Best Oat Milk Brands Ranked

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Remember the days when soy was king of plant milks? Well, nowadays, oat milk has proven itself to be top dog, kicking soy, rice, and even almond milk to the curb. Oat milk — made via a simple process of soaking and blending oats with water — is known for its rich texture and slightly nutty (yet versatile) taste. It's more suitable for those with allergies, and it's better for all-purpose use than, say, watery almond or tropical-tasting coconut milk. So, I took a sweet, creamy journey into the non-dairy section of a few grocery stores to find, once and for all, the best oat milk on the market. I tried each and compared them to one another, on a mission to find the one with the most versatile, delicious flavor and texture in a creamy sea of dairy alternatives.

Although oat isn't typically regarded as one of the best milks for frothing, I still tested the frothing capabilities of each because a good oat milk should be able to create fluffy cappuccinos and elegant, foam-topped lattes. So, whether you're looking to cut back on the cow juice or you're a long-time plant-based beverage fan looking for the best oaty beverage money can buy, let's take a look at the most delicious (and most dastardly) oat milks out there.

Mooala is on the radar of anyone who shies away from dairy and always opts for the simplest, most limited-ingredient products possible. It's Simple oat milk is made with just organic oats, water, and salt — that's it. I'm all about appreciating the simple things in life, so I was most excited to try this milk, and subsequently the most disappointed when I found it deserved the first spot in this list.

I assumed that, without any oil, Mooala's oat milk would be thin, but I wasn't prepared for the oat-flavored water taste that assaulted my senses. It was far too thin to ever consider adding to cereal, or anything else, for that matter. It had a hint of sweetness, but since it was so thin and watery, the sweetness translated to more of a rancid-like tang on my taste buds.

As far as Mooala's frothing capabilities, there was zero. Zilch. I frothed the milk while it was cold in an attempt to achieve maximum foaminess, but I was left with nothing but a few measly bubbles. Overall, if you're looking for an oat milk as simple and limited-ingredient as Mooala, you're better off saving a few bucks and making some yourself — it's much easier to make than you might think.

Planet Oat is one of the more ubiquitous brands of oat milk on this list. I started drinking Planet Oat when I first hopped on the oat milk train — way before it was cool — but long before I knew that there were much better options out there. You'd think that a brand that specializes in just oat milk would have a delicious recipe down pat, but Planet Oat's drink was a disappointment of cosmic proportions.

Planet Oat's milk had a slimy texture that was obvious as soon as I poured it into a glass — like a shimmering, gross gleam of yellowish-beige goop. I looked past the texture and went in for a sip that was overly sugary and strangely tangy, leaving behind a sickly-sweet flavor and slightly gelatinous mouthfeel.

Frothing the Planet Oat resulted in a thin layer of foam with tiny bubbles. I wasn't able to make much — maybe just enough to grace a latte — but I didn't mind, because the less Planet Oat, the better. Its sweet flavor and slimy-thick texture could work well to add body and sweetness to a smoothie, but for any other milk-related purpose, reach for something else. Please.

Even though I'm in the midst of a passionate love affair with Aldi, I'll always admit when the country's best budget grocery chain misses the mark with one of its signature house brand products. Friendly Farms — Aldi's dairy brand — offers a classic, no-frills oat milk, and it tastes exactly like what you would expect a budget-focused oat milk to taste like.

Friendly Farms' oat milk could work for just about any non-dairy oat milk-related endeavor in a pinch. It has a rich, creamy consistency and very mild oat flavor that would make it mesh well in smoothies or as a sneaky alternative to dairy in recipes. It was certainly sweet, but not excessively, so it wouldn't make sweetened cereal or coffee drinks grossly sugary. But it all comes down to the aftertaste. It left behind a cheap-tasting, metallic, chemical-like flavor that coated my entire mouth.

An attempt at frothing Friendly Farms oat milk resulted in large bubbles, minimal foam, and lots of frustration. It took a while to froth even the measly amount I wound up with. But in coffee, and as foam, its egregious aftertaste was much less apparent.

Target is easily the most elevated of all America's big-box stores, and it has the quality house brand grocery items to prove it. It's home to must-try snacks, high-quality coffee beans, and other staple goods under the Good & Gather label. But while most Good & Gather products are winners, its oat milk needs some minor tweaks before it can earn a spot in your cereal bowl or latte.

If you like your oat milk sweet — and I mean sweet — then Good & Gather's option might be for you, because it includes a whopping 12 grams of added sugar per cup. Meanwhile, most commercial oat milks include added enzymes that break down the starch in oats, creating natural sugars — no added sugar required.

