With more and more kinds of milk becoming available in stores, there’s a greater opportunity to pick a milk type that will work best for your dietary requirements and is still tasty but lower in calories.
If you’re tracking your calories and looking for low-calorie milk alternatives, the lowest calorie milk is unsweetened cashew milk which contains just 10kcal per 100g, closely followed by unsweetened almond, coconut, and flax milk which contain 19kcal per 100g.
Read on to learn much more about the calorie content in various kinds of milk, including the lowest-calorie cow’s milk and low-calorie milk alternatives.
Information In This Article
In a hurry or looking for something specific? Use the links below to jump to the relevant section:

Milk Calorie Comparison (Lowest To Highest Calories)
The table below shows the calories (from lowest to highest) for many kinds of milk, including dairy, nut, and other milk alternatives.
The lowest calorie milk is unsweetened cashew milk which contains just 25kcal per cup (240g); in contrast, the highest calorie milk is whole goat’s milk which contains 166kcal per cup.
Please note that some milk brands may vary in calorie values depending on fat content and other added ingredients such as sugar. To ensure the data is as accurate as possible, we have used data from the USDA (see links at the bottom of this page).
Milk Type | Calories Per 100g | Calories Per Cup (240ml/8.4fl oz) |
Cashew Milk (Unsweetened) | 10kcal | 25kcal |
Almond Milk (Unsweetened) | 19kcal | 46kcal |
Coconut Milk (Unsweetened) | 19kcal | 46kcal |
Flax Milk (Unsweetened) | 19kcal | 46kcal |
Macadamia Milk unsweetened | 21kcal | 50kcal |
Flax Milk (Regular Sweetened) | 23kcal | 55kcal |
Macadamia Milk (Regular Sweetened) | 29kcal | 70kcal |
Pea milk (unsweetened) | 29kcal | 70kcal |
Almond Milk (Regular Sweetened) | 30kcal | 72kcal |
Soy Milk (Light) | 30kcal | 72kcal |
Coconut Milk (Regular) | 31kcal | 74kcal |
0% Fat-Free Skim Milk (cows) | 34kcal | 82kcal |
1% Fat Milk (cows) | 43kcal | 103kcal |
Soy Milk (Regular) | 43kcal | 103kcal |
Oat Milk (Unsweetened) | 48kcal | 115kcal |
2% Fat Milk (cows) | 50kcal | 120kcal |
Rice Milk (Original) | 50kcal | 120kcal |
Pistachio Milk (Original) | 50kcal | 120kcal |
Oat Milk (Regular) | 52kcal | 125kcal |
3.25% Fat Whole Milk (Cows) | 61kcal | 146kcal |
Goats Milk (Whole) | 69kcal | 166kcal |
Dairy Milk Calorie Comparision
When comparing dairy milk, the lowest calorie option is 0% fat-free skim milk (cows) which contains just 82kcal per cup, compared to full-fat whole milk, which contains 146kcal per cup.
The higher the fat content, the higher the calories; however, this also comes at the cost of creaminess. If you like your milk a little more creamy, then 2% fat milk might be a better option at just 38 extra calories per cup.
There’s a difference of 84 calories between fat-free skim milk and whole cow’s milk, which can significantly affect your daily calorie intake if you tend to drink or cook with milk regularly.
Milk Type | Calories Per 100g | Calories Per Cup (240ml/8.4fl oz) |
0% Fat-Free Skim Milk (Cows) | 34kcal | 82kcal |
1% Fat Milk (Cows) | 43kcal | 103kcal |
2% Fat Milk (Cows) | 50kcal | 120kcal |
3.25% Fat Whole Milk (Cows) | 61kcal | 146kcal |
Goats Milk (Whole) | 69kcal | 166kcal |
Lowest Calorie Milk Alternatives
We’ll now take a look at milk alternatives, including nut milk and other dairy-free alternatives that don’t contain nuts.
Dairy-Free Nut Milk
The lowest calorie nut milk is unsweetened cashew milk which contains 25kcal per cup (240g), closely followed by unsweetened almond milk, which contains just 46kcal per cup. In contrast, the highest calorie nut milk is original pistachio milk, which contains 120kcal per cup.
Nut milk is generally low-calorie, especially if you choose an unsweetened option, making them an excellent choice if you’re looking to make calorie savings.
Milk Type | Calories Per 100g | Calories Per Cup (240ml/8.4fl oz) |
Cashew Milk (Unsweetened) | 10kcal | 25kcal |
Almond Milk (Unsweetened) | 19kcal | 46kcal |
Macadamia Milk (Unsweetened) | 21kcal | 50kcal |
Macadamia Milk (Regular Sweetened) | 29kcal | 70kcal |
Almond Milk (Regular Sweetened) | 30kcal | 72kcal |
Pistachio Milk (Original) | 50kcal | 120kcal |
Dairy-Free And Nut-Free Milk
When it comes to milk alternatives that don’t contain any nuts, the lowest calorie options are unsweetened coconut milk (not to be confused with canned coconut milk) and unsweetened flax milk, which both contain 46kcal per cup.
Other good low-calorie alternatives are unsweetened pea milk containing 70kcal per cup and light soy milk containing 72kcal.
On the higher end of the scale is sweetened (regular) rice milk, which contains 120kcal per cup, and sweetened oat milk, which contains 125kcal.
Milk Type | Calories Per 100g | Calories Per Cup (240ml/8.4fl oz) |
Coconut Milk (Unsweetened) | 19kcal | 46kcal |
Flax Milk (Unsweetened) | 19kcal | 46kcal |
Flax Milk (Regular Sweetened) | 23kcal | 55kcal |
Pea milk (unsweetened) | 29kcal | 70kcal |
Soy Milk (Light) | 30kcal | 72kcal |
Coconut Milk (Regular) | 31kcal | 74kcal |
Soy Milk (Regular) | 43kcal | 103kcal |
Oat Milk (Unsweetened) | 48kcal | 115kcal |
Rice Milk (Original) | 50kcal | 120kcal |
Oat Milk (Regular) | 52kcal | 125kcal |
Milk Calorie Calculator (For All Types)
If you need to work out how many calories are in your serving of milk, you can use the calculator below to find the information you need.
This calculator will work for any of the milk types on this page and any amount. Choose your milk and measurement type to continue:

More Milk Calorie FAQs
Unsweetened oat milk contains 115kcal per cup (240g), compared to unsweetened almond milk, which contains just 46kcal per cup. So if you want to reduce your calorie intake, almond milk could be your better option.
Unsweetened oat milk contains 115kcal per cup (240g), and the lowest calorie cow’s milk (fat-free skim) contains 82kcal per cup, making skim milk lower in calories. Oat milk contains the same amount of calories as 2% fat cow’s milk; however, full-fat milk contains more calories than oat milk, at 146kcal per cup.
More Milk Related Articles
I hope this article has helped you to find the information you were looking for; you might also find the following articles helpful too:
This page is part of a series of helpful articles related to milk weights, servings, and conversions, the links below will take you to the other articles in this series:
References Used for this Article
To ensure the nutritional information used in this article is accurate, I have used data from USDA; the link below contains the source information:
Related Articles
Milk Calorie Calculator (For Any Serving & Various Types)
Cow’s Milk Comparision (An Ultimate Guide – In Charts)
How Many Calories Are In Oat Milk? (With Calculator)
Lowest Calorie Almond Milk (Brands Compared)
How Much Does A Cup Of Cheddar Cheese Weigh? (With Calculator)