Get Psyched For Another New Dairy-Free Drink: Barley Milk

Updated on 3/4/2022 at 8:00 PM

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You'd be silly to think the world of nondairy milks has reached its limit because, as demonstrated by the plethora to choose from — soy, almond, cashew, oat, and even milk made from potatoes and pea protein — nondairy-milks can be made out of anything. So why stop there? Is there another grain we can milk? How about barley? Yep, barley milk exists for all you milk-and-cookie, cereal, and latte fans.

What Is Barley Milk?

As if milk made from barley wasn't unique enough, there is a brand of barley milk called Take Two, which is upcycled, which means it's made from the "spent barley" used to brew beer. Spent grain, also known as brewers' grain, is the coproduct of brewing beer, and much of it is disposed of after the beginning of the brewing process. Actually, the US wastes nearly six billion pounds of spent grain each year. To date, Take Two has saved over 371,000 pounds of spent grain from ending up in landfills, and this number is growing by the day.

For those dealing with allergies, barley milk is dairy-free and soy-free. Keep reading to see how much protein a serving offers, and how barley milk tastes.

Barley Milk Nutrition Information

A one-cup serving of Take Two Unsweetened Barley Milk is 70 calories and has 4.5 grams of fat, zero grams of saturated fat, and 190 mg of sodium. It's also fairly low in carbs with just three grams (oat milk has five grams), and zero grams of added sugar. Barley milk also has a decent amount of protein, offering five grams — oat, almond, and cashew milks offer just one gram.

If you go for Chocolate Barley Milk, for 140 calories, a one-cup serving has five grams of fat, .5 grams of saturated fat, and 240 mg of sodium. There are 17 grams of carbs, surprisingly two grams of fiber, 12 grams of added sugar, and a whopping eight grams of protein!

What Does Barley Milk Taste Like?

Myself and a few others (adults and kids included!) tested out the refrigerated Take Two Unsweetened Barley Milk and the Take Two Chocolate Barley Milk. We tried the chocolate first, and were shocked how good it was. It had a similar creamy consistency to soy or oat milk, and the flavor was sweet, chocolatey, and refreshing. There was a very slight grainy aftertaste, that the adults didn't mind, but the kids did.

The Unsweetened Barley Milk had a pleasant, slightly sweet flavor, even though it was unsweetened. It tasted delicious on its own, but was also good in oatmeal, smoothies, and baked goods. I didn't love the Unsweetened in coffee though, but that's what the Barista Barley Milk is for — it foams up beautifully and has a subtly sweet flavor.

How Much Does Barley Milk Cost?

Take Two offers both shelf-stable and refrigerated Barley Milk. The shelf-stable comes in four varieties: Unsweetened, Original, Barista (Hello, foam!), and Chocolate, costing $5 for a 32-ounce carton. Or you can order a variety pack of all four flavors for $24.

You can also get 48-ounce refrigerated bottles, in Original, Unsweetened, Chocolate, and Vanilla for $5.49.