- Plant milks have dominated the coffee industry; one in three UK consumers opt for oat milk.
- Soy, almond, pea, and coconut also remain popular, meaning coffee shops and hospitality businesses need to offer multiple options.
- But each has unique compositions that can affect flow, residue buildup, and foaming characteristics – potentially creating issues for super-automatic coffee machines.
- Manufacturers are finding ways to adapt and overcome, adding new dispensing and cleaning features.
Plant milks are a staple in specialty coffee – and consumers want variety.
Oat milk remains a firm favourite, while others stay loyal to soy, almond, and coconut. As such, coffee shops need to stock a range of options that suit different needs and preferences.
For skilled baristas, this poses no problems; they simply use different steaming and pouring techniques to create silky microfoam and crisp latte art, no matter the type of milk.
But when it comes to super-automatic coffee machines, which have become more prominent in recent years, offering multiple options can create challenges. The different compositions and ingredients of plant milks, especially compared to traditional dairy options, can lead to poor machine performance and quality issues if not properly maintained.
Stefanie Sterzer at WMF Professional Coffee Machines and SEB Professional and Keelan Hartnett at Flo-Smart explain how manufacturers are innovating to overcome these issues.
You may also like our article on whether dairy is making a comeback in specialty coffee.
Specialty coffee embraces plant milks
Plant milks, especially oat milk, have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly across Europe and North America, where it stands out as a clear favourite.
“It’s not a passing trend to offer plant milks; it’s become an expectation,” says Keelan, the managing director of Flo-Smart, a company specialising in smart beverage dispensing.
This sentiment is echoed across the coffee industry, with plant milks becoming so popular that the once-common surcharges for non-dairy options are now mostly a thing of the past. Over half of major US coffee chains, such as Starbucks, Panera, Pret A Manger, and Philz Coffee, have ditched additional charges for plant-based options.
Some forward-thinking specialty coffee shops even offer oat milk as a default. Notable names like Stumptown, Onyx Coffee Lab, and Blue Bottle have been quick to embrace this shift, emphasising the vital importance they place on catering to changing consumer preferences.
“The way people drink coffee around the world has changed significantly in recent years,” says Stefanie, the Team Lead of Product Training & Coffee Competence at WMF Professional Coffee Machines. “Where a small selection of vegan offerings was once enough to attract consumers, today’s expectations are very different.”
Oat milk, in particular, has seen exceptionally high demand due to its compatibility with coffee, ease of handling, and more environmentally friendly production. Its creamy texture and stable performance also allow it to closely mimic dairy.
But plant milks can pose problems for coffee
The coffee industry has had no choice but to adapt and embrace the shift towards plant milks.
Cafés have been at the forefront of this movement. Baristas quickly learnt how to steam and pour different milks, incorporating less air or heating to lower temperatures, to get the best results.
Fully automatic and beverage dispensing machine manufacturers have also had no alternative but to keep pace with these evolving trends and accommodate different plant milks. Sophisticated machines from brands like WMF, Schaerer, Franke Coffee Systems, Eversys, Flo-Smart, and Marco can increasingly accommodate multiple types of milk, sometimes up to four different varieties.
The WMF 2-Milk Solution, for instance, allows two different milk types in one machine, while the WMF MultiMilk System can handle up to four plant-based drinks plus dairy, ensuring up to 99% purity between milk types through multiple milk lances. Flo-Smart dispensing systems, meanwhile, are available in two and four-tap models, accommodating various plant milks.
Super-automatic machines often have built-in milk systems, which feature dedicated tubes that draw milk directly from a carton or container, steam it, and then dispense foamed milk into a cup with a single touch. These systems, including WMF Dynamic Milk and Franke FoamMaster, are often optimised for plant-based milks, often providing different microfoam textures tailored for various milk types.
However, non-dairy options, particularly oat milk, can introduce unique challenges for these complex machines and dispensing systems.
“Different milks behave very differently in every automated system,” Keelan says. “Oat, almond, soy, and dairy each have unique compositions that can affect flow, residue buildup, and foaming characteristics.”
