Our Test Kitchen Found the Best Oat Milk Brands
Updated: Feb. 07, 2024
Swapping dairy milk for an alternative? Find out what the best oat milk is for your morning coffee, cereal, baked goods and more.
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It seems like just yesterday that we were all asking what is oat milk? But in a few short years, this non-dairy milk has taken over cafes and supermarkets. Not only will you find oat milk right alongside alternatives like soy milk and almond milk, but you’ll also find a lot of oat milk brands to choose from.
So which is really the best for your morning coffee routine and dairy milk replacements? We snagged ten brands and had our Test Kitchen sample them all.
How Our Test Kitchen Found the Best Oat Milk
We take testing seriously in our kitchen. For this trial, our team of cooks and editors sampled the ten most popular brands of oat milk. Each was sampled blindly and judged according to these criteria:
- Flavor:Â We don’t expect oat milk to taste like its dairy counterpart, but it should taste pleasant, fresh and creamy. Our testers also kept sweetness in mind here (sometimes you want a sweeter option, sometimes not).
- Texture: When it comes to non-dairy milk, the texture is critical. Sometimes these dairy alternatives can be watery or even gritty.
- Appearance:Â Oat milk won’t look the same as dairy milk, but we still want it to look appetizing!
Our Test Kitchen Preferred Oat Milk Brands
After a lot of debate, our Test Kitchen agreed that a few oat milk brands rose above the rest. Here are our faves:
Best Texture: Oatly
As we said, approximating the texture and consistency of dairy milk is a challenge—many dairy-free options fail. But here Oatly succeeds.
The original oat milk company offers a beverage that has the same consistency as a glass of milk which makes it easy to drink, easy to stir into coffee and easy to add to recipes that would normally call for milk, like a smoothie bowl. Having this just-right consistency is key; you don’t want to alter your routines and recipes significantly just to accommodate a new ingredient.
As for the taste, our testers found that Oatly was fairly mild. That’s not a bad thing at all. Think of Oatly as a supporting player that lets the stars of the show—be it your morning latte or latest dairy-free bake—shine.
Best Shelf-Stable Oat Milk: Oatsome
While you can find many non-dairy milks right in the dairy fridge at the supermarket, you can find a few brands in the aisles as well, and don’t count these out! Specifically, don’t count Oatsome out.
This oat milk can be stored right in the pantry—no refrigeration needed until it’s opened. This is handy if you always want to make sure you have some milk on hand but don’t want it crowding your fridge.
Flavor-wise our testing crew really enjoyed this brand. The oat flavor came through well along with some sweetness, though there’s no added sugar in Oatsome. This flavor profile along with the creamy color and nice texture (it was smooth and similar to dairy milk) makes this option perfect for adding to coffee or making glazes for homemade donuts and other goodies.
Creamiest Oat Milk: Chobani
Many dairy-free milks lack creaminess—but not Chobani. This brand offered us the richest texture of the 10 oat milk brands our testing team sampled.
The texture of this milk was creamy as was the color. Looks-wise, you could definitely mistake a glass of Chobana Oat for a glass of milk. As for the flavor, Chobani was a bit mild and not quite as oat-forward as other brands, but this isn’t necessarily a drawback. Once stirred into your morning coffee or mixed into a recipe like this vegan pumpkin pie, that oat flavor is often muted anyway.
Best Bargain: Good & Gather
Looking to save a little while shopping? It never hurts to opt for a store brand, especially when you’re looking at Target’s Good & Gather Oatmilk. A half-gallon costs $3.49—that’s more than a dollar less than other options.
Good & Gather is more than just a bargain, though. This oat milk was creamy, a touch sweet and tasted strongly of oats. In fact, you could still see some specks of oat in the milk. Some testers likened this to seeing specks of vanilla bean in ice cream, other testers didn’t care for this; it’s all preference.
What to Make with Oat Milk
If you’re an oat milk fan, you already know that this non-dairy milk can sub in almost anywhere you’d use the real deal. Add a splash to your morning cold brew coffee (it’s a great way to get that cafe feeling at home). You can use oat milk in your morning breakfast bowl, smoothie or even in overnight oats. And don’t forget that oat milk is a great way to make your favorite baking recipes dairy-free!
Vegan Pumpkin Pie" width="295" height="295" />This blind taste test was performed by our staff and was not part of a sponsorship. All opinions shared are our own and have not been influenced by advertisers.
Originally Published: January 30, 2021
