Almond Milk Water Use: 371 Liters vs 628 for Dairy

Almond milk water use: 371 liters per liter, against 628 for dairy

Making one liter of almond milk takes about 371 liters of water, and one liter of cow’s milk takes about 628 liters, so almond milk uses roughly 41% less water per liter (Poore and Nemecek, Science 2018, as charted by Our World in Data). Almonds are still the thirstiest of the common plant milks: soy milk needs about 28 liters per liter and oat milk about 48. Both statements are true, and that is why almond headlines point in opposite directions.

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Water use per liter of milk

Liters of water per liter of milk, global average

This page gives the milk numbers, then the almond numbers behind them (per nut, per pound and for all of California), and ends with a calculator for your own weekly carton. Every figure carries its source and date. One correction to older versions of this page: the 371 and 628 liter figures come from the Poore and Nemecek meta-analysis, not from the World Resources Institute.

What the 371 and 628 figures measure

Poore and Nemecek pooled data from more than 38,000 commercial farms in 119 countries and followed each product from the field to the shop shelf, including processing, transport and packaging (Hannah Ritchie, Our World in Data, 2022). The water figure is the water used along that whole chain, mostly irrigation for the crop. It is a global average, so it is not the water in your glass and it is not specific to California almonds or to one dairy.

That is also the answer to the common search “our world in data almond milk water use”. Our World in Data does not run its own almond experiments. It charts the Poore and Nemecek data, which is dated to 2013 in the chart file, and it labels the series simply “water use” per liter of milk.

Source: Poore and Nemecek (2018), via Our World in Data. Values rounded to the nearest liter for water, in the same units as the chart.

Almond milk compared with oat, soy and rice milk

Water is the clearest weakness of almond milk next to other plant milks. On land use and greenhouse gases it is far below dairy, and on land it is below oat and soy. Our World in Data summarizes it the same way: almond milk needs more water than soy, and more eutrophication (nutrient pollution of waterways), but less land and fewer emissions than soy.

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Land use against water use, per liter of milk

Each dot is one milk type

The scatter below puts land and water on one picture. Dairy sits alone at the top right. Almond milk is the only plant milk that rises far up the water axis while staying near the left edge for land.

Nutrition differs too. Our World in Data notes about 3.4 grams of protein per 100 ml in cow’s milk against about 0.5 grams in almond milk, with similar calcium (about 120 mg per 100 ml) in both. A water comparison per liter is not a comparison per gram of protein, so treat it as one input, not the verdict.

Water per almond and per pound of almonds

The figure most people quote, 1.6 to 1.7 gallons per almond and 520 to 560 gallons per pound of shelled kernels, comes from a Pacific Institute analysis that used 2010 to 2014 data. It worked from 44 to 48 inches of water applied per acre each year (UC Davis and the state Department of Water Resources), a yield of 2,325 pounds per acre, and a kernel weight of about 1.4 grams (Pacific Institute, 2015). The institute noted that the often-reported 1 gallon per nut was of a similar size.

Those inputs have moved, so the answer moves with them. The Almond Board of California says growers report irrigating with 36 inches per acre per year on average, against an estimated crop need of 47 inches (Almond Board factsheet, April 2018). USDA’s forecast yield for the 2026 crop is 1,940 pounds per acre, lower than the 2010 to 2014 average (Almond Board summary of the USDA NASS forecast, 12 May 2026).

The arithmetic is simple. One acre-inch is 27,154 gallons (an acre-foot of 325,851 gallons divided by 12). Water per pound is inches applied times 27,154, divided by pounds per acre. These are our calculations from the cited inputs, not published results:

At the 2026 yield and 46 inches, one pound needs about 644 gallons, which is about 2 gallons per kernel at 1.4 grams each. At the lower 36 inches growers report, it is about 504 gallons. So “540 gallons per pound” is a fair rule of thumb, but it hides a range of about 500 to 650 depending on the year, the region and the yield.

Why a “footprint” and “applied water” differ

A water footprint adds up three parts: green water (rain), blue water (irrigation and other managed sources) and grey water (the water needed to dilute pollution). Applied water counts only what the grower puts on the field (Almond Board footprint factsheet). The Almond Board says a 2018 study of California conditions found a lower footprint for California almonds than the earlier global average, but also that footprints are theoretical. It puts the often-repeated “1 gallon per almond” next to 3.5 gallons for a head of lettuce and 5 for a walnut by the same footprint method (Almond Board, Water Wise). Those comparisons are the industry’s, so read them as one side of the debate.

Where almonds grow: the almond capital of the world

California is the world’s leading almond supplier, with the orchards concentrated in the Central Valley (Almond Board of California, May 2026). Its Mediterranean climate has cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers, so the trees depend on irrigation through the growing season.

The 2026 numbers show a turning point. USDA NASS forecast the 2026 crop at 2.7 billion pounds, down 1% on 2025, with a yield of 1,940 pounds per acre. Land IQ counted 1,385,870 bearing acres (trees old enough to crop), 15,227 fewer than the year before (Almond Board of California, 12 May 2026). Trade press describes it as the first fall in bearing acreage in about 30 years, after area more than tripled from 418,000 acres in 1995 to about 1.4 million acres in 2025 (FreshFruitPortal, 4 September 2026).

