Neither cashew milk nor almond milk is objectively better. They’re nutritionally similar, both low in calories and protein, but they differ in texture, micronutrient content, and a few health-relevant details that might tip the scale depending on what you care about. Here’s how they actually compare.
Calories, Protein, and Fat
Unsweetened cashew milk is slightly lighter than almond milk, but the gap is small. Per 8-ounce serving, cashew milk has about 25 calories and 2 grams of fat. Almond milk comes in at 35 calories and 3 grams of fat. Neither contains saturated fat.
Protein is negligible in both: almond milk provides roughly 1 gram per serving, and cashew milk has less than 1 gram. If you’re looking for a plant milk with meaningful protein, soy milk is a better option. These two are essentially flavored water with a small amount of nut content, and their calorie counts reflect that.
Where They Differ: Vitamins and Minerals
Almond milk has a clear edge in vitamin E. Almonds are naturally rich in it, and almond-based drinks contain roughly three times as much vitamin E as cashew drinks. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that protects cells from damage, so if that matters to you, almond milk delivers more of it without fortification.
Cashew milk wins on magnesium. Cashew drinks average about 158 mg of magnesium per kilogram compared to 95 mg per kilogram for almond drinks. Magnesium supports muscle function, sleep quality, and blood pressure regulation, so this is a meaningful difference if your diet is already low in magnesium.
For calcium, vitamin D, and B12, you’re almost entirely dependent on what the manufacturer adds. About 78% of commercial plant milks are fortified with calcium, but only about half are fortified with vitamin D, and just 41% with B12. Even among fortified products, vitamin D levels often fall short. A study of 148 non-dairy beverages found that three-quarters of fortified products didn’t reach 20% of the daily value for vitamin D per serving. The takeaway: always check the label on your specific brand rather than assuming any nut milk covers your bases.
Texture and Taste
This is where cashew milk genuinely stands out. Cashews have a higher natural starch content and softer texture than almonds, which gives cashew milk a noticeably creamier, smoother consistency. It blends well into coffee, sauces, and soups without the slightly gritty or watery quality that some almond milks have. If you’re looking for something closer to the mouthfeel of dairy milk, cashew milk is the better pick.
Almond milk tends to be thinner and has a mild, slightly nutty flavor. It works well in cereal, smoothies, and baking where you don’t need richness. Taste preference is personal, but in cooking applications that call for creaminess, cashew milk performs better.
Blood Sugar Impact
Both milks have relatively low glycemic responses, but the numbers vary by brand more than by nut type. In testing, one organic almond drink scored a glycemic index of 64, while another almond product came in at 49. An organic cashew drink landed at about 53. The differences between brands are larger than the difference between cashew and almond as categories, so neither milk has a consistent advantage here. Unsweetened versions of both will have minimal impact on blood sugar.
Kidney Stone Risk
If you’re prone to kidney stones, this comparison matters. Both almond and cashew milk contain oxalates, compounds that can contribute to calcium oxalate stones. Almond milk has the highest oxalate content of any plant milk tested, at about 27 mg per cup. Cashew milk is lower but still notable at around 17 mg per cup.
Research from the Journal of Renal Nutrition found that both almond and cashew milk carry more potential stone risk factors than dairy milk. If kidney stones are a concern for you, oat, rice, macadamia, or soy milk are safer alternatives.
Environmental Footprint
Tree nuts in general are water-intensive crops. A 4-ounce serving of almonds requires about 1,828 liters of water to produce, while the same amount of cashews needs roughly 1,616 liters. Almonds are slightly thirstier, and most commercial almonds come from drought-prone California, which adds to the environmental concern. Cashew production uses less water overall but involves its own challenges, including labor conditions in processing countries. Neither milk is especially eco-friendly compared to oat or soy milk, but cashew has a modestly smaller water footprint.
Which One to Choose
Pick cashew milk if you want a creamier texture for coffee or cooking, prefer fewer calories, want more magnesium, or are slightly more concerned about oxalates. Pick almond milk if you want more vitamin E, a lighter and thinner consistency, or simply prefer the taste. Both are widely available and similarly priced.
The honest truth is that the nutritional differences between these two milks are small enough that taste and texture should probably drive your decision. Both are low in protein and calories, and both rely heavily on fortification for key nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. Whichever you choose, read the nutrition label on your specific brand, because the variation between products on the shelf is often bigger than the variation between cashew and almond milk as a category.