🌱 Oat milk

Oat milk is a plant-based drink made from oats and water. Today oat milk is one of the most popular plant-based “milks” in the world.

Here is how it is made: oats are ground and mixed with warm water. Then enzymes and heat break down the starch in the grain. The liquid is separated off, vitamins and minerals are added, sometimes sugar, and it is pasteurized. Oat milk tastes slightly sweet and mild. It has little protein — about 1.2 g per 100 ml, roughly a third of what cow's milk has. Without fortification it has less calcium and vitamin A, so makers usually add them.

Oat milk or cow's milk? They differ by process. Cow's milk comes from the animal, while oat milk is made from oats ground with warm water, with enzymes and heat breaking down the starch. It has about 1.2 g of protein per 100 ml, roughly a third of cow's milk, and makers add calcium and vitamin A. Oat or soy? Unsweetened soy drink with calcium has 2.86 g of protein per 100 g, more than oat. Oat does use much less water than cow's milk: by one estimate about 9 litres against 131 per glass. In the EU, packs say “oat drink”, because “milk” is reserved for animal milk.

On EU packs you will see “oat drink”, not “oat milk”, because the word milk is reserved for animal milk. In a supermarket, check three things on the pack: whether it is unsweetened, whether calcium (and vitamin A) is added, and whether it says “barista” if you want it for lattes and cappuccinos. Oat drinks usually sit with other plant-based drinks, and cafés use the barista versions. The NHS does not advise an oat drink instead of milk for babies under one.

Oat milk is especially popular in cafés. Its “barista” versions froth well for lattes and cappuccinos. An oat drink needs much less water than cow's milk: by one estimate, about 9 litres versus 131 per glass. The NHS does not advise giving babies under one an oat drink instead of milk. For adults, the NHS advises choosing unsweetened versions with added calcium.