This creamy, naturally sweet non-dairy milk alternative is here to stay.
It started with soy milk. Then, almond milk made its debut. Now, oat milk has become a dairy-free milk alternative staple — it’s now on coffee menus and grocery shelves everywhere. But what is oat milk and how does it stack up nutritionally against its dairy-free cousins? Primarily made with filtered water and oats (usually rolled oats), oat milk offers the naturally added benefit of fiber, which a lot of its competition doesn’t. And we all know how important it is to get enough fiber — it helps with weight management, colon health, and generally makes you feel better.
To get the low down on all things oat milk, we asked Sammi Brondo, a New York City based registered dietician, to explain its benefits and how to best use the creamy milk substitute.
Below, find out why you might want to try oat milk in your next latte. Plus, shop a few of our favorite oat milk brands.
What is oat milk?
“Oat milk is basically oats in water and it has different ingredients added to it to help with the texture and to make it a little more shelf-stable. There is no dairy in it.”
What are the health benefits of drinking oat milk?
“Oat milk doesn’t contain protein or fat like some other milks do, but because it’s made from oats, it does have some fiber. You’ll usually get about two grams of fiber per cup of oat milk, which is something that other milks don’t offer.”
How does it oat milk compare to other milk alternatives, like soy or almond milk?
“Compared to soy milk, oat milk doesn’t have as much protein. Soy milk is probably the non-dairy milk that’s most similar to cow’s milk nutritionally. Compared to almond milk, it’s pretty similar. It has a good amount of calcium a good amount of vitamin D (those are both added to it). But unlike almond milk, it does have fiber, which is a nice benefit. Taste wise and texture wise, it’s a little bit creamier than almond milk and other non-dairy milks.”
Is oat milk here to stay?
“I definitely think it’ll be around for a while because it’s so different than other milks. The nice thing about oat milk is that it has a really creamy texture and a thick mouthfeel. It has the most naturally sweet taste, too. If you add it to coffee, it makes your coffee really creamy and sweet. If you add it to smoothies, it gives smoothies creaminess and sweetness.”
What else can you use oat milk for, besides coffee or smoothies?
“Really, any time that you would use milk. It’s great to use it when you’re making baked goods and you want to use a non-dairy milk — banana bread stands out to me. It would be also be great with a bowl of cereal as your milk, or if you’re making ice cream at home.”
And what about the dairy milk we grew up drinking?
Milk from cows was marketed for years as an essential part of our diets, but now experts say modern research has poked a few holes in what we thought we knew. Take a deeper dive into the truth about dairy in this video:
