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A plant-based version of Milo is now available in Singapore.

The new product, Milo Dairy Free Soy & Almond, launches today (May 16). According to Nestlé, it is the world’s first Milo Dairy Free variant in 500ml.

The name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but how does it taste?

Well, in a word, disappointing.

First impressions

Dairy-free and lactose-free drinks have been growing in popularity for a while now, so it’s no wonder that Milo is jumping on the hype train too.

Milo has always been a reliable staple, so I had my hopes up when I heard about this drink.

Soy milk and almond milk is definitely a creative combination — most drinks typically just opt for one substitute.

After picking a bottle up from the supermarket and taking a whiff of the contents, I immediately knew I was in for a bad time.

The drink had a strong nutty and vanilla scent, probably owing to the plant-based milks.

When I took a sip, I was dismayed that the drink tastes exactly like how it smells.

The soy and almond milks are at the forefront of its flavour, which overpowers everything else.

It also has a lower sugar content, which was quite apparent in the taste.

As a fan of soy milk, this was a truly lacklustre experience.

Tastes like chocolate soy milk

According to Nestlé, the milk in the original Milo recipe is substituted with almond and soy.

The two other core ingredients, malt and cocoa, remain the same.

Regardless, it does taste a lot more like chocolate soy milk.

And not the good, creamy kind of chocolate soy milk either.

It had me questioning (again) if my taste buds were somehow compromised after catching Covid twice.

Instead of heading home, I decided to walk to another supermarket to buy the regular Milo drink in order to make a proper comparison.

Thin consistency

After tasting both the original Milo and the dairy-free one, I can confidently say that the dairy-free version is very far from what makes Milo the beloved beverage it is.

If you can get past the soy and almond taste, the biggest difference between the two is the consistency.

The textures are like day and night.

Regular Milo is thick and decadent, resulting in a beautiful mouthfeel and a complex aftertaste.

But the dairy-free version is thin and slightly grainy.

It reminds me of when you make Milo at home and mess up the water-to-powder ratio, with the resulting drink ending up incredibly diluted. Very unsatisfying.

Price

In terms of price, the 500ml dairy-free drink is S$2.50, slightly more expensive than its original counterpart, which retails at S$1.90.

They also have different nutrient contents, with the new variant having double the protein, at 7.6 grams per bottle.

Here's a side-by-side comparison for all the health nuts out there:

Where to buy

My lactose-intolerant colleague tried the drink too.

Here's her unfiltered opinion on it:

Oof.

You know, perhaps it's on us for having high expectations. But was I wrong to think it should taste exactly like original Milo?

Milo Dairy Free Soy & Almond can be found at leading super and hypermarkets such as Cold Storage, FairPrice, Giant and Sheng Siong, as well as Cheers and e-retailers like Lazada, PandaMart, Redmart and Shopee.

Just FYI, if you want to try at your own risk.

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Top image via Kow Zi Shan.