Move over, almond milk – there’s a new dairy-free milk alternative on the block. Oat milk’s popularity has skyrocketed and has quickly overtaken other non-dairy options at grocery stores and coffee shops. Oat milk is sweet, tasty and versatile. If you haven’t tried it yet, there are many ways to use it in recipes and you can even make it yourself.
Why Is Oat Milk Popular?
Global oat milk sales reached $360 million in 2019. By 2026–27, forecasters predict the oat milk market may reach anywhere from $995 million to $2.2 billion. That’s a lot of oats!
Oat milk is in demand for a number of reasons.
It Has a Neutral Flavour
Oat milk has a sweet, slightly nutty flavour that melds well in recipes, especially for coffee and elixirs. It definitely tastes like oats, which many find comforting and familiar.
It Has a ‘Frothable’ Texture
Its starchy, sturdy texture makes oat milk easier to whip up and froth for foam or latte art (again, it’s very much associated with coffee lovers).
Oat milk is free of many common allergens: it’s soy-free, nut-free, seed-free and dairy-free, making it a good school-safe option or work-friendly choice.
Get your FREE Elixir Guide plus 35 more free resources!
Fill out the form below for instant access.
Free Resource Library
Enjoy more than 40 downloadable guides, recipes, and resources.
Homemade Oat Milk Recipe
We have an entire post dedicated to making nut/seed milk, so why create a new post with an oat milk recipe? Here’s the reason: the process for making milk with oats is a little different than traditional nut and seed milks. Homemade oat milk can turn sticky, gloopy and slimy, but we have a few key tips and tricks to prevent that from happening.
Don’t Soak Your Oats in Advance
With almost all other dairy-free milks (nuts, seeds, coconut, or rice), we recommend soaking the ingredients in water first. This helps soften them up for blending, especially with larger and hardier nuts. Do not soak your oats first.
If you’ve ever cooked a pot of oatmeal, you know how thick and sticky it can get (again, this is due to the beta-glucan content). Warm or hot water will make your oat milk gluey.
Don’t Overblend Your Oat Milk
When making homemade oat milk, you want to use just enough power to break them down (especially if you’re using a high-speed blender). We blitz ours for about 30 seconds using a high-speed blender. Excessive blending will create heat, which in turn activates that soluble fibre component and you’ll end up with slimy oat milk.
When straining your milk, let gravity do the work. Pressing your blended oats through a strainer, or wringing it out with a nut milk bag, will force more of that gooey soluble fibre into the final product. We like to use a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, and let the milk separate naturally from the solids (we will often leave the bowl for 10–15 minutes while it strains). If needed, you can gently press the pulp with a back of a spoon – but don’t overdo it.
Best Types of Oats to Use
We like to use gluten-free rolled oats for oat milk. Opt for oat with a thinner texture: rolled/old fashioned oats or quick oats. Beefier oat types, like steel-cut oats or whole oat groats, don’t break down easily when dry and that can mean longer blending times (and slimier oat milk).
Blend for about 30 seconds, until the oats are broken down. Don’t overblend.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the milk through the strainer. Wait 10 minutes for the liquid to strain through. The leftover pulp will be very sticky.
Add in a pinch of salt.
Seal in a container in the fridge and use within 3-4 days. Shake before using, as the milk will separate.
Oat milk is an all-purpose dairy-free alternative you can incorporate into multiple recipes, and it can be swapped in 1:1 for other nut or seed milks. You are also welcome to try mixing and matching with half oat milk and half of another milk alternative.
Smoothies
Toss your milk into your blender to use as the base liquid in your favourite smoothie recipe (or use it in a smoothie bowl).
Pour your milk into ice cube trays, then pop them into a large bag, jar or container. Use the cubes for smoothies, or defrost a few when you’re making an elixir or a recipe that calls for only a small amount.
Milk for Cereal and Granola
You won’t regret pouring oat milk over your bowl.
Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce
Oat milk offers a thick, creamy texture to dairy-free, cheese sauces. Hello, vegan mac and cheese!
Oat milk contains a good quantity of fatty acids, protein, minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber, and a variety of micronutrients and provides several health benefits, as it reduces blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, and prevents cancer (Jeske et al., 2018). Therefore, oats are a promising alternative to traditional milk.
The oat milk you make at home will be good for 2 to 4 days in the fridge. Store-bought oat milk has stabilizers that give it a longer shelf life. Like dairy milk, oat milk should be stored in the coldest part of the fridge, not on the door. Be sure it's covered, and shake before using.
“Bloating is likely to happen because of both the fibre and sugary carbohydrates in the oat milk,” she warns. “If someone has an imbalance with the bacteria in their gut, the 'harmful' bacteria can enjoy feasting on the soluble fibre and oligosaccharides that the oat milk provides.
The health benefits that have been linked to oat milk are widespread. They range from giving you a healthy skin glow and stronger hair and nails, to boosting Vitamin B, calcium and dietary fibre levels. It can also fill you up for longer too.
To summarise, if you're consuming a large quantity of oat milk without any fibre, fat or protein to combat it, then it will likely raise blood sugar. “People are too obsessed with spiking blood sugar levels,” says Shah. “Food is meant to spike blood sugar levels,” she continues.
While oat milk isn't much pricier than other plant milks or even organic cow's milk, it's even cheaper if you make it yourself. Just one cup of oats, which costs pennies at the supermarket, is enough to make two cups of milk.
If you've never had overnight oatmeal, they're basically a no-cook method of making oatmeal. So, instead of cooking oatmeal on the stovetop or in the microwave, you soak the raw oats with milk. That soaking process allows the oats to absorb the liquid and soften them enough to eat uncooked.
That said, because the abundance of nutrients in plant milk supplies microorganisms with a feast fit for a king, once oat milk has been opened and bacteria are reintroduced, spoilage still tends to occur within a week or so.
Store your homemade oat milk in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before each use, give it a good shake to ensure the oats are evenly distributed. If you notice that your oat milk has become too thin, don't worry—simply blend it again to restore that creamy texture.
To fortify homemade oat milk, you can blend supplements or vitamin powder (like vitamin D, B2, B12) into the milk. Alternatively, you can purchase the vitamin/s as drops (which will impact the flavor less but cost more).
Homemade oat milk has a wonderful fresh oat flavor. But the biggest difference between the homemade stuff and Oatly Original Oat Milk—our favorite brand for drinking straight—is in the texture. The homemade version is thick, extra-rich, and creamy, while Oatly's original blend is more milky and clean.
Low-fat, skim or 1% cow's milk are healthier options compared to 2% or whole milk. They contain less fat. “If you can't have cow's milk, soy milk and rice milk are often the healthiest milk for gut health – especially for people with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation,” Park said.
Beta-glucan fiber in oat milk provides prebiotics too, which fuel your body's probiotics and help these friendly cultures of bacteria survive and thrive in the long run. Over time, consuming foods like oat milk that beta-glucan has also been connected to enhanced gut health and immunity.
It combats free radicals, enhances hydration, reduces inflammation, soothes and supports. It contains beta-glucan, forming a protective layer on the skin to lock in moisture and prevent water loss, ensuring that your skin remains well-hydrated throughout the day.
Low in carbs and calories: Almond milk has fewer calories and carbs compared to oat milk. This makes it especially useful for those looking to shed weight or control sugar intake. Contains healthy fats: The almonds in the milk supply healthy fats. These fats are kind to your heart and help keep your blood sugar steady.
Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
