Oat milk is the extract from the whole oat. Thanks to its deliciousness, it’s commonly used in tea, coffee, cereal and smoothies, but has many more applications. It can be a great addition to savoury recipes, soups and stews, baking cakes and muffins, or just drinking it from the bottle!

Creating oat milk is a fairly simple process with the core ingredients just oats and water, dependent on the company producing it. First, the oat grains are milled to break their hard outer hull. Next, they are mixed with warm water and strained (enzymes are often added too for sweetness). Once separated, other ingredients can be added, including vitamins and minerals.

Oat milk has a creamy, thick texture with a rich taste. It’s arguably the most similar to cow’s milk out of the several plant-based milcs due to its natural sweetness. These characteristics have led to many brands creating barista oat milks, specifically to cater for the growing demand of plant-based options being requested in coffee shops and at home.

Oat milk is particularly beneficial for people with intolerances. Naturally, it is free from lactose, nuts, soy, and gluten (if made from certified gluten-free oats). It is often fortified with vitamins A and D, as well as B vitamins (such as B2 and B12), along with minerals such as calcium.

Oat milk generally contains more calories, carbohydrates and fibre than other plant milks such as soy and almond. Soy usually has more protein, whilst almond has higher levels of vitamin E.

Oat is one of the most environmentally-friendly milcs! Below is a visual representation comparing the impact from a 250ml glass of different milcs. As you can see, oat milc performs consistently well amongst all three categories of GHG emissions, land use and water use.