Milk alternatives compared: gluten-free, dairy-free & FODMAP
Dairy free and vegan: the easy part
Every plant milk — oat, soy, almond, coconut, rice, cashew, macadamia — starts from a plant, so none of them contain lactose or milk protein. This part genuinely doesn't vary by brand or formulation the way gluten-free status does. The one label detail worth a second look is a "may contain milk" precautionary allergen statement on some "barista" blends, made on shared equipment with dairy products — a cross-contamination risk that matters for a milk allergy, not a change to the ingredients themselves, so it doesn't affect lactose intolerance.
Gluten free is where it gets interesting
Almond, coconut, and rice milk are naturally gluten free with no asterisk. Oat milk and (some) soy milk are the two to actually check.
Oat milk inherits the exact same rule as whole oats: FSANZ, the food standards code covering New Zealand and Australia, does not permit a gluten-free claim on any product containing oats — see our gluten-free oats guide for why. That's a labelling technicality, not necessarily contamination — but a few oat milk products in our database go further and explicitly declare "Contains gluten" on their own ingredient panel, a stronger and more specific warning than the general oats rule.
Soy milk is a less obvious catch. Plain soy milk (water and soybeans) is usually fine, but several soy milk brands on NZ shelves list barley malt and barley flour as ingredients — real gluten, with nothing to do with the soy — and declare "Contains: Soy and Gluten" on the label. It's easy to assume "soy milk" is automatically gluten free the way almond or rice milk is; it isn't guaranteed the same way.
FODMAP by type
FODMAP status is where plant milks vary the most, and it doesn't track with how "healthy" a milk alternative is marketed as.
- Almond milk — reliably low FODMAP at a normal serve, one of the safest everyday swaps.
- Macadamia milk — low FODMAP, though less common on NZ shelves than the others here.
- Rice milk — generally low FODMAP at a normal serve.
- Coconut milk — the drinking kind (carton, diluted) is low FODMAP in a normal splash. Canned coconut milk/cream, which is far more concentrated, is a different story in a big pour — treat the two separately even though the label says the same thing.
- Cashew milk — cashews themselves are a recognised GOS source, so cashew-based milk is one to go easy on rather than assume is automatically safe.
- Soy milk — depends on how it's made: from whole soybeans, it's high in GOS at a normal serve; made from soy protein isolate instead, it's low FODMAP. Check the ingredient list for which one you've got.
- Oat milk — the genuine surprise on this list. Monash University's own testing has repeatedly found oat milk moderate-to-high FODMAP even at a typical 250ml serve, which catches people off guard given oat milk's health-conscious reputation. This is a completely separate question from whether whole oats are low FODMAP — they generally are at a normal breakfast serve; it's specifically the milk that tests differently.
Oat milk in our database
Real oat milk products from NZ shelves. None can legally carry a gluten-free claim here — watch for the ones that go further and declare gluten explicitly.
| Product | Manufacturer | Coeliac status |
|---|---|---|
| Classic Matcha With oat Milk | Mocha | Check label |
| Salted Caramel Oat Milk | Vitasoy | Check label |
| Pams Oat Milk Unsweetened | Pams | Check label |
| Barista Oat Milk | Pam’s | Check label |
| Good Oat Barista Oat Milk | All Good | Check label |
| Oat Milk Probiotic Non-Dairy Yoghurt Suckies | The Collective | Check label |
| Oat Milk Colas Brew | Innerbloom | Check label |
| No Ordinary Oat Milk | Plant Projects | Check label |
| OTIS OAT MILK THE EVERYDAY ONE | OTIS OAT MILK | Check label |
| Oat Milk | Barista Federation | Check label |
| Oat Milk | Otis | Check label |
| Choc Oat Milk | Otis Oat Milk | Check label |
| Mocha With Oat Milk | Havana Cold Brew | Check label |
| Oat milk unsweetened | Vitasoy | Check label |
| No Ordinary Oat Milk | — | Check label |
Oat milk products in the DietTribe database. Coeliac status shown here reflects the oat-content labelling rule and any other declared ingredients — always confirm on the physical package.
Soy milk in our database
Most are gluten free — a few genuinely aren't, because of added barley, not the soy.
| Product | Manufacturer | Coeliac status |
|---|---|---|
| Black Soy Milk | Best Food | Check label |
| Black Sesame Cereal Flavor Soy Milk | Vamino | Check label |
| Unsweetened Soy Milk | Capital | Check label |
| Soy Milk Sweetened | Hing's | Check label |
| Organic Light Soy Milk | Macro | Check label |
| Soya Milk | Soyfresh | Coeliac-compatible |
| Regular Soy Milk | Pams | Coeliac-compatible |
| Original Soy Milk | Vitasoy | Contains gluten |
| Calci-Plus Soy Milk | Vitasoy | Contains gluten |
| So good vanilla bliss soy milk | Sanitarium So Good | Coeliac-compatible |
| Lite soy milk | Pams | Coeliac-compatible |
| Soy Milk Protein Plus | Vitasoy | Coeliac-compatible |
| Soy Milk Protein Plus | Vitasoy | Coeliac-compatible |
| Soy milk Calci-Plus | Vitasoy | Contains gluten |
| Organic Soy Milk | Macro | Coeliac-compatible |
Soy milk products in the DietTribe database. Statuses reflect our database at build time — always confirm on the package.
