Lately, oat milk has been a rising star. It has a creamy and rich consistency which is perfect for your daily concoctions such as coffee and tea. However, there are pros that still argue whether oat milk is good for your health. Basically, oat milk is less nutritionally balanced compared to almond, hemp and coconut milk because of their protein variety, brain-boosting healthy fats, and minerals. On the other hand, oat milk does have their own unique benefits and is one of the more delicious plant-based options that you can use to replace cow’s milk.
What is oat milk?
Oat milk is a vegan alternative that you can use to cow’s milk. Basically, it’s made by blending a cup of soaked, old-fashioned rolled oats in a blender with three cups of water. Then, the liquid is poured through a cheesecloth to separate the milk. Other kinds of oat milk have cinnamon, dates, vanilla, or any other natural sweeteners to enhance its flavor.
Oat milk is also ideal for those with dietary restrictions and allergy because it’s naturally free of dairy, soy, lactose, nuts, and gluten. Oat milk is also now available pre-made in grocery stores and health food markets. Because of the growth of sales, manufacturers often add extra vitamins and minerals to enrich the product such as vitamin A, calcium riboflavin and vitamin D.
You have to take note that commercial varieties will differ in added ingredients. Also, keep in mind that homemade oat milk will also differ slightly in micronutrients compared to manufactured ones.
What are the health benefits of oat milk?
- Prevents Anemia – Anemia is a condition characterized by lack of red blood cells in the body which may cause symptoms like fatigue, pale skin, and dizziness. Those who are on a vegetarian or vegan diet are mostly at a higher risk of anemia because plant-based foods lack in these important micronutrients. A cup of oat milk contains an approximate amount of 10% of the iron you need in an entire day, making it a naturally good source of iron.
- Strengthens Bones – 99% of the calcium in your body is found in your bones. It is used to regulate bone development and maintenance. Commercial oat milk is often enriched with both calcium and vitamin D which are two of the most important micronutrients that play a huge role in bone health.
- Lowers Cholesterol Levels – Oats are well-known for their heart-healthy benefits. Not only that, but it’s also good in keeping your cholesterol levels in check.
- Boosts Immunity – Commercial oats are usually rich in vitamin D and vitamin A which is directly linked to the immune system enhancing benefits. There are also studies that show that vitamin D deficiency is associated with a higher risk of autoimmune conditions like type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
What are the cons of drinking oat milk?
Even though there are lots of potential health benefits, just like any other milk that’s available in the market, there are still dangers that need to be considered.
In choosing or buying your oat milk, you might want to choose the best commercial variety. If it’s pumped with additives, preservatives, and sugars, it can diminish its health-promoting properties. Manufactured oat milk often contain emulsifiers that can impact digestive health. You also have to take note that even if oats are naturally gluten-free, the oat milk itself is processed in facilities that also process gluten-containing grains like wheat or barley and may cause cross-contamination.
Personally, I love switching up my vegan milk options depending on what I feel like drinking that day. I also find that these milk alternatives taste better with certain types of drinks but not all! Bottom line, it’s your choice to figure out what works best for you. All you have to do is consider the pros and cons (or taste!).
I actually love oat milk. I like it better than soya because it just tastes so much better. It’s sweeter and a lot like real milk IMO.
Great idea, if oat milk isn’t balanced in nutrients, you can always switch your choices every day.? I think oat milk would taste in sweet drinks like smoothies and coffee.
It does taste nice with smoothies. It’s my new found favorite!
Oat milk does taste good. I think it’s slightly similar to soya but creamier.
I would prefer making my own oat milk, but there won’t be any additional nutrients. I guess if I really need additional nutrients, I have to result to buying manufactured ones.
Yeah, I know what you mean. I was actually excited about making my own oat milk but when I saw that the nutrients aren’t as good, I had to think twice.
Guys, there’s no harm in trying oat milk. Just make sure that you buy from reputable brands that really take into consideration the health benefits of their products.
I’m not vegan so I’m pretty sure that I don’t have any deficiencies. I just think oat milk is delicious compared to other milks.? I also don’t mind that it has barely any natural nutrients.
Interesting. I love oatmeal but haven’t tried the milk version. I bet it tastes the same though since it’s basically just oats soaked in water!
