Oat milk is a non-dairy milk alternative made from oats and water. *Stabilizers* like gums, emulsifiers, salt, oils, and sugar help keep a product tasting great. Oat milk that is sweetened, unsweetened, fortified, or flavored will have different nutrient levels. Typically, oat milk contains less protein than other milk varieties such as dairy milk and soy milk. It typically contains more carbohydrates than other plant-based milk varieties.
Oat milk contains more protein than other plant-based milks and has a similar calorie count to low-fat cow’s milk.” Nicole Bodin, a registered dietician, says that oat milk is a good alternative to cow’s milk for those who want a non-dairy milk that is creamy and tastes great. Oat milk has more protein than other plant-based milks and is similar to low-fat cow’s milk in terms of calories. Oat milk contains more calories than other non-dairy milks such as almond milk. This text contains information about the benefits of beta-glucan, a soluble fiber. Beta-glucan is associated with heart health, making it a nutrient that is beneficial to the body. Oat milk is most beneficial when it contains no added sugars and few additives.
Think about how you plan to use oat milk to decide which type is best for you. Some people prefer flavored coffee, while others prefer coffee with added oil. Different people have different preferences for how they like to drink their coffee. We considered the nutritional value, flavor, and price of a variety of options.
This dietitian highly recommends these oat milks on the market!
The 11 Best Oat Milks of 2022
Best Overall: Elmhurst 1925 Unsweetened Oat Milk
Pros
- Three ingredients
- No added gums of emulsifiers
Cons
- Expensive
Who else recommends it? Women’s Health also picked Elmhurst Unsweetened Oat Milk.
What do buyers say? The vast majority of Amazon reviewers rated this product highly.
This oat milk is the best on the list because it contains just three ingredients – filtered water, whole grain oats, and salt. Reviewers mention that the texture is rich and creamy, and the taste is good.
A single serving of Elmhurst unsweetened oat milk has 100 calories, 17 carbs, 3 fiber, 2 fat, 3 protein, and 1 sugar. This oat milk contains no added sugars, gums, emulsifiers, is gluten-free, non-GMO, and vegan.
Elmhurst Oat Milk will stay good on the shelf until you open it, so feel free to buy a few cartons to keep in your pantry. The brand also makes Chocolate Oat Milk and Sweetened Oat Milk, which have a higher sugar content than the unsweetened version.
Best Organic : MALK Oat MALK
Pros
- Three ingredients
- Organic
- No added gums or emulsifiers
Cons
- Expensive
Oat MALK is made with just three ingredients: filtered water, organic gluten-free oat flour, and Himalayan pink salt. MALK also offers vanilla and chocolate flavored oat milk.
One cup of Oat MALK contains 90 calories, 17 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 1.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of protein, and 6 grams of sugar. This oat milk does not contain any added sugars, gums, or emulsifiers, is gluten-free, non-GMO, and USDA Organic.
Best Budget: Silk Oat Yeah Plain Oatmilk
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Fortified with vitamins and minerals
Cons
- Contains emulsifiers and other additives
Alternatives to dairy milk, such as oat milk, tend to be significantly more expensive than regular milk. The oat milk by the non-dairy brand Silk is a great value because it comes in a 64-ounce size.
This oat milk contains 90 calories, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of added sugar, and 2 grams of protein per one-cup serving. One of the ingredients is sunflower oil, which contributes 4 grams to the total fat content.
Silk oat milk is rich in nutrients like calcium, riboflavin, and vitamins A, D, and B12. If you are interested in trying other flavors of Silk oat milk, they also have Extra Creamy, Zero Added Sugar, and Vanilla options.
Best Tasting: OATLY! Oat Drink Organic
Pros
- Creamy taste and texture
- Fortified with vitamins and minerals
Cons
- Contains added oil
One of the first brands to call attention to oat milk, Oatly makes oat milk that tastes really delicious. The original version of the milk is creamy and goes well with cereal, cookies, and baking.
One cup of Oatly Oat Milk contains 120 calories, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, with 1 gram being soluble fiber, and 3 grams of protein. It contains 5 grams of fat and a small amount of saturated fat (0.5 grams) from rapeseed oil, which gives it a creamier taste and texture. This product is also enriched with vitamins and minerals such as calcium and vitamin D.
Oatly also makes Chocolate Oat Milk, Barista Edition Oat Milk, low-fat oat milk, and oat milk ice cream and yogurt in addition to the original oat milk.
Best for Coffee: Chobani Oat Plain Extra Creamy
Pros
- Creamy taste and texture
- Fortified with vitamins and minerals
Cons
- Contains added oil and emulsifiers
While Chobani is best known for their Greek yogurt, their oat milk is also excellent. If you love products like half and cream and creamer, you will love Chobani’s Extra Creamy Plain Oat Milk.
A cup of this drink contains 140 calories, 13 grams of carbs, 7 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein. The extra creaminess in the product comes from the rapeseed oil, which in turn increases the total fat content to 8 grams and the saturated fat content to 1 gram. This oat milk is well-fortified with calcium and vitamins A and D, making it a great choice as a source of those nutrients.
This product is gluten-free, has no preservatives or artificial flavors, and is non-GMO. Chobani also offers Oat Milk Coffee Creamer for a creamier taste.
Best Chocolate: RISE Brewing Organic Oat Milk Chocolate
Pros
- USDA Organic and non-GMO
- No added gums or stabilizers
Cons
- Higher in added sugar
This chocolate oat milk from RISE Brewing Co. has a rich, not-too-sweet flavor, perfect for when you’re craving a chocolatey treat. This food is made with only a few ingredients, water, oats, cane sugar, sea salt, sunflower oil, and cocoa powder.
