Does almond milk have as much calcium as cow's milk?
Almond milk, unsweetened, plain, refrigerated has 1.3× more calcium per 100 g, 157.5 mg against 123 mg in Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat. That is 12% of the Daily Value against 9%.
Daily Value 1300 mg. Per 100 g, so the two are directly comparable.
| Per 100 g | Almond milk, unsweetened, plain, refrigerated | Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 19 kcal | 60 kcal |
| Protein | 0.66 g | 3.27 g |
| Total fat | 1.56 g | 3.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 0.67 g | 4.63 g |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g | — g |
| Calcium | 157.5 mg | 123 mg |
What this means for you
On calcium these two are level, and on everything else they are not the same drink. The protein column is the one to look at. Per 100 g the cow's milk carries 3.27 g and the almond drink 0.66 g, which is roughly a fifth.
Calcium in plant drinks is added during manufacture rather than grown into the nuts, so the number varies from carton to carton and some are not fortified at all. This is one of the few places where reading the label genuinely changes the answer.
Absorption is worth a line too. About 27 per cent of the calcium in milk is absorbed, against about 5 per cent of the calcium in spinach, because oxalic and phytic acid bind it. That is the reason a milligram of calcium is not always a milligram of calcium, and the reason we would not build a day's calcium on greens alone.
Both of these are food rather than supplements, which matters more than the comparison itself. Across 35 prospective cohorts, calcium from food tracked with slightly lower mortality while calcium from supplements tracked with nothing, and the cardiovascular question that hangs over calcium comes entirely from trials of tablets. Whichever carton you pick, you are on the side of the argument that nobody is worried about.
Written from the evidence cards and the data on this page, then checked back against the sources. Bioma Learn has no human medical reviewer at this time and we say so rather than invent one. Information, not medical advice. How we verify.
The comparison is per 100 g of edible portion, so the two foods sit on the same footing. Real portions differ, and so does how much of the nutrient your body actually absorbs from each food. The guide below has the absorption details.
Almond milk, unsweetened, plain, refrigerated → · Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat →
Full guide: Calcium: the supplement question that experts still disagree about
Data: USDA FoodData Central, FDC IDs 2257045 and 746782. Checked 2026-09-15.