I agree with the lowering of cholesterol levels. Some oatmeal even have Omega 3. I wonder if there are oat milks that also have Omega 3.
I haven’t seen any, but you can always check other brands.
I love oat milk! It tastes really delicious and I used to love cow’s milk a lot. It’s an amazing alternative if you ask me. ?
We really appreciate that you’ve made the switch, Shirley!
It’s your choice if you want to try oat milk. It’s great because it’s best for people who are always allergic to a lot of things.
Oat milk is my new fave..! I swear it tastes like heaven.?
I know that it’s going to be less nutritious if you DIY it, but it tastes better if you add flavor to it. You can even add star anise, cinnamon, herbs or other spices. It tastes nice and just gives a nice flavor to it.
Yummm! Cinnamon sounds like a good flavor.
I’m an oats lover, so I’m sure I’m going to be loving this oat milk! It makes me want to spell it like “Oat Mealk” too. ?
Hm… I don’t think it’s too similar with actual oats. Tastes a bit like it, but slightly plain and less sweeter. Maybe the brand I drank wasn’t as good as the others.
I think it’s better that it’s not too sweet. If it was, then it has loads of sugar which defeats the purpose of it being healthy.
If anyone can suggest a good brand of oat milk??
If you’re worried about not getting enough nutrients from milk, just keep switching from other milks. That’s how you get all the nutrients anyway.
Whenever I hear the word milk, it’s mainly synonymous to calcium. So, if you tell me that this has iron and everything else, this is already a step further than normal milk.?
I just brought oat milk today for the first time, so creamy, so delicious!! It’s goodbye to almond milk for sure, can’t believe I’ve been sleeping all these days.
I don’t prefer store brought oats milk because it has been fortified with vitamins and minerals that don’t occur in oats naturally.
But oats milk is my favorite nondairy milk.
I turned vegan last year and since then oats milk is my favorite milk.
But oats milk is really good for health and it tastes better than almond and soy milk.
I used to love oats milk but now I am confused!!
I switched to oats milk 6 months ago and haven’t looked back since then.
Oats milk is really good for people who have a dietary restriction. There may be some cons but there are a lot more pros.
Oats are among the healthiest grains on earth and so is its milk.
I use oat milk when I make muffins and they tastes heavenly!!
I have heard of almond milk, soy milk, and rice milk but I have never heard of oat milk
I didn’t know about the danger of oat milk. Thank you for the information!!
Not oat milk but, I drink the cheapest soy milk myself and flavour it with half a spoon of cocoa powder. Tastes great but I don’t know how healthy it is.
Everything liquid white is not milk. If I grind polished wheat flour with water that’ll not become flourmilk. I see people substituting Milk with oatmilk is funny. Those are completely different thing s.
Can you use this oat milk in recipes that require using heat like hot chocolate? My current oat milk always comes out kind of porridgey after it has been heated.
I can’t wait to try and make my own oat milk!!! I have some instant oats that I want to use up so I can start buying bulk. Do you think this would work with Quaker instant oats as well?
Oat milk is actually the easiest plant milk to make, too! Blend 1:4 oats to water, add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon or two of sweetener. No straining needed.
I hate when people be like “Uh, being vegan is fucking expensive” I think oat milk is really cheap, handy and quick. I find it very useful, and way less expensive than other plant milks, and the taste is really good, the only problem I find is durability, but blend oats and water takes less than 4 minutes.
I love oat milk! Its nutritious, tasty and works well for coffee, cereal, a cold drink, smoothies, etc. Its a good source of calcium, vitamin A, iron, and a tonne more if you’re like me and pay close attention to health as well as cost.
Is oat milk good to use in recipes for cooking? I love soy milk, but I don’t like to cook with it and am trying to find another alternative. Have you tried it and what were the results?
When making oat milk would it make a difference if you ground the oats into fine powder and then added the water so that there would be more oats incorporated into the milk and less “ist pulp?”
Please bear in mind this is not a good milk substitute because store bought oat milk has been foritifed with vitamins and minerals that dont occur in oats naturally .
Just made some oat milk to put in my coffee ☕️ and it turned out great! Not as creamy as half and half or milk, but it takes the edge off black coffee nicely 🙂
Can you use this oat milk for hot drinks like latte coffees? My current oat milk attempts never work when I try to boil them, they just get really thick.
