High-protein beverages are in high demand by both active and general consumers, with major overlaps around holistic health, weight management and active lifestyle support.
Dairy brands have embraced the opportunity by launching high-protein propositions in potted and drinkable formats, with yogurt and other cultured dairy offerings dominating the market in North America.
The trend isn’t limited to the refrigerated aisles either, with the ambient high-protein shakes market experiencing double-digit growth in the past year.
While protein-enhanced cultured dairy has struck a chord with consumers, high-protein milk products have been less successful, likely due to milk’s less favorable image among younger shoppers, a key cohort in the high-protein food and beverage market.
But as demand for high-protein products remain on the increase, there are compelling opportunities for innovation in milk going forward.
Elevating milk
While milk consumption has been waning for decades in North America, demand for protein could help elevate the category, particularly if brands tap into on-trend flavors to diversify from plain milk.
According to Mintel data (GNPD, April 2021-March 2025), flavored milk launches that majored on high-protein claims contained more protein on average per 100ml of product than fast-selling categories such as drinking yogurt and kefir.
According to Mintel principal analyst Alice Pilkington, protein call-outs and sports nutrition messaging can position milk as helping active, young consumers meet their fitness goals – but formats will be equally important to access this demographic.
Brands from Coca-Cola’s farilife to Dairy Farmers of America’s TruMoo have been re-framing flavored milk into functional protein propositions, leveraging claims such as lactose-free, zero added sugar or added vitamins.
Pilkington predicts that as a whole, dairy milk will more actively explore protein-rich propositions to meet the needs of different demographics – but careful not to turn some consumers away through over-the-top marketing.
According to Mintel’s The future of dairy and non-dairy drinks 2025 report, older consumers are likely to be put off by high-protein callouts as this demographic doesn’t prioritize protein when shopping.
What of dairy alternatives?
Plant-based milk alternatives – which have experience volume declines in recent years – also have a chance to shine through high-protein claims. According to Mintel’s report, just 11% of global plant-based drink launches sported a high-protein claim in the year to March 2025 – but claims such as ‘complete’ or ‘whole’ were rare.
While the US saw the highest number of such call-outs, the opportunity remains largely unexplored in other markets.
And like in dairy milk, on-trend flavors can be crucial to solving one of plant-based milk’s biggest issue – taste. As nut-based flavors such as pistachio, pecan and almond dominate the latest flavor trends, plant-based milk brands have a chance to regain some of the consumer confidence lost in recent years.
