Almond Milk Is America's Favorite Milk (Next to Dairy Milk)

Is the age of dairy coming to an end? First, vegan cheese turned trendy. Now, nut-based milks are booming—specifically, almond.

According to the Nielsen Company, almond milk sales have risen by 250 percent in the past five years—people spent $894.6 million on the alt milk in 2015 alone. Compare that to soy milk's 2015 sales of $297.7 million or coconut milk's $61.3 million and you'll start to understand the magnitude of the moment for almond milk.

As popular as it is, though, don't expect almond milk to dethrone cow milk quite yet. Though dairy milk sales are dropping (old-school milk saw a 7-percent decline in sales in 2015), almond milk accounts for just 5 percent of the milk market.

So, why such demand for almond milk? Nielsen speculates that dietary restrictions are responsible, as almond milk is safe for lactose intolerant people as well as those who are sensitive to hormones or antibiotics. Plus, almond milk is more dairy milk-like in taste and texture than other alternatives like soy or coconut.

Another great thing about almond milk? You can make it at home from scratch—no farm animals needed.

[h/t Food Navigator]