Almond milk in our database
| Product | Manufacturer | Lactose status |
|---|---|---|
| Almond Milk | Little Island | Check label |
| Almond Milk | sanitarium so good | Check label |
| Activated Almond Milk | Nutty Bruce | Lactose-compatible |
| Activated Almond Milk | Nutty Bruce | Check label |
| So Good Vanilla Almond Milk | Sanitarium | Lactose-compatible |
| Almond Milk Unsweetened | Sanitarium | Check label |
| Macro organic Almond milk | Macro | Lactose-compatible |
| almond MILK Unsweetened | Vitasoy | Lactose-compatible |
| Unsweetend Almond Milk | Pams | Lactose-compatible |
| Almond Milk Unsweetened | Sanitarium So Good | Lactose-compatible |
| Organic Almond Milk | Macro | Lactose-compatible |
| Pam's almond milk | Pams | Check label |
| Absolute Almond Mylk | Mylk Made | Lactose-compatible |
Almond milk products in the DietTribe database, all naturally dairy free.
Coconut milk in our database
Drinking coconut milk (carton, diluted) — see the FODMAP note above for how this differs from concentrated canned coconut milk in a large serve.
| Product | Manufacturer | Lactose status |
|---|---|---|
| Light Coconut Milk | Trident | Check label |
| Light Coconut Milk | Trident | Check label |
| Coconut Milk Smooth And Rich | Trident | Lactose-compatible |
| Coconut Milk Drink With Nata De Coco | Co-Bana | Check label |
| Coconut milk | Pams | Check label |
| Coconut milk | MK | Check label |
| Coconut milk drink chocolate | Cool mix | Check label |
| Organic Coconut Milk | Chantal Organics | Lactose-compatible |
| LITE COCONUT MILK | pams | Check label |
| Coconut milk | Trident | Check label |
| TCC Premium Coconut Milk | TCC | Lactose-compatible |
| Kara Classic Coconut Milk | Kara | Check label |
| Organic Coconut Milk | Ceres | Lactose-compatible |
| Light coconut milk | TCC | Lactose-compatible |
| Coconut Milk | Woolworths | Lactose-compatible |
Coconut milk products in the DietTribe database, all naturally dairy free.
Rice milk in our database
| Product | Manufacturer | Lactose status |
|---|---|---|
| Macro Organic Rice Milk | Macro | Lactose-compatible |
| Rice Milk Long Life | Vitasoy | Lactose-compatible |
Rice milk products in the DietTribe database, all naturally dairy free.
Spotted a product we've got wrong, or one we're missing? Submit it and help make the database better for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Is oat milk gluten free?
It can't be legally labelled "gluten free" in New Zealand or Australia, no matter how it's made. Oats fall under the same FSANZ rule as whole oats — see our oats guide for the full explanation. Some oat milk brands go further and explicitly declare "Contains gluten" or list a wheat-derived ingredient, which is a stronger warning than the general labelling rule; check the individual product's ingredient list rather than assuming "oat milk" always means the same risk level.
Is soy milk gluten free?
Plain soy milk (water, soybeans, and not much else) usually is. But several soy milk brands sold in NZ list barley malt and barley flour as ingredients — genuine gluten, unrelated to soy itself — and declare "Contains: Soy and Gluten" on the label. Soy milk isn't automatically gluten free just because soybeans are; check the ingredient list, not just the product name.
Which plant milk is lowest FODMAP?
Almond, macadamia, and rice milk are generally the safest low-FODMAP choices in a normal serve. Oat milk is the surprising exception — Monash University's own testing has found many oat milk brands moderate-to-high FODMAP even at a typical 250ml serve, despite oat milk's health-food image. That's a separate question from whether whole oats (porridge, muesli) are low FODMAP — they generally are at a normal serve; see our oats and FODMAP guide.
Is soy milk low FODMAP?
It depends entirely on how it's made. Soy milk made from whole soybeans (common in many Asian-brand soy milks) is high in GOS, a FODMAP trigger, in a normal serve. Soy milk made from soy protein isolate is low FODMAP instead — a completely different process with a different FODMAP outcome, even though both end up labelled "soy milk". Check whether the ingredient list says "soybeans" or "soy protein" to tell them apart.
Are plant milks always vegan and dairy free?
Yes, essentially always — none of them start from an animal ingredient. The one thing worth checking is the allergen statement on "barista" blends, which are sometimes made in facilities that also process dairy — that's a cross-contamination risk (relevant for a dairy allergy), not a change to what's actually in the product (which is what matters for lactose intolerance).