We're currently in the throes of a full force, non-dairy milk revolution.
If you're new to the non-dairy game, you may be hearing people ranting and raving over
oat milk…but is it all too good to be true?
Let's find out.
This is the untold truth of oat milk.
With its subtly sweet and creamy taste profile, oat milk's similarity to cow's milk is simply
remarkable.
It's a pretty ideal alternative for folks who are craving their dairy fix but want to
cut back on cow's milk for health or environmental reasons.
"So I had an oat milk latté recently to try this out, and it was solid."
If you're at all familiar with oat milk, you probably know one brand in particular: Oatly.
It's become especially well-known in America, thanks in part to its offbeat approach to
marketing.
But here's a shocker for you: Oatly has actually been on the market for nearly three decades,
according to Time.
Rickard Õste, a researcher at Lund University in Sweden, began producing his own oat milk
in the '90s, while researching ways to produce milk alternatives for people with lactose
intolerance.
He decided to use oats because they're a particularly abundant crop in Sweden.
Once he'd gotten the process down to a tee, Öste founded Oatly, selling the milk to a
small but devoted crowd of milk-loving Swedes.
But the company's oat milk never made its way across the pond until 2016, and it quickly
took American markets by storm.
In fact, Oregon-based Pacific Foods company was the first oat milk producer to come onto
the American scene back in 1996, but you can thank Oatly for creating the modern oat milk
craze.
Oat milk's rapid rise in popularity could spell bad news for another non-dairy milk:
almond milk.
When it was first introduced to mainstream markets, almond milk quickly knocked soy milk
from its position as the plant-based milk on top.
Almond milk has remained the most popular non-dairy milk in the game, with almond milk
sales reaching more than $1 billion back in 2018, according to Nielsen.
"It's my job to test the product."
However, almond milk brands could be in trouble.
For starters, they've gotten a lot of flack recently for not being environmentally sustainable.
Plus, the diversification of the non-dairy milk industry could present a potential threat
to this nutty dairy alternative, particularly since some critics already think it's less
satisfying than the new kids on the block.
In fact, oat milk could be the vegan milk that ultimately dethrones almond milk: According
to Bloomberg Businessweek, oat milk sales jumped up from a mere $4.4 million in 2017
to $29 million in 2019.
While that's a far cry from the $1 billion that almond milk reportedly made back in 2018,
there's something worth noting: Most of the world's oats are used to produce animal feed,
which means that the oat milk industry has plenty of room to expand.
Liz Specht, the associate director of science and technology at the Good Food Institute,
told The Guardian:
"There's a huge existing acreage that we can safely steal share from without moving the
needle at all on total production."
Oatly's first forays into the U.S. market were wildly successful - so much so that the
company struggled to keep up with America's newfound appetite for its plant-based milk.
In December 2018, Fox News reported that,
"[Oatly has developed a] cult following among hipsters, vegans, and lactose-intolerants
alike."
And then the company ran into a bit of a problem: It was all out of oat milk, because there
simply wasn't enough supply for America's ravenous demands.
At the time, most of Oatly's oat milk was produced in Europe and imported to the States.
This slowed down the process of getting cartons of Oatly out of the factories and into American
grocery stores.
Not to mention the fact that the process of making oat milk can't be rushed.
According to Delish, the company was working on building its first factory on American
soil at the time of the shortage.
The facility opened up in the spring of 2019 and the shortage ended thereafter.
But in the meantime, Americans who absolutely needed their daily dose of oat milk took to
Amazon, where vendors were listing cartons for upwards of $200.
After the U.S. facility's opening, Americans have been pretty lucky.
We haven't seen an oat milk shortage of that scale ever since.
Oat milk brands use a lot of fancy, scientific processes to make their oat milk as creamy
as possible, but you can easily make an equally healthy version at home.
All you need is some oats, water, a fine mesh strainer, and a high-speed blender.
You'll want to pick up some high-quality rolled oats for this.
Seriously, don't use Quaker instant oatmeal if you want a satisfying and creamy plant-based
milk despite what Wilford Brimley tells you.
"New Quaker Extra.
It's the right thing to do and a new way to do it."
To create the oat milk of your dreams, simply soak the oats in water overnight and blend
them until they're smooth and creamy.
Oh, and here's a helpful hack for you: You can add sweeteners like maple syrup to really
boost the flavor of your oat milk and make it resemble the store-bought version.
After blending everything together, simply pour it through a strainer or cheesecloth
to remove any sediment from your oat milk, and enjoy this high-fiber and easy to make
non-dairy milk!
Your homemade oat milk might taste a little bit different when compared to the cartons
you pick up at the grocery store.
That's largely because oat milk companies process their milk with enzymes, oils, and
other additives that give the product its characteristically creamy flavor.
So if you're looking for an unprocessed and healthier alternative, making it at home is
your best bet.
Oat milk isn't necessarily the drink you should reach for when you need a protein blast.
In fact, it contains significantly less protein than soy milk and pea milk.
But when you add cow's milk into the equation, oat milk really can't compete.
However, oat milk does contain more protein per serving than almond milk, coconut milk,
and rice milk.
According to Buzzfeed News, the average serving of cow's milk has about eight grams of protein.
On top of that, cow's milk also contains all nine of the essential amino acids.
While different oat milk brands have different protein counts, a one-cup serving of typically
only contains about three grams of protein, and it doesn't contain a complete amino acid
profile.
