Best Oat Milk Brands Ranked
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It's a wonderful time to be vegan. Long gone are the days when lactose-intolerant or non-dairy eaters had only soy milk on their side. Today, those looking to avoid dairy have a wonderful array of plant-based options to complement their morning coffees. One of the more popular options is oat-based milk. Oat milk has garnered popularity as a dairy milk alternative in recent years due to its nut-free nature. It tends to have a creamier taste and texture compared to other non-dairy milk, like almond milk.
As such, the oat milk market is huge; even major coffee chains like Dunkin' and Starbucks have added it to their shelves alongside the longstanding almond, soy, and coconut milk varieties. Many household milk brands like Silk and Chobani have even rolled out versions of the stuff, while other brands' sole purpose is making oat milk, like Oatly. You might be wondering: If it's all oat milk, doesn't it all taste the same? Not exactly. We've tasted some of the most popular oat milk brands on the market, and we can confirm that there is indeed a variety of tastes amongst the bunch. Check out our ranking to decide which carton you'll grab next. Any prices listed may vary depending on your location.
11. Malk
We've found that when a product is marketed as all-natural and organic, it tends to either be really good or really bad. We found Malk in Whole Foods Market, and upon a quick Google search, it doesn't seem that you'd find it anywhere else, save for some other all-natural grocery stores. Like Whole Foods Market itself, this milk had simple ingredients, was expensive, and had modern packaging.
At $6.79 for a bottle, Malk certainly came in at one of the most expensive oat milks we tried, but all of them were around $5, so it wasn't much more expensive than the others (via Whole Foods Market). Upon the first sip, this beverage simply tasted not good. It was pretty thin for oat milk, almost watery, and the taste was almost sour-ish. We attempted to froth it with a milk frother, and all we got was a tiny bit of thin, sad-looking foam. So, while this milk functions as a nut-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free milk alternative, we wouldn't choose it if we didn't have allergen issues. Besides, there are other allergen-friendly oat milks on the market that cost less and taste better.
10. Pacific Foods
There are several reasons that customers flock to non-dairy kinds of milk. Some are allergic to lactose, some choose not to consume dairy products, and others simply want a healthier, more natural milk option (via WebMD). After all, oats themselves are known to be packed with beneficial vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.
However, it's all too common for products to be marketed as the most nutritious option while a flip of the package reveals an ingredient list or nutrition facts section that says otherwise. This is the case with oat milk from Pacific Foods, whose website reports that it contains 17 grams of added sugars per cup. Compared to the other oat milks on this list, that is an outlier from the norm.
Unfortunately, the high sugar content in Pacific Foods oat milk hurts its taste rather than helps it. While it certainly has the creaminess we enjoy in most oat milk, its sweetness is overpowering and simply ruins its oat-y flavor. Despite its relatively low price, we'd suggest opting for another oat milk brand such as Trader Joe's, or splurging the extra dollar or two for a tastier option.
9. Elmhurst
Elmhurst oat milk was the toughest brand to fit into a ranking. The reason for this is that Elmhurst makes two variations of its oat milk: The original and the barista edition, both of which cost nearly $6 for a 32-oz container, which makes it the most expensive oat milk that we sampled.
As per the Elmhurst website, the original, unsweetened oat milk, dubbed "Milked Oats," contains only three ingredients: water, oats, and salt. As such, it's very low in calories, sugar, and fat for an oat milk, with 100 calories, 0 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of fat per cup. The taste? Bad. Simply put, this oat milk just did not taste good. It wasn't creamy, and it almost had no taste at all. Those wishing to enjoy lower-calorie non-dairy milk might be better off with almond milk rather than the Elmhurst Milked Oats.
However, we must note that Elmhurst's oat milk barista edition tasted incredible. It was wonderfully creamy and sweet. The barista edition had fewer calories than the original — 90 per cup (via Elmhurst). Likewise, it contained 1 gram of fat and 3 grams of added sugar, which is significantly less than many other brands' oat milks contain. Although Elmhurst's barista blend was one of the best oat milks we tasted, the unsweetened version wasn't good, and at $6 for less than a gallon, we'd suggest skipping this brand.
8. Planet Oat
For those of us who enjoy a creamy, sweet coffee, but unfortunately can't stomach the harshness of heavy cream or whole milk, it's a tough battle. That's why we were ecstatic when we found out that Dunkin' announced it would start offering oat milk back in 2020. Since then, an iced oat milk latte from Dunkin' has never disappointed; it always fulfills that sweet, creamy coffee craving.