Good & Gather's oat milk was moderately thick and creamy, so it could work well in cereal or oatmeal that needs a sugar boost or a smoothie that could benefit from added richness and sweetness. However, my attempts at frothing this milk were in vain. It produced nothing but a few tiny bubbles, which I begrudgingly added to my coffee anyway, even though it looked like the saddest attempt at a latte I've ever seen.

Pacific Foods tends to pop up when the topic is vegetarian or vegan-friendly grocery items. The Barista Series oat milk — which came as a shelf-stable carton — was thick and viscous when I poured it into a glass. Initially, my first sip was lightly sweet tasting and pleasantly oaty with a velvety mouthfeel. But this mouthfeel went from decadent to disastrous quickly when it transformed into a pasty, mouth-coating aftertaste. This was obviously not going to be a milk that could be sipped straight or act as the main feature in any drinks or dishes (except for those who enjoy the flavor of chalk).

Since this is a barista milk, I wasn't surprised when Pacific Food's oat drink created substantial, thick foam almost instantly. Although its foam was rich and luscious — likely due to a high fat content from added canola oil — its coffee-crafting capabilities couldn't make up for its gross, chalky aftertaste. If you're on the hunt for an oat milk solely for crafting extra-foamy cappuccinos, Pacific Foods Barista Series could be for you, but I was on the hunt for the ideal all-purpose oat milk, so the quest would have to continue.

Silk is one of the leaders in non-dairy products. Its soy milk is like the grandparent of all the artisanal plant-based beverages that we've been blessed with in recent years, so I hoped that its oat milk would hold up to its flagship classic. As it turned out, I was actually impressed that it managed to be so bland. Its consistency was velvety and smooth, but although its texture implied creaminess, it lacked any sort of creamy flavor. Had I been going into a blind liquid taste-test, I would have believed I was drinking extra-thick, grain-flavored water. Its bland taste meant Silk's oat milk wasn't for drinking straight or adding to coffee, but it might be a decent choice for kids with delicate palates.

Although its flavor was a major disappointment, I was blown away by Silk's frothing abilities. It created plenty of decadent foam with bubbles so tiny that the foam almost looked solid. So while Silk's milk falls flat flavor-wise, it could still earn a spot in plenty of fridges thanks to its texture and impressive foaming performance, especially for those after a blank canvas milk on which to unleash some creative culinary forces.

The 365 brand comes to us from Whole Foods — America's most prolific health food chain. Since non-dairy milk and health food usually go hand-in-hand, I expected a solid, fresh-tasting milk to be stowed away in this shelf-stable carton, and, in general, I wasn't disappointed. Whole Foods' oat milk was incredibly thick and viscous — it poured into my glass like an avalanche of beige maple syrup. It had a mild oat flavor and rich, fatty mouthfeel. So, for drinking straight, this milk may not be your best bet if you're going for something crisp and refreshing. But for cereal, baking, and smoothies? It's a winner, but only if you're after something hearty and filling.

Even though 365's oat isn't a barista milk, it might as well be. It foamed rapidly, creating a dense layer of frothy milk with tiny bubbles. However, the foam dissipated quickly. In coffee, its oat flavor was a little too prominent, and its extra-thick texture added body to the coffee — a little too much, if you ask me. It turned an iced coffee from cool and refreshing to fatty and rich, which isn't objectively a bad thing, but it means 365's milk is much less versatile than other options on this list.

bettergoods is one of Walmart's private label brands, offering products that are slightly elevated compared to Walmart's other house brand — Great Value — but still affordable. The brand's classic oat milk is well-rounded, with just the right amount of creaminess balanced out by a crisp, refreshing quality. It's hard to tell that this milk is derived from oats, because any nutty, oat-like flavor has obviously been wiped away in the process of making it. But that makes it a decent option for those who prefer the taste of dairy milk but are abstaining for health or ethical reasons.

bettergoods oat milk proved to be an excellent milk for frothing. It produced a moderately thick foam that stuck around for a while, and even held up to a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. But despite its triumphs, this oat drink couldn't make it higher on this list due to its thin consistency. It also had an artificial taste that was subtle, but blatant enough not to sneak past my taste buds undetected. It seemed like the milk took on the flavor of the flimsy, plastic-coated cardboard container it was in. In coffee, this artificial taste was exacerbated, so if you wind up with some bettergoods oat milk, keep it away from your good joe.

The only Califia Farms oat milk that I was able to snag for this ranking and comparison was an extra creamy variety, so, naturally, it was slightly richer than most of the other options on this list. Since most of the other milks are classic renditions, I tried not to factor this extra dose of creaminess into my overall impression. So I focused largely on its flavor, which I personally enjoyed, but found a little convoluted. It was significantly saltier than the other milks I tried, giving it a slightly savory quality. It should have been balanced out by more sweetness, but the amount of sugar — just 4 grams per cup — didn't cut it.