This dark chocolate oat milk has 160 calories, 7 grams of fat, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein and 13 grams of sugar in each cup. This product is gluten-free and USDA Organic and non-GMO.
This oat milk can be warmed and mixed with chocolate for a hot chocolate drink, or it can be drunk cold over ice as is. You can consume coffee by drinking it straight, adding it to your favorite caffeinated drink, or using it as a baking ingredient for chocolate treats like brownies.
Bonus List: Best Oat Milks in the UK
Alpro
Alpro is a subsidiary of Danone, a large European dairy company. Danone is known for its unethical practices, including animal cruelty and environmental damage. A quarter of the global fresh dairy products market is controlled by Danone. Dairy products make up €11bn of their total sales, while bottled water accounts for €4.7bn. It is contradictory to buy oat milk knowing that you are also supporting big dairy and bottled water.
Innocent
What about Innocent’s oat milk (£2 for 750ml)? The oat milk brand comes in a plastic bottle which is easier to recycle than other brands that come in tetra-paks. The downside to Innocent oat milk is that it doesn’t taste very good. The oatmeal is very thin and watery, which is not a good representation of what oatmeal should be. I couldn’t even finish the carton.
In terms of how ethical Innocent is, it is not a good picture. Innocent is owned by Coca-Cola . In 2009, Coca Cola bought a 20% share in Innocent. In 2013, Coca Cola took full ownership of Innocent.
Ethical Consumer Magazine’s research into Coca-Cola highlights several ethical issues. These issues include but are not limited to climate change, habitats & resources, palm oil, pollution and toxins, human rights, workers’ rights, irresponsible marketing, animal rights, controversial technologies, anti-social finance, and political activities.
Jord Oat Milk
Jord is owned by a company called Arla. Arla is a huge Danish-Swedish multi-national dairy company. The fifth-largest dairy company in the world, in fact. If you’re looking for an oat milk that is sourced from companies that don’t torture animals or damage the environment, then Jord is not the milk for you.
The article argues that Arla’s cow milk suppliers have been responsible for catastrophic deforestation in the Brazilian rainforest.
Lidl Oat Milk
Lidl’s Just Free Unsweetened Oat Milk is similar to Aldi’s oat milk. Lidl’s Just Free Unsweetened Oat Milk is cheaper than Aldi’s oat milk. This product only contains a few ingredients and does not have any added vitamins or minerals.
The milk is not very thick or creamy. I prefer it because it’s not sweet. It’s acceptable in tea. The coffee was not good because the milk was too watery.
This is a good option for tea drinkers who are looking for a more affordable option for milk. However, I would avoid this one if you are not a tea drinker.
Ethics-wise, Ethical Consumer Magazine research has highlighted several ethical issues with Lidl . The main issues that this organization focuses on are climate change, habitats & resources, pollution, human rights, workers’ rights, anti-social finance, animal rights, and factory farming.
Oatly
Oatly offers several different types of oat milk, including a variety that is specially designed for making frothy coffee. Ethics wise, it’s complicated. In 2020, Oatly sold a portion of the company to Blackstone, a private equity group. Even though Less Waste Laura connected Blackstone to a questionable Brazilian infrastructure investment that people have said helps with deforestation in the Amazon.
Blackstone has denied having all links to deforestation . Despite the accusation, Blackstone’s CEO Stephen Schwarzman has been a prominent Wall Street supporter of Donald Trump, donating $3m to support the president’s re-election. It certainly leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
Why Oat Milk?
You may be wondering why I am focusing on oat milk instead of other non-dairy alternatives.
Dairy alternative crops can be problematic. Almond and rice are water-thirsty crops . It requires more water to produce a glass of almond milk than any other dairy alternative. Coconut milk also has its problems. The increased demand for coconut milk has lead to deforestation and the exploitation of workers.
While oats are grown in cooler climates such as the northern US, Canada, and Europe, they tend to do better in warmer climates. This means that oats are not connected with the act of cutting down forests in poorer nations. It takes less water to produce a glass of milk using oats than it does using almonds or rice.
Are There Other Oat Milk Options?
One way to avoid buying store-bought oat milk is to make your own at home. Instead of buying oat milk from large producers, you can support local producers who make and sell their own oat milk.
The Butterfly Effect is one example that can be found in Insch, Aberdeenshire. The milk from this company comes in glass bottles which can be returned for a refill, making it a more circular option. I believe that this would be an excellent way to improve our local economies. I hope that this becomes something that is adopted by many people across the nation.
Is Any Oat Milk Ethical?
There are many issues. Large dairy companies, investors with questionable investments, and large grocery stores with questionable supply chains are all part of the problem. Its difficult to say which oat milk is the most ethical. Each brand has its own issues.
An increasing number of individuals are moving away from consuming dairy products due to worries about climate change and its impact. And yes, this undoubtedly helps the environment. Even if everyone recycled, drove an electric car and ate organic foods, we would still be way off track in terms of reducing our carbon emissions Even if we all did our part to be more green, it wouldn’t be enough to save us from climate change. If the purchase of green products funds the dairy industry, bottled water industry, or other non-green investments, then green consumerism cannot be the solution to climate change.
Oats and Activism
This is not to say that green consumerism is completely ineffective. In order to bring about systems change, we believe that green activism needs to be coupled with this.
” Elizabeth Cline explains this idea in more detail in this article for Atmos. She writes that we should not mistake ethical consumption (a private action) for political power or organized social change that would benefit everyone. When we shop based on our ethical values, we allow corporations to get away with unethical practices.
So drink oat milk. In addition to campaigning for better policies and regulations that align with your ethics, you can also take action to improve the situation.
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