Milk Comparison — Animal vs Plant-Based

Milk Type	Category	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Sugar (g)	Calcium (mg)	Vit D (µg)	Vit B12 (µg)	Potassium (mg)	Nutrition Score
Cow (Whole)	🐄 Animal	61	3.2	3.3	4.8	5.1	113	1.3	0.45	132	62.6
Pea Milk	🫛 Plant	35	3.3	1.6	0.5	0.0	120	1.1	0.38	105	62.3
Reindeer	🦌 Animal	186	10.3	14.5	2.5	2.5	320	0.5	0.80	220	61.2
Soy Milk	🌱 Plant	33	3.3	1.8	1.2	0.4	120	1.1	0.38	118	61.2
Hemp Milk	🌿 Plant	35	1.3	2.5	1.5	0.0	120	1.1	0.38	80	60.0
Goat	🐐 Animal	69	3.6	4.1	4.5	4.5	134	0.7	0.07	204	57.5
Macadamia Milk	🌰 Plant	21	0.2	1.8	0.8	0.0	120	1.1	0.38	38	56.5
Hazelnut Milk	🌰 Plant	29	0.4	1.6	3.0	1.0	118	1.0	0.38	55	55.1
Oat Milk	🌾 Plant	43	1.0	1.5	6.5	3.2	120	1.1	0.38	65	54.9
Cashew Milk	🥜 Plant	18	0.5	1.2	1.0	0.0	120	1.1	0.38	42	54.6
Coconut Milk	🥥 Plant	19	0.2	1.6	1.0	0.0	120	1.0	0.38	46	53.6
Camel	🐪 Animal	46	3.1	2.0	4.4	4.4	114	0.5	0.15	156	53.4
Almond Milk	🌰 Plant	15	0.6	1.1	0.3	0.0	120	1.1	0.38	67	52.8
Sheep	🐑 Animal	108	5.9	7.0	5.4	5.4	193	0.2	0.71	137	52.2
Llama	🦙 Animal	60	3.9	3.2	5.6	5.6	130	0.3	0.20	120	51.9
Buffalo	🐃 Animal	97	3.7	6.9	5.2	5.2	169	0.5	0.36	178	51.3
Yak	🦬 Animal	130	5.2	7.5	5.0	5.0	210	0.3	0.40	190	48.6
Rice Milk	🍚 Plant	47	0.3	1.0	9.2	5.3	118	1.0	0.38	27	45.6
Horse (Mare)	🐴 Animal	48	2.2	1.2	6.4	6.4	89	0.3	0.03	64	39.2
Donkey	🫏 Animal	44	1.7	1.0	6.9	6.9	68	0.2	0.02	50	34.6

Lower

Higher

Price Context (2026)

USDA AMS Retail Milk Prices (August 2026): U.S. simple average $4.05 per gallon for conventional whole milk, $4.01 for 2% reduced fat, and $5.18 per half gallon for organic whole milk. 2026 city averages range from ~$2.72 (Indianapolis) to ~$5.46 (Chicago).
BLS CPI average price (July 2026): fresh whole, fortified milk at $4.31 per gallon in U.S. city average (FRED series APU0000709112).
Plant-based milk pricing: the plant-milk price premium has collapsed from ~18% (2021) to an estimated ~2% in 2026 — functional price parity with dairy in many urban markets. Private-label plant milks retail 20–30% below national brands; wholesale ranges ~$0.90–1.60/L (soy), ~$1.20–2.20/L (oat), ~$1.30–2.40/L (almond).
Market shares (2026): almond milk leads plant-based purchases (~58%), followed by oat (~21%, fastest-growing) and soy (~13%).

Data Sources & Methodology

USDA FoodData Central — cow, goat, sheep, buffalo milk. Cow (whole, 3.25% milkfat, vitamin D added, FDC ID 171265, refreshed 2026): 61 kcal, 3.2 g protein, 113 mg calcium, 1.3 µg vitamin D, 0.45 µg B12, 132 mg potassium per 100 g.
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
FAO — Milk composition across species (Park & Haenlein, 2006; FAO Animal Production and Health Paper).
fao.org
NIH / PubMed — Equine, camelid, and donkey milk composition studies.
Plant milks: USDA + manufacturer data (unsweetened, fortified variants). Actual values vary by brand.

Nutrition Score formula: Composite of 10 sub-scores (each 0–100, then averaged).
Positive: Protein, Calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Potassium → higher = better.
Moderate: Fat (optimal ~3–4 g), Calories (optimal ~50–65 kcal), Carbs (optimal ~4–5 g), Sugar (lower = better).
Bonus: Lactose-free scores a small bonus for digestibility (relevant for ~70% of world population).
All values per 100 ml. Animal milks are whole unless noted. Plant milks are unsweetened fortified. Cells are palette-colored (red = low/weak, green = high/strong; reversed for Sugar and distance-based for Energy, Fat, Carbs around their optimum).