How can I get the same rise in baked goods when I replace cow milk with almond milk?

Question

We're attempting to reduce dairy consumption in many of our staple foods. Almond milk has worked very nicely for some things, but in baked goods I'm often failing. If a recipe involves baking soda or baking powder, almond milk produces a less satisfying rise and there's a bitter aftertaste.

I can get the same rise and flavor with soy milk. However, if I'm cooking for somebody with a soy allergy, that's not an option. Why is almond milk failing to fulfill the same role as dairy milk, and how can I tweak a recipe to get the same results?

Answer 1

There's a similar cooking.SE question: Adjusting baking powder to work with almond milk

if a recipe involves baking soda or baking powder, almond milk produces a less satisfying rise and there's a bitter aftertaste. [...] Soy milk does provide the same "lift" and eliminates the bitterness the same way that dairy milk would. [...] Is it possible to adjust our baking powder recipes to use almond milk?

The only answer there:

Baking soda reacts with acid to create CO2 and lift. Baking powder already has the necessary acid included. Cow's milk is slightly acidic. Almond milk is slightly alkaline. It may be that there is just a little bit less of the necessary acid to make your leavening react. Experiment adding a little acid.

Another reason for the better rising properties of soy milk could be its high amount of lecithin. Beyond that, soy milk is closer to cow milk in terms of nutrient composition - especially the missing protein in almond milk could result in a different baking behavior.

Answer 2

Some recipes will rely on milk curdling/thickening at a step where acid is added, essentially creating buttermilk ad-hoc. These will work well with soymilk since it is, if anything, more susceptible to that curdling effect than even some dairy products - some other plant based milks will not coagulate, or not in the same manner.