do?

potato milk
What can the new plant-based milk alternative do?

Whether fries, puree or soup – all kinds of delicacies can be conjured up from potatoes. Have you ever thought that the potato could also end up in coffee or muesli? A Swedish start-up has launched potato milk as a plant-based alternative to cow’s milk, which could soon be on supermarket shelves in Germany. But the plant drink is also easy to make at home from the local tuber. Taste, sustainability, production: what can potato milk do?

What’s in potato milk?

In Sweden, the potato drink “DUG” from the start-up Veg of Lund has been available in supermarkets since 2021. In Germany, the regional partner CCP AG is to produce the potato milk from Veg of Lund according to the vegan business magazine “vegconomist” now deliver to food manufacturers, cafes and retail chains. Where exactly the potato drink will then be available is not yet known.

It will probably come as no surprise that the main ingredient in the dairy alternative is potatoes. In addition to water and rapeseed oil, the original version of the potato milk also contains sugar and pea protein. It is also enriched with vitamins D, B2, B12 and folic acid. According to the company, the potato milk is free from allergens such as lactose, nuts, soy and gluten and impresses with its neutral taste, making it suitable for muesli and for baking and cooking. There is also a sweetened barista version that is similar to milk in consistency and can be foamed. The start-up also offers an unsweetened version.

How sustainable is potato milk?

The production of soy milk swallows a lot of energy, rice and almond milk a lot of water, oat milk is impressive depending on the cultivation area: there are always discussions about which plant-based milk alternative is the most sustainable. The potato milk could be the winner – at least that’s what Veg of Lund promises. According to the company, the product has a 67 percent smaller carbon footprint than cow’s milk, uses only half the acreage of oat milk and 96 percent less water than almond milk.

And indeed: Potatoes are regional plants and are always in season somewhere in our part of the world. So they don’t have to be imported from distant regions and, unlike soy, almonds or rice, they don’t need a lot of water. However, a prerequisite for climate-friendly production is that the potatoes are also grown where the milk will later be produced and do not have to travel long distances to be transported. According to their own statements, Veg of Lund currently produces its potato milk in England, and only “Europe” is mentioned as the origin.

Recipe: Make potato milk yourself

If you want to be on the safe side when it comes to sustainability, you can also prepare the potato milk yourself at home relatively easily. You have to do without the added vitamins in the finished product, but potatoes themselves contain potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamins B1 and B2 and vitamin C.

Ingredients for one liter of potato milk: 300 g floury potatoes, 1 liter of water, 1 pinch of salt, sweeteners such as maple syrup, vanilla extract or almond butter if required, cheesecloth

Preparation: Peel and dice the potatoes, then boil them in salted water for about 20 minutes. Then finely puree the soft-boiled potatoes, including the cooking water. If you like it sweet, you can now add maple syrup, almond butter or vanilla extract as you like. Drain the mixture through a straining cloth into a bowl, wringing the cloth from time to time until no more liquid drips through. If necessary, dilute the potato milk with water to the desired consistency, pour into a sterilized glass bottle, seal and refrigerate. The milk can be kept refrigerated for about three to four days.

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