By Delia Rangel, Photos By Theo Stewart II

SU residents were welcomed back with new additions to their dining halls. A plant milk dispenser was one of these additions, which includes three choices of non-dairy milk. Typical options like oat milk and soy milk are available, though the third is particularly interesting – chocolate pea milk. 

What is Pea Milk? 

Like many residents, you might have never heard of pea milk. It is exactly what it sounds like: milk made from peas. Pea milk is made using pea protein extracted from yellow split peas, not the green peas in our freezers. The peas are ground into flour to separate the protein from the starch and added to water with a natural sweetener. 

Benefits of Peamilk

Pea milk contains high amounts of protein and is great if you’re looking for a plant-based protein. It is also full of iron, potassium, and calcium, as well as vitamins A and D. 

Compared to oat milk and almond milk, pea milk contains significantly more protein (8g per cup, to be exact) and is comparable to whole milk. While the chocolate flavor might be undesirable for your morning cereal, try it in a coffee to get those added nutrients! 

What Residents are Saying

We interviewed residents of Sadler Hall to hear their thoughts and give us their overall ratings. 

“It doesn’t taste like peas,” says freshman Maya Rizzo. “It’s interesting, but I wouldn’t make the switch from dairy milk.” Freshmen Riley Worrall and Samantha Espiritu agree. “If I were lactose intolerant, it’d definitely be a good option” said Worrall. Espiritu adds, ”It’s a good source of protein for vegans, but I’m not vegan, so I’ll stick to the other options.” Freshman Lucy Lee-Moore was pleasantly surprised and said, “I didn’t expect to like it this much.” The four averaged a 6/10 rating. 

Even so, chocolate pea milk is definitely not for everyone. Freshman Erica Watts took issue with its texture: ”It’s too thick for my taste, like drinking melted ice cream.” Still, she gave it a solid 5/10. Freshman Dina Lacunga, however, rated the milk a 2/10, saying, “It’s absolutely disgusting.” 

The Verdict

While its name is questionable, chocolate pea milk is a great non-dairy option and is full of nutrients. We encourage you to do your own taste test and see for yourself, and who knows, chocolate pea milk might become your new go-to.