I love making my own almond milk but oats are so insanely cheap! I’m going to make this very soon. Idk why I didn’t think about this. I love oat milk and oats! Thank you 😀
You can make your own oat milk at home really easily. And you can sweeten it as much or as little as you want. Plus you get residual oats that you can use in pancakes.
I love your blog!! You are such a sweet person! I actually make my own oat milk and don’t add anything to it. great alone or over cereal, or with my protein shake .
Making my own alternative milks is a major cost saving for me. I don’t drink cows milk at all because I’m mildly lactose intolerant which is mostly why I’m vegan, and I was also spending too much on soy milk.
I thought this might benefit a few people here. I always spend way too much money on milk and prefer to buy Almond or Oat rather than Cow’s milk. Unfortunately they cost me about £1.70 or more per litre and also aren’t always that easy to find. Even drinking cheaper cow’s milk (~60p-£1/litre) still gets expensive when you’re a latte and cereal fiend like I am. I get through a litre in about 2 days. But I was reading the carton of my Oat Milk and noticed the ingredients were only 10% oats and the rest was water and a pinch of sea salt. I figured.. why am I paying so much for this when I have those ingredients right here anyway? So I made my own! ?
Where on earth are you buying milk that’s costing you £1.75 per litre? Even the co-op sells it at £1 for 4 pints!
I’m talking about shop bought oat or almond milk etc not cows milk which is obviously much cheaper! 🙂
Be careful of store bought milks. They contain sugar and unnecessary nasties to thicken them and make them last longer on the shelves. Easy as anything to make your own milks. Plenty of recipes online. My favourites are almond, hazelnut and pumpkin seed milks.
To be honest I used to drink Soya milk. But after reading , and some research. I realise , that Soya milk , has side effects. Compared to Oat or Almond milk. Oat milk is healthier ..than Soya milk. Soya not good for your health.
I’ve made oat milk many times. I hardly drink it though, it makes a great bath addition for itchy skin. The strained flour or oat bran makes a good porridge or can be used to make muffins.
Unfortunately I don’t like oat milk. So I just go with unsweetened organic soy milk. Silk makes it. Tastes great, 80 Cal/cup, 7g protein.
Oat milk is a great alternative to animal milk. I’m having to live in a group of meat eaters who I’m feeling a little pressure to consume dairy . my body can’t tolerate dairy products. none I get IBS, gain lots of weight and frozen shoulder syndrome plus other painful joint and bone pain . I can not do dairy .
But the problem with homemade oat milk is that you can’t heat it. I can’t have it with my hot coffee because it thickens up in consistency like a gravy .
I love oat milk! I soak my oats in water the night before and find it makes them easier to blend and then add it to my morning smoothie ?
I advise not to buy processed oats. You want Raw Oats anyway. I doubt very much if you buy Organic Raw Oats in bulk that it will be processed with anything, certainly not gluten. To make sure, ask your grocer, where they sell a lot of organic grains, nuts, seeds, etc if they swear that their oatmeal is just plain raw organic unprocessed oatmeal. For example Bob’s Red Mill, as far as I can remember, only sells amounts in small bags and would not be cost effective.
This is exactly how we make oat horchata, but we add cinnamon in the blender as well to give it more flavor. You can also add cane sugar if you want to. It tastes really good. It’s one of my faves.
This is the closest taste I’ve got towards real milk. Almond milk just isn’t… Milky. I guess it lacks in the creamy department and it’s just overall too thin to be milk.
Same, I don’t even like almond milk. It’s a silly excuse for milk.
I just tried oat milk because I ran out of my store bought almond milk and I cannot live without my coffee in the mornings, especially for tomorrow having an 8-hour shift at work. I’m so happy I did because I’m never buying milk from the store again. another success in my journey to leave this planet better than I found it. thank you!
I made my own oat milk today using a recipe I’ve found online. It is basically like soaked for longer than the most recipes and not sweetened. It is delicious! Also, I did not add salt. You don’t need to over complicate oat milk. It is brilliant in its simplest form!