Califia Farms milk created luscious foam, but it took quite a bit of time and elbow grease to muster up the puny amount that it made. Still, it was enough for dense foam to top a latté, but not enough for a fluffy capp. Overall, this milk might be too salty and tart for sipping or for smoothies, but it could balance out extra sugary cereal or work well in recipes, especially savory soups and sauces.

From spending years steeped in the world of plant-based cooking, I know Chobani is the preferred choice of many, and I can see why. Chobani's original oat milk is expertly balanced. It has a very mild oat flavor and a fatty, rich consistency that isn't too thick to use as cereal milk, but it's substantial enough for smoothies and creamy coffee drinks. It's one of the best options on this list for sipping straight, thanks to its neutral flavor profile and crisp, refreshing aftertaste. When it came time to test its foaming abilities, Chobani held its own — maybe not the most decadent, but still a strong contender for the best milk for cappuccinos on this list, especially if you like them extra dry and fluffy.

Although I appreciate its neutral flavor for most applications, a sweeter oat milk with a stronger oat flavor is generally better than one that tastes almost identical to dairy milk. The oat taste gives it its unique nuttiness, breathing life into coffee and differentiating it from other non-dairy alternatives. It's the reason why oat is the top plant milk. Chobani should learn to lean into these tasty traits instead of trying to bury them.

If you're on the hunt for a cookie-dunking, cereal-dousing, smoothie-making, sippable (maybe even chuggable) oat milk, Oatsome is your man for the job. The shelf-stable oat milk looked thick and a bit more yellow than most of the milks on this list, but the color gave it a close-to-nature appearance that I ultimately appreciated. It was evident by its taste alone that it's made with organic, whole grain oats. They infused the drink with a bold oat flavor that might be a little too much for some, especially for those looking for a product to act as an even swap for dairy milk in coffee or creamy recipes.

Oatsome is one of the sweeter oat milks on this list, but unlike Good & Gather, the sweetness paired well with its thick texture, heavy body, and robust nuttiness. It produced plenty of airy, bubbly foam, but this fragile froth dissipated quicker than I imagined it would. But it was at least sweet enough that, in coffee, no additional sweetener was needed — although its sugar content and potent oat flavor make it less all-purpose than the milks lower on this list.

Oatly is at the root of oat milk's fascinating, albeit recent, history. The OG oat drink certainly held its own in this ranking, although it didn't earn the top spot despite being the most highly regarded milk out there — a new player on the field gave it a run for its money.

Oatly's flavor was bright and balanced, with mild sweetness and a crisp aftertaste. It had a creamy texture that left a slight residue on my tongue, but not in an unappealing way (looking at you, Pacific Foods). It did the job of driving home its richness and acting as a reminder that plant milks can be just as decadent as dairy. Its oat flavor was apparent but not too prominent — just enough to give coffee and smoothies a slight nuttiness.

After frothing Oatly, it was clear that it couldn't stand up to the foam produced by dairy or almond milk, but it got the job done. It created moderately thick foam with medium-sized bubbles. My single qualm with Oatly was that it could have been sweeter, but otherwise, it makes a well-rounded addition for anyone who uses oat milk regularly and in a variety of ways.

Finally, I present the literal cream of the crop: Minor Figures. Minor Figures comes to us from a London-based microbrewery, so if you've never heard of it before, don't worry — neither have I. That is, until I pit it against some of the most recognizable oat milk brands of all time, and it squashed the competition.

Minor Figures oat milk was originally developed specifically for use in coffee. Considering it's a barista milk, I wasn't shocked to find that it created ultra fluffy, substantial foam, perfect for a cappuccino. Initially, the foam was bubbly and airy, but it firmed up after letting it rest for a minute.

Even though they were out to create the perfect coffee addition, the creators of Minor Figures inadvertently crafted the ideal all-purpose milk. It's rich and creamy enough for coffee, of course, and dessert recipes, like milkshakes or pudding. But it's not too rich to enjoy as a healthy, filling beverage. In fact, its moderate sweetness, medium thickness, and creamy flavor, followed by a cool, invigorating aftertaste, make it delicious on its own. It has a bright oat flavor accentuated by just a touch of salt that's mild enough to blend into coffee or smoothies, but prominent enough to add nuance when enjoying a glass on its own.

To test and compare these oat milks, I chilled all the drinks and tried each on its own. I based this ranking primarily off of the flavor and consistency of each, as well as their capacity for all-purpose use. I favored milks that were balanced — not too sweet, salty, or thick — and those most suitable for any application that requires milk. I also tested the frothing abilities of each, but I didn't factor these capabilities as heavily as the milks' flavor and versatility.

I chose not to consider any health factors, since these can vary from person to person according to one's dietary needs. I also chose to forgo the price of each milk, since this can also vary depending on the particular store or region where the milk is purchased.