Does Silk Almond Milk Have Carrageenan? Silk vs Almond Breeze

Neither Silk Unsweet Almondmilk nor Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original lists carrageenan in its ingredient text on the brand pages, and both list gellan gum. The largest label differences are in the oil and vitamin lines: Silk lists sunflower oil and vitamin B12, while Almond Breeze lists sunflower lecithin and potassium citrate. This page sets those facts side by side so you can weigh them against your own label priorities.

Key takeaways

• Neither refrigerated carton lists carrageenan among its ingredients, and both list gellan gum.
• Silk lists sunflower oil; Almond Breeze lists sunflower lecithin.
• Per 1 cup (240 mL): sodium 140 mg (Silk) vs 170 mg (Almond Breeze); calcium 470 mg vs 460 mg.
• Shelf-stable and older labels differ from the refrigerated versions, so check the carton in hand.

Silk Unsweet vs Almond Breeze at a Glance: Ingredients and Nutrition Table

Both products are unsweetened almondmilks listing 0 g total sugars and 1 g total carbohydrate per cup on their brand pages. Silk's ingredient statement reads almondmilk (water, almonds), followed by a vitamin and mineral blend, sea salt, gellan gum, sunflower oil, ascorbic acid and natural flavor. Almond Breeze lists almondmilk (water, almonds), followed by calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, gellan gum, natural flavors, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2 and d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E). Both statements place the non-almond ingredients in the 2% or less group, and neither brand page discloses the almond percentage.

Per 1 cup (240 mL), about 8 servings	Silk Unsweet	Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original (refrigerated)
Calories	30	25
Total fat	3 g	2 g
Sodium	140 mg (6% DV)	170 mg (7% DV)
Total carbohydrate	1 g	1 g
Total sugars (added)	0 g (0 g)	0 g (0 g)
Protein	1 g	1 g
Fiber	0 g	Less than 1 g
Calcium	470 mg (35% DV)	460 mg (35% DV)
Vitamin D	4 mcg (20% DV)	5 mcg (25% DV)
Vitamin E	4 mg (25% DV)	7.5 mg (50% DV)
Vitamin A	150 mcg (15% DV)	150 mcg (15% DV)
Vitamin B12	1.1 mcg (45% DV)	Not listed on brand page
Potassium	0 mg	160 mg (4% DV)
Magnesium	10 mg	15 mg
Carrageenan in ingredient list	Not listed; page states carrageenan-free	Not in listed ingredients
Gellan gum	Listed	Listed
Sunflower oil / sunflower lecithin	Sunflower oil listed	Sunflower lecithin listed

Is There Carrageenan in Silk Unsweet or Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original?

Neither product's listed ingredients include carrageenan. Silk's page states that Silk Unsweet is free from carrageenan, along with dairy, gluten, cholesterol, and artificial colors and flavors. The Almond Breeze brand page does not show a carrageenan-free statement, and its ingredient list does not name carrageenan.

Under 21 CFR 172.620, carrageenan is a refined hydrocolloid extracted from red seaweed, used as an emulsifier, stabilizer or thickener, and it must be labeled by name. That rule is why carrageenan is easy to spot: if it were an ingredient, it would appear in the ingredient statement under its name. Label wording can change over time, so the carton in hand is the final reference. For more on the additive itself, see Is Carrageenan Safe? Uses, Safety, and Regulatory Status.

Gellan Gum: What It Is, How It Is Made, and Why Both Labels List It

Both products list gellan gum. Under 21 CFR 172.665, gellan gum is a polysaccharide gum produced by fermentation of Pseudomonas elodea. Silk lists it among its 2% or less ingredients, and Almond Breeze lists it in the same group.

The labels do not state the function of gellan gum in these drinks, and the amount used is not disclosed.

Sunflower Oil and Sunflower Lecithin: Where the Two Ingredient Lists Diverge

Silk Unsweet's ingredient statement lists sunflower oil, which is pressed from sunflower seeds. Almond Breeze does not list sunflower oil; it lists sunflower lecithin instead. Both appear in the 2% or less group, and neither label discloses the amount.