I’m not even trying to get any other nutrients from milk aside from calcium. If oat milk has iron and manufacturers also add vitamin A and D, this is good news. I was never a fan of other milk alternatives and sometimes I just want something milky to add to my smoothies.?
I haven’t tried oat milk but it sounds really interesting and delicious. I personally love oatmeal and the taste of it but I can’t imagine how bland it is.
If you create your own, you can always add cinnamon or any other natural flavorings.
Isn’t it amazing how much milk we can make from a very small amount of oats? Great info. Thanks for sharing.
Making oat milk is a skill, it’s easy to learn but hard to master. I’ve been drinking oat milk for like 10 years now from all around the world right from 1$ oat milk to 1000$ oat milk. you can clearly see and taste the effort passion hard work and dedication chefs put in to make the expensive oat milk, it’s magnificent .
Thank you for this! I’ve made almond milk many times. But my oat milk never seems to turn out! I’ll try again!!!
Now i really wonder why the oat milk is so expensive cuz this is just so easy to make from so small amount off oats
I wonder what u can do with oat milk. this is really interesting tbh., is it worth the effort. what does it taste like.
Actually, I didn’t even care if oat milk doesn’t have a good amount of micronutrients. It tastes really good and it has calcium. I’m pretty sure I’m getting most of the nutrients in other food anyway.
Oat milk? Sounds doable. I’m really struggling as I’m addicted to cow milk but I did my research and I’m now becoming vegan. But I can’t find an alternative milk that tastes a lot like cows milk. Any help?
Hi! I was just wondering what does oat milk taste like? Does it taste bland like normal oats but just in a liquid form?
I just made oat milk but I didn’t soak it what is the essence of doing this? is their a way you can pro long the shelf life?
I like to soak all grains and nuts and seeds when using them. This removes the “enzyme inhibitor” and ensures you can fully digest and assimilate all the nutrients. In the cases of some foods it even changes the nutrient content- making the food lower in fat and higher in some vitamins. It’s pretty cool! Google it- very interesting stuff!
when making your own oat milk what do you do with the left oats? some make oat flour from it but I don’t know how .
OMG bought oat milk today for the first time, so creamy, so delicious! It’s goodbye to Almond for sure, can’t believe I’ve been sleeping all these years.
I’m slowly working on reducing the amount of store bought vegan alternatives and making my own instead. But one think I still haven’t been able to find a recipe on is oat cream. Do you think it simply could be made as the milk but with a higher oat to a lower liquid ratio? To make it more creamy? ?
Thank you!!! Sharing with all my Vegan friends!!! Lovely of you to show us how healthy it is!!! Merci beaucoup!!!
Does this mean oat milk is also rich in fiber just like the regular oats? I super love oatmeal and oat milk would be amazing if it’s also high in fiber.
I made it a lot of times now and add it to my granola? it’s so simple, easy and waaaay cheaper then buying it??
Whoa love that. Almond soya coconut milk is very expensive for me. Now will make oat milk for my smoothie. Thank you??
I used to have oat milk from the brand Oatly all the time back when I lived in Sweden! You could find it everywhere it was great I miss a lot.
Oatly is great! They’re coming to the US soon, I have a few cartons of it from their booth at Expo West.
I have a question! How long can you keep it in the fridge before it goes bad?
I have just coincidentally started drinking oat milk lately, thank you for all the information. 🙂
LIFE CHANGING. It’s amazing. Thank you for awakening my mind to homemade oat milk!
Oat milk is healthy. It may have cons but I still think the pros weigh more than the cons. ??
Milk is milk guys. *MILK LOVER* here and I really love oat milk, soya milk, and almond milk.?
I’m going to give you my recipe which I came to through trial and error. I made the standard recipe for oat milk but there was something that always bothered me. It was either the pasty mouth feel or the slimy texture. And this was not identical to the oat milk you can buy. So how did I come close? Easy. Add more water. I added a total of eight cups. Yes, blended with four cups and added an additional four cups. A total of eight cups. This produces a smooth, silky, slime free oat milk. I added two teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp of salt, and a few tablespoons of organic sugar. And this creates a tasty, yummy oat milk. If I had to guess, the commercial brands probably thicken it with guar gum or some other thickener but I like mine thin and slime free. If you feel the same, then up the water amounts to seven or eight cups and see if you like it better. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.