So, when we tasted Planet Oat — the brand that Dunkin' uses — we were surprised to find that we didn't love it. Its creaminess is satisfactory, and it produced a good amount of frothy foam. It wasn't overly sweet, but something about it tasted off, almost sour-ish. In coffee, however, this oat milk is just fine. We also sampled the Planet Oat unsweetened oat milk, which, on its own, had a distinctly unappealing taste. The Planet Oat original oat milk has a lower calorie count than most of the other oat milks we sampled, with just 90 calories per cup, in addition to an equally as mild 4 grams of sugar and 1.5 grams of fat (via Planet Oat). Moreover, Walmart's website lists Planet Oat for less than $4, making it one of the cheapest cartons to purchase. Overall, this oat milk is fairly average in terms of price and taste, so if you're looking for a cheaper oat milk with fewer calories, this might be for you.
7. Silk
Most plant-based milks are more environmentally friendly than dairy milks are, as explained by Our World in Data. Silk takes "environmentally friendly" to the next level, boasting on the site that it puts back the water used to grow the oats into rivers. This certainly deserves bonus points.
Does Silk oat milk need bonus points? Kind of. The regular oat milk tastes okay. It isn't gross, but you don't get the thick creaminess you want from oat milk. Since it is a bit thinner, we tried it with cereal, and it functioned very similarly to almond milk in this sense. In coffee, the milk tasted fine: It added a subtle sweetness, but, again, we didn't get the creaminess that we wanted from it.
Silk's extra creamy oat milk was also not very impressive, and it tasted too sweet for our liking. However, this version tasted much better in coffee, so maybe just don't sip it on its own. According to Silk, the original oat milk has a calorie, sugar, and fat content that is very similar to most other brands, which is to say that it isn't overly sugary or fatty. At $3.99 for a gallon on Target's website, this oat milk was on the cheaper side, so if you're looking to save a buck or two, this option should work. However, if you don't mind spending an extra dollar, some other brands might be a bit more satisfying.
6. Oatsome
If you were to make oat milk at home, you'd simply have to blend oats and water. Of course, you could choose to add vanilla bean flavoring, salt, or sugar for your taste preferences. Knowing this, we have wondered why so many oat milk brands contain far more ingredients than simply oats and water. Many contain xantham gums, various oils, and other additives. While this sometimes means that the milk tastes better, it also means they aren't as naturally healthy as they could be.
As per the carton's label, Oatsome original oat milk contains zero added gums or genetically modified ingredients. When we read this, we knew we might have to prepare for a watery, oat-y, dissatisfying sip, but we were pleasantly surprised. Admittedly, this milk isn't as creamy as we wished it was — with a texture only slightly thicker than that of almond milk — but its sweetness certainly helped. With 13 grams of sugar per cup, Oatsome oat milk does have a fairly high sugar content, but the sugar doesn't ruin the taste. Oatsome's barista blend produced a lot more foam than the original version did, and it was much creamier. The taste wasn't great on its own, but in coffee, Oatsome's barista blend certainly outperformed its original variety.
Considering its clean ingredients and pleasant taste in contrast to its sugar content, relative thinness, and higher price point, this oat milk isn't perfect, but it's just fine in our opinion.
5. Chobani
Chobani has an entire line of oat-based products aside from its regular oat milk. The brand makes a unique protein-packed spoonable oat snack that comes in a variety of fruity flavors. It also carries various oat-based coffee creamers which taste exactly how you'd expect any coffee creamer to taste: creamy, sweet, and packed with added sugars.
On the milk side of things, Chobani's website advertises a slew of oat milk varieties, including one with zero sugar, an extra creamy flavor, a vanilla flavor, and the original plain oat milk. The plain flavor tasted fine. It wasn't incredible, but it wasn't bad either. We liked that it was pleasantly creamy and not too sweet, with a nice oat-y flavor. When we tried to foam this milk, it produced a fair amount of thick foam, which we enjoyed in our coffee. Chobani's vanilla flavor of oat milk was tasty but super sweet — to the point where we felt we couldn't have too much of it. The vanilla flavor contained 9 grams of added sugar per cup, while the original doesn't fall too far behind with 7 grams of added sugar per cup (via Chobani).
Overall, Chobani's oat milk is good. Its macronutrients and calorie count are in the average range, it tastes like what you'd expect an oat milk to taste like, and it will cost you just under $5. If you're looking for an oat milk that isn't wildly expensive, this one should do just fine.