Soy milk, on the other hand, is pretty much on par with cow's milk, at least as far as
protein and amino acid counts go.
The takeaway here?
If you happen to be a vegan bodybuilder, it might be better to stay away from oat milk
and get your protein somewhere else.
As a general rule of thumb, you should expect oat milk to have slightly more calories than
other non-dairy milks.
"Not all milks are created equal."
As Buzzfeed reports, a serving of oat milk typically contains about 120 calories - four
times the amount of calories in a serving of almond milk.
That's actually not so bad when you compare oat milk to the average serving of whole cow's
milk, which typically contains about 150 calories per serving.
Skim milk, on the other hand, typically has around 90 calories per serving.
If you're cutting out dairy because you want to cut down on your calorie intake, oat milk
will only make a marginal difference.
But if counting calories isn't a big deal for you, oat milk might just be the best plant-based
milk for you.
Still not sure why Oatly was so popular when it first hit U.S. markets?
Well, we recommend you march over to the nearest coffee house and order an oat milk latté.
You'll quickly see what all the fuss is about: Steamed oat milk is pretty much second to
none, at least as far as non-dairy milk and coffee pairings go.
Baristas all over the country are becoming fanatical oat milk converts.
That's because the milk's neutral flavor profile lends itself quite well to creamy, espresso-based
beverages like lattés and mochas.
What's more, oat milk froths up really well when you steam it, creating the perfect microfoam
for a non-dairy cappuccino, according to Refinery 29.
No wonder special barista blends for oat milk have been popping up in coffee shops across
the country.
These versions are specifically formulated so that baristas can easily foam them up without
having to switch up their steaming technique too much, and customers clearly love it.
"I always make jokes that it's like oat o'clock because it seems like it comes in waves."
It's no wonder oatmeal is such a popular breakfast item.
Oats are incredibly rich in the dietary fiber that helps our metabolism get flowing in the
morning.
As Medical News Today reports,
"One cup...of dry oats contains 7.5 grams of fiber."
As a result, oat milk is also a good source of fiber.
According to a report in the Journal of Food Science Technology, it contains 2 grams of
dietary fiber per serving, whereas cow's milk contains none.
Meanwhile, oats contain a type of fiber known as beta-glucan, which has been found to have
several potential health benefits, according to Good Housekeeping.
In 2017, researchers found that this fiber can potentially boost your immune system on
top of lowering cholesterol levels.
One thing to keep in mind: Good Housekeeping makes a point to mention that,
"It's still too early to say if the beta-glucan...added to oat milk during processing has all of the
same effects as regularly eating oats."
It's certainly no secret that dairy isn't environmentally sustainable.
As The Guardian reports, more or less every non-dairy milk on the market is better for
the environment than cow's milk.
Producing dairy emits an unparalleled level of greenhouse gases and also takes up more
land and water than most non-dairy milks.
Then there's the unpleasant issue of cow manure.
"Really tackling and addressing the way that dairies manage their manure would represent
one of the most significant climate programs that we have in the state."
Meanwhile, some non-dairy milks are better than others.
Almond milk, for example, is a notoriously unsustainable non-dairy milk.
About 80 percent of almonds are produced in drought-ridden California.
Since it takes about 15 gallons of water to produce about 16 almonds, almond milk production
has the potential to take a heavy toll on the state's environment, according to the
UCSF Office of Sustainability.
As far as environmentally-friendly choices go, oat milk could be one of the most viable
alternatives.
According to The Guardian, oats are mostly grown in colder, northern areas like Canada
and Scandinavia, so growing large quantities of oats doesn't require the same levels of
deforestation that many other crops do.
Oat milk is a bit of an anomaly when compared to almond and soy milk.
This is due to the fact that oats are a grain.
Almond milk and soy milk both have a similar nutritional profile, since they're both derived
from protein-rich, fatty nuts and legumes.
Meanwhile, oat milk is rather high in carbohydrates, according to Buzzfeed.
The average serving of unsweetened oat milk contains around 16 grams of carbohydrates.
Soy milk can have anywhere from 3 to 15 grams per serving, depending on the brand and whether
or not it's sweetened, and cow's milk usually has 11 to 13 grams.
Although oats are naturally gluten-free, things get a little dicier when you explore how oats
are processed.
As The Kitchn reported in 2011, oats are frequently processed in the same facilities as barley
and wheat, both of which do contain gluten.
As a result, oats are often contaminated with small traces of gluten, even if they don't
contain gluten themselves.
As with many other non-dairy milks, it's important for gluten-sensitive individuals to check
whether the brand and flavor of oat milk they're purchasing is certified as gluten-free.
If you're in the U.S., you're in luck: several oat milks available in the U.S. are in fact
gluten-free, or have gluten-free options.
Just make sure to read the label before you start gulping.
As you've no doubt heard, many oat farms have been known to treat their crops with the weed-killing
compound glyphosate, a fact that has left many consumers concerned.
"I'd like a little more transparency on knowing what's in my food."
What's all the fuss about?
Well, according to US News, the World Health Organization announced in 2015 that
"[Glyphosate is] probably carcinogenic to humans."
Well, for the record, Oatly has stated that they do not use oats treated with the weed-killer,
so it's probably safest to stick to their milk if you're at all concerned about the
effects of glyphosate.
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