One change affects anyone who tracks this crop: the Almond Board stopped funding USDA’s Objective Measurement report in December 2025, so the May subjective forecast, a survey of about 500 growers, is now the only NASS report for the coming crop year. Older posts that point you to the “latest NASS release” may lead nowhere.

California’s total almond water bill

The California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), an advocacy group, estimates that almonds use 4.7 to 5.5 million acre-feet of water a year. That is 14.4% to 16.75% of the roughly 34 million acre-feet of “developed” water California agriculture uses in an average year (C-WIN, September 2024). Developed water is surface water that is stored, moved and used by people, so the percentage is a share of that pool, not of every drop used on farms. As C-WIN states them, 14.4% to 16.75% do not quite match its own inputs: 4.7 to 5.5 million acre-feet over 34 million works out to about 14% to 16%.

C-WIN reaches its range by multiplying 1,563,000 acres of almonds by 3 to 3.5 acre-feet per acre. Its acreage is total plantings, including young trees, and is higher than Land IQ’s count of bearing acres. Using Land IQ’s 1,385,870 bearing acres and the same 3 to 3.5 acre-feet gives about 4.2 to 4.9 million acre-feet (our arithmetic). In gallons, 4.7 to 5.5 million acre-feet is about 1.5 to 1.8 trillion gallons. The 3 acre-feet end of the range is the same as the 36 inches that growers report to the Almond Board.

So the California total is an estimate within a range of about 4 to 5.5 million acre-feet, depending on acreage and on who does the counting. Treat any single figure as the midpoint of an argument rather than a measurement.

How much water has almond farming saved

The Almond Board reports that over 80% of California almond farms use microirrigation (drip or micro-sprinklers), nearly twice the rate for California farms overall, and that water used to grow each almond fell 33% between the 1990s and the 2010s. In 2018 the industry set a goal of a further 20% cut by 2025 and says it had reached about three-quarters of that goal by 2022 (Almond Board, Water Wise). These are industry-reported figures, and the gap between actual use and estimated need is the part worth watching.

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Almond irrigation ranges, inches per acre a year

Two published ranges, not directly comparable

The chart compares two ranges. The Pacific Institute gives a crop requirement of 40 to 55 inches a year. The Almond Board gives 36 inches of reported irrigation against an estimated 47 inches of crop evapotranspiration (water lost from soil and leaves). Reported use below estimated need means the trees draw on rain, stored soil water or deficit irrigation, so the figures are not directly comparable.

The Almond Board also points to by-products: all California hulls go to dairy feed, which it estimates avoids growing alfalfa on 386,000 acres. That is an industry estimate, so check it against independent work before you use it in a comparison.

How to check these figures yourself

1. For acreage and crop size, open the latest USDA NASS California almond forecast, or the Land IQ acreage estimate the Almond Board cites.
2. For the state water share, read C-WIN’s almond page and note which denominator it uses (developed water, not all farm water).
3. For the milk numbers, open the Our World in Data chart and its link to the Poore and Nemecek paper, and see whether the data year has changed.

If a figure you meet elsewhere does not trace back to one of these, treat it as suspect, especially when it says it comes from a source that does not publish it.

Calculator: your almond milk water footprint

Enter how many liters of almond milk you drink in a week and the calculator multiplies by the per-liter footprint. It shows what the same volume of dairy milk would carry on the same basis. It uses the Poore and Nemecek averages as editable defaults and leaves out your local water supply.

What cuts almond water use

The spread in the figures above is mostly irrigation method and management. Four levers matter, roughly in this order.

• Irrigation method. Microirrigation puts water at the root zone rather than flooding the whole field. Over 80% of California almond farms use it (Almond Board).
• Scheduling. Soil moisture meters and tree-stress readings let growers water when the tree needs it. The Almond Board names these tools in its 2025 water goal.
• Soil health. More organic matter and cover crops help soil hold water, so the orchard needs it less often.
• Water source and recharge. Research cited by the Almond Board finds about 930,000 acres of almond orchards have soils suited to groundwater recharge, which means spreading winter flood water on dormant orchards. It is not an option in dry years or at every site.

Groundwater is the unresolved part. The western San Joaquin Valley relies on imported project water and has salty soils, and C-WIN argues that almonds on such land are the wrong crop. The industry argues that the crop feeds, stores carbon and creates jobs. Both positions rest on the same acre-feet, so the numbers above are where to start.

How mining water use compares

This site covers mineral exploration, and readers often ask how a mine’s water use compares with farming. The best public data comes from Chile, where the copper commission Cochilco reports water for 49 operations that made 97.9% of national copper output in 2024. Those mines consumed 18.13 cubic meters per second, up 2.7% on 2023, while copper output rose 4.8%. Water used in the processes reached 78.49 cubic meters per second, and 71% of that was recirculated rather than drawn fresh (Cochilco, report on copper-mining water, November 2025; Portal Minero summary).

