**Soy milk and sugar water are two evidence-backed vegan options** for relieving chili-pepper burn.

- **Soy milk:** Take a mouthful and swish it over the burning areas. A controlled study found that soy milks reduced capsaicin burn more effectively than water, with some evidence that higher protein content helped. Casein therefore isn’t essential for relief. [Study on dairy and plant milks](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2023.105041)
- **Sugar water:** Dissolve **20 g of sugar in enough water to make 100 mL**, then rinse your mouth with it for about **15 seconds**. That concentration and rinse time reduced burning more than plain water in a human study; relief developed over the following minutes. [Sucrose rinse study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35912025/)
- **A sweet, noncarbonated fruit drink:** This is a convenient alternative. A beverage comparison found that a fruit-flavored drink containing roughly 10% sugar reduced burn more effectively than water or seltzer. [Beverage comparison](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6620146/)

One correction to the premise: **cold can help**, even though it doesn’t chemically neutralize capsaicin. Experiments found cold rinses more effective than room-temperature ones. These options alleviate the burning sensation rather than instantly eliminating it. [Temperature and rinse study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2385629/)