Different types of plant milk naturally possess varying consistencies and textures. For instance, oat milk tends to be thicker and can be grainier than other alternatives. This inherent variability can lead to malfunctions and performance issues in automated systems.
Each variety’s specific protein and fat content affects not only how it foams but also its behaviour within the machine’s milk system.
Plant milks also tend to be more sensitive to higher temperatures, reacting unpredictably. Some varieties may dissipate under a sudden increase in temperature, while others might separate, making it challenging to achieve the desired consistency.
“Plant-based milks like oat split over a period of inactivity and can leave behind sticky residues,” Keelan says. “If not properly addressed, this leads to quality concerns and, crucially, a need for more frequent and intensive maintenance. Operators need to understand how milk works in different environments when choosing plant-based milks for their automated machines.”
There are also food safety and hygiene considerations to factor in.
“Using alternative milk options, depending on the type, requires greater awareness around potential food intolerances,” Stefanie explains. These include allergies to gluten, soy, and nuts.
To ensure customer safety, it’s essential to maintain clean and separate preparation processes for each type of milk. This need for stringent hygiene standards, coupled with the ongoing shortage of skilled workers, makes automated solutions more vital than ever.
“A lot of these maintenance tasks still involve a minimum number of manual steps, and in practice, that is not always carried out reliably,” Stefanie says.
Is there a solution?
The inherent challenges with plant milks and fully automatic machines represent an unavoidable aspect of working with diverse milk types, each requiring a tailored approach. Even manual steaming of different milks demands varied techniques.
The boom in plant-based milks has spurred the development of coffee machines specifically designed to handle various types of milks, confirming that fully automatic machines are keeping pace with these innovations. While dairy milk remains generally the easiest to handle, these machines are now achieving better consistency with plant-based options.
“The goal isn’t just ‘reinventing the cappuccino’; it’s more about creating ever-new combinations of milk, plant alternatives, and a wide range of ingredients like syrups, toppings, colours, and every kind of sweetener,” Stefanie says.
Home equipment manufacturers are innovating rapidly; Breville, for instance, developed the Barista Touch Impress with vegan milk options in mind. Other prominent home coffee machine manufacturers have also embraced this trend with their proprietary milk foaming systems, including Philips’ LatteGo system and De’Longhi’s LatteCrema Technology, which control air infusion and temperature to create microfoam for various milk types.
Manufacturers have also extended these technologies to other types of coffee machines. The semi-automatic WMF espresso NEXT portafilter, for instance, features Auto Milk Dosing technology, which dispenses the exact amount of milk required for each drink and foams it via an automatic steam lance to the desired consistency.
Plant milk manufacturers have also responded by producing formulations with higher concentrations of proteins and fats, specifically designed to create more stable foam.
Perhaps the most significant development in the plant-based milk sector is the introduction of Barista Edition versions. These are specially formulated milks designed to closely mimic the characteristics of dairy, making them far easier to use in automatic machines and dispensing systems.
These barista-specific plant milks incorporate added stabilisers to prevent separation and maintain a smooth texture during the heating phase. They have increased fat and protein content, often achieved by adding pea proteins or concentrated oats, to ensure desired creaminess and consistent foaming performance.
To further enhance machine performance and beverage quality, operators of fully automatic or dispensing machines must also adopt best practices.
Simple user habits can significantly impact performance. Using cold milk gives the machine sufficient time to incorporate enough air before foaming. Regularly shaking or stirring milk containers can also help, as plant milks tend to separate when left static for longer periods.
Proper and regular cleaning schedules also help remove any built-up residue, maintaining the effectiveness and longevity of equipment.
“The WMF AutoClean system cleans all milk and coffee pathways automatically, minimising the need for manual intervention and ensuring consistent hygiene,” Stefanie says.
Super-automatic coffee machines have evolved to handle different types of milk with impressive capability. This evolution has been driven by relentless innovation in milk systems and the crucial development of Barista Edition plant milks.
While challenges persist due to the unique properties of various milk alternatives, the industry’s collaborative efforts and technological advancements have made options for plant-based coffee drinks more diverse and accessible than ever before.
Enjoyed this? Then read our article on how automation can better support baristas.
Photo credits: WMF Professional Coffee Machines, Flo-Smart
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