4. Trader Joe's
Have you ever tried something you didn't like from Trader Joe's? The answer is no, you haven't. When we found a Trader Joe's brand oat milk that cost less than $3, we simply had to try it. And, like almost everything else that the notorious health-food store sells, it was inexpensive but perfectly satisfying.
On its own, the Trader Joe's oat beverage tasted incredible. It was sweet and just creamy enough without being overly rich. In fact, we might say that if you were specifically seeking out oat milk, you might be slightly disappointed by this brand, as its texture is almost more like almond milk than the typically thicker oat milk. We'll conclude that its texture is somewhere in between the two. It even added a hint of creaminess to our morning fruit smoothie. And, although its sweet taste is great, it's the kind of sweet that doesn't taste artificial — and it isn't, according to the label. This milk is made with only two ingredients: oats and water. And, at only 110 calories, 4 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of fat per cup, this is certainly on the less-fattening side as far as oat milk goes (via Trader Joe's).
If you're looking for an inexpensive dairy-free milk alternative, we think you will be very satisfied with the Trader Joe's oat beverage.
3. Califia Farms
There is a lot to love about Califia Farms oat milk, and it has the options of extra creamy, protein-packed varieties, and the barista blend. Califia Farms barista blend oat milk has 130 calories, 3 grams of added sugar, and 7 grams of fat per cup, according to the company website. Its calorie count and fat content are about average across all of the brands that we tried, but its sugar content is relatively low. Surprisingly, this oat milk tastes super creamy and satisfyingly sweet. It's very comparable to whole milk. The extra creamy version tasted, well, extra creamy, and we were happy that it wasn't overly sweet. In fact, Califia Farms shares that the extra creamy oat milk has just 4 grams of added sugar per cup, making it one of the oat milk brands we tried with the least amount of added sugar.
Califia Farms' protein-style oat beverages are subpar. The drinks are pleasantly thick and creamy but have a weird aftertaste that is hard to ignore. In iced coffee, the milk doesn't blend super well, and it actually curdles in hot coffee. We'd give a thumbs up to the barista blend for its taste and relatively low sugar content, although it is a bit pricier than other brands (via Califia Farms).
2. 365 Everyday Value
365 Everyday Value is a brand owned by Whole Foods Market, and, as such, we expected it to have clean ingredients, an underwhelming (healthy) taste, and a high price tag. We were wrong about all three. Despite it being sold at one of the most notorious health food stores around, this oat milk's ingredient list was long and filled with less than wholesome ingredients like firming agents and gellan gum (via Whole Foods Market). However, far as nutrition facts go, Whole Foods Market reports that a cup of this oat milk contains a calorie, sugar, and fat content that are very comparable to most other oat milk brands: 120 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 7 grams of sugar. Notably, this was one of the cheaper oat milk brands that we purchased, at just over $4 per gallon.
Upon the first sip, we were pleasantly surprised to find that this oat milk is delicious. It's super creamy and nicely sweet, with a distinctly oat-y finish that we savored. Its taste was certainly reminiscent of oatmeal, and we mean that in the best way possible. 365 Everyday Value's oat milk also proved to froth really well, producing lots of foam that went well with our coffee.
1. Oatly
You may have had your first sip of oat milk in recent years, but CNBC reports that the head honchos at Oatly have been making the stuff since 1994. Yes, Oatly has been in business for over 25 years, and we think that it shows. Wonderfully creamy, lightly sweet, and all-around good, Oatly is easily the best-tasting oat milk brand that we have tried.
The fact that Starbucks has used Oatly as its go-to oat milk since 2021 is pretty telling as well (via Starbucks). The original Oatly is creamy and has a thickness that you can feel on your tongue, similar to heavy cream. In coffee, it is splendid and not overly sweet. According to the website, Oatly's original oat milk contains 120 calories per cup, including 5 grams of fat, and 7 grams of sugar. And though the price has fluctuated over the years, it sits at a reasonable rate compared to other oat milk brands.
Oatly also carries a barista blend, a full-fat blend, and a chocolate-flavored oat milk. The barista blend is likely what is used at Starbucks, as we confirmed that it generates a much thicker foam than the original does. We expected the full-fat Oatly to be extra creamy, but we weren't very impressed by it. It was, however, much sweeter tasting than the original was. However, the Oatly chocolate oat milk is perfect. Thick, creamy, and chocolatey, this oat milk is a non-dairy dream, and we can't get enough of it.