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Water consumed by Chile’s copper mines

Cubic meters per second, operational consumption

Converted to the units used above, 18.13 cubic meters per second for a full year is about 572 million cubic meters, or roughly 464,000 acre-feet (our arithmetic). That is about a tenth of C-WIN’s almond estimate. It is not a like-for-like comparison, because one is mining consumption in one country and the other is irrigation water in one state. The point is scale: water is a real constraint for a mine in a dry region, and it is a smaller volume than a major irrigated crop.

Per tonne, Cochilco gives a unit consumption of 0.612 cubic meters of water per tonne of ore processed in concentrator plants in 2024, slightly above 2023, because falling ore grades mean more rock must be processed for the same copper. Seawater supplied 9.9% of the total, up from 3.7% a decade earlier, and the continental (fresh) share fell from 27.9% in 2014 to 19.1%. For where copper is mined, see where copper is found, and for the companies, the main copper producers.

The same recirculation logic applies on a farm. A closed loop that reuses process water behaves like drip irrigation: less fresh water in, same output. For a wider look at how software is applied to the problem, see AI use cases in mining water-use optimization.

▶ The seven environmental impacts of mining, explained in clay. · 2:31

Where satellite screening fits before any drilling

Exploration also uses water, though far less than processing: drilling fluid, dust control on access roads, and water for camps. It also disturbs soil and local drainage. The cheapest water to save is the water for fieldwork on ground that turns out to have nothing. Satellite imagery cannot measure ore, but it can map rock type, alteration and structure across a licence area, so that ground work goes to the best targets first. Farmonaut’s satellite-based mineral detection works this way, and it gives exploration targets, not a resource estimate.

If you hold a licence and want a screening of your own area, you can send a request through the mining query form or contact the team. The quote is the first step; the analysis itself is a paid service.

▶ Remote sensing for mining explained in three minutes. · 2:01

Comparison table: water use across milk, almonds and mining

Frequently asked questions

How much water does almond milk use compared with dairy milk?

About 371 liters of water per liter of almond milk against about 628 liters per liter of dairy milk, a difference of roughly 41%, according to Poore and Nemecek (2018) as shown by Our World in Data. The same source puts oat milk near 48 liters and soy milk near 28.

How much water does it take to grow one almond?

The Pacific Institute estimated 1.6 to 1.7 gallons of applied water per almond from 2010 to 2014 data, noting that 1 gallon is also widely quoted. The result depends on yield and kernel size, so recent lower yields push it up and lower irrigation pushes it down.

How many gallons of water does a pound of almonds need?

The Pacific Institute range is 520 to 560 gallons per pound of shelled almonds. Our recalculation with 2026 yield and the same water per acre gives about 640 gallons, and with grower-reported irrigation of 36 inches about 500.

Is almond milk bad for the environment?

Per liter, almond milk has about a fifth of dairy’s greenhouse gas emissions (0.70 against 3.15 kg CO2-eq) and a fraction of its land use (0.50 against 8.95 square meters), but it needs more water than oat or soy milk. Whether it is bad depends on which impact you weigh and what you compare it with.

Is the 628 liters per liter for dairy a global figure?

Yes. It is a global average across farms in many countries, and it includes water used to grow feed. A particular dairy region or farm can be much higher or lower.

How much of California’s water do almonds use?

C-WIN estimates 4.7 to 5.5 million acre-feet a year, which it puts at 14.4% to 16.75% of the 34 million acre-feet of developed water used by California agriculture. Different acreage assumptions give lower totals, about 4.2 to 4.9 million acre-feet on bearing acreage alone.

Which state or country grows the most almonds?

California is the world’s leading supplier, and the 2026 crop is forecast by USDA NASS at 2.7 billion pounds on a yield of 1,940 pounds per acre.

Are California almond orchards shrinking?

Land IQ counted 1,385,870 bearing acres in 2026, down 15,227 acres, which trade press calls the first decline in about 30 years after area more than tripled since 1995.

Has almond farming become more water efficient?

The Almond Board reports a 33% fall in water used per almond between the 1990s and 2010s, microirrigation on over 80% of farms, and about three-quarters of a 20% reduction goal achieved by 2022. These are industry-reported figures.

What is the difference between a water footprint and water use?

A footprint adds green (rain), blue (irrigation) and grey (pollution dilution) water. Applied water is what the grower puts on the field. A footprint is a model, not a meter reading.

How does mining water use compare with farming?

Chile’s copper mines consumed 18.13 cubic meters per second in 2024 (Cochilco), about 464,000 acre-feet a year by our conversion, around a tenth of the C-WIN almond estimate. The data are from different places and are not like-for-like.

How to keep these numbers current

Each figure has a refresh path. Check the Almond Board and USDA NASS each May for the crop forecast, C-WIN for the state water share, the Our World in Data chart for any revision to the milk data, and Cochilco each November for copper-mine water. Re-run the calculator when a source changes its number. The two levers that drive almond water use stay the same: nearly all production sits in one semi-arid region, and the irrigation method decides how much water each pound takes.