Sunflower oil and sunflower lecithin are different ingredients with different labeled functions, so a label reader should not treat them as interchangeable. The regulatory status of sunflower oil was not assessed for this article, so no safety statement is made about it or about sunflower lecithin. For how seed oils show up on labels in general, see Seed Oils on a Label: What It Tells You, What It Doesn't.

Sodium: 140 mg vs 170 mg Per Cup and What the Potassium Citrate Line Adds

Silk Unsweet lists 140 mg of sodium per 1 cup (6% DV), while Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original lists 170 mg (7% DV). Both list sea salt in the 2% or less group.

Almond Breeze also lists potassium citrate, and its nutrition panel shows 160 mg potassium (4% DV) per cup. Silk lists 0 mg potassium. The amount of potassium citrate is not disclosed on either label. Sodium can also appear in ingredients other than salt, as covered in Sodium Beyond Salt: 6 Scanned Labels With Sodium Additives.

People who track sodium or potassium for medical reasons may need individualized guidance from a clinician rather than a per-cup label comparison.

Calcium and Vitamins: Silk's B12 Versus Almond Breeze's Higher Vitamin E and Potassium

Silk Unsweet lists 470 mg of calcium per cup, and Almond Breeze lists 460 mg. Both show 35% DV, so the calcium difference is 10 mg on the brand pages.

The vitamin lines differ more. Silk lists 4 mcg vitamin D (20% DV), 4 mg vitamin E (25% DV) and 1.1 mcg vitamin B12 (45% DV). Almond Breeze lists 5 mcg vitamin D (25% DV), 7.5 mg vitamin E (50% DV) and 150 mcg vitamin A (15% DV), the same vitamin A figure as Silk. Almond Breeze's brand page does not list vitamin B12. Both vitamin D lines name vitamin D2 as the source.

These figures are label values per cup. They do not show how much any person absorbs or needs, and the sources here do not evaluate vitamin status in individuals.

Why Refrigerated and Shelf-Stable Almond Breeze Labels Can Differ

The shelf-stable Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original (aseptic) listed on Open Food Facts shows 30 calories, 2.5 g fat, 170 mg sodium and 450 mg calcium per cup. The refrigerated carton discussed above lists 25 calories, 2 g fat, 170 mg sodium and 460 mg calcium. Calorie, fat and calcium figures differ, so the two formats should be compared separately.

An older Silk Unsweetened label on Open Food Facts lists filtered water, almonds, sea salt, natural flavor, locust bean gum, sunflower lecithin, gellan gum and additional items. Silk's current ingredient statement does not list locust bean gum, and the date of the recipe change was not disclosed. Readers comparing older photos or listings should confirm the ingredients on the carton they hold. For an oat-based pair, see Oatly vs Silk Oat Milk: Why Both List 7 g Added Sugar.

How to Read the Ingredient Panel on Any Almondmilk Carton

• Find the Contains 2% or less of line and compare what follows it on each carton.
• Look for carrageenan by name, since it must be labeled under 21 CFR 172.620.
• Compare oil versus lecithin entries, such as sunflower oil or sunflower lecithin.
• Compare sodium and potassium per cup on the Nutrition Facts panel, not just the front label.
• Check calcium and vitamin percentages against the Daily Value on the same panel.
• Confirm whether the carton is refrigerated or shelf-stable, since the formulas can differ.

Tree nuts are one of the nine major food allergens in the U.S., and both products contain almond. Silk's label states CONTAINS ALMOND. The allergen statement wording for Almond Breeze was not disclosed on the brand page.

The FDA's draft guidance on plant-based milk alternatives (docket FDA-2023-D-0451) recommends voluntary nutrient statements, such as Contains lower amounts of [nutrient name(s)] than milk. The guidance notes that the Dietary Guidelines do not include almond milks in the dairy group because their overall nutritional content is not similar to dairy milk. The FDA also advises checking the nutrition label because nutrient content varies among plant-based milk alternatives.

This comparison cannot establish almond percentage, individual responses, or how either product fits a particular diet. Those questions remain open for many readers.

Aurascan is a food-label scanner app for iPhone with a free tier. It explains each ingredient one at a time with cited evidence instead of a single score, and it pulls product data from Open Food Facts, USDA and barcode databases. Scan the carton you have in hand and review its ingredient list yourself: Scan your next label with Aurascan.