Oat milk is without doubt one of the hottest non-dairy milk alternate options, seemingly as a result of the most effective oat milks have a milk-like creaminess, they do not separate when added to scorching espresso, and so they froth up simply as properly—if not higher—than dairy milks, making them an interesting choice for decent espresso-based drinks. However they’re additionally helpful for different functions, like including to cereal and cooking dishes resembling oatmeal or boxed mac and cheese. Briefly, nice oat milk may be extraordinarily versatile. 

With oat milk’s rising recognition, the choices out there have ballooned. There are “authentic” blends, “barista” blends, “further creamy blends,” and even “clear” choices that tout simply two elements: oats and water. So what actually makes an incredible, versatile oat milk? Is the most effective recipe the best, or do components like gums and oils actually add one thing to the combo? 

To seek out the most effective oat milk, we taste-tested 14 extensively out there manufacturers you are more likely to discover at your native grocery retailer. We sampled them in random order, paying shut consideration to mouthfeel, sweetness, and that elusive oat taste—nutty, earthy, and heat. We then tabulated the outcomes and topped an total winner and a runner-up.

The Standards

One of the best dairy alternate options must be simply that: a substitute for dairy that may fulfill those that love the true factor. Although we acknowledge that oat milk won’t ever style precisely like dairy milk, the most effective oat milk ought to have all of the qualities of dairy milk, together with a wealthy, mouth-coating texture and a light-weight sweetness, with none graininess or gumminess. Oat milk must be candy, the best way actual dairy is—delicate, with out tasting like several further sugar has been added. Its taste must be freed from synthetic aromas, and as an alternative have an inobtrusive, pure, nutty taste of oats.

General Winner

Oatly Full Fats Oatmilk

This oatmilk had an oat taste that our editors loved. “It is heat and cereal-like,” our affiliate culinary editor, Laila, mentioned. I loved its gentle sweetness, and our senior editor, Genevieve, agreed. “It is impartial and subtly candy,” she mentioned. Affiliate visuals director, Amanda, gave it a excessive rating for its “good oatiness,” although affiliate editorial director, Megan, discovered this oat milk a bit chalky. 

What stood out most on this pattern was its complete milk–like creaminess. Laila described it as “thick, viscous, and ultra-smooth,” and Amanda cherished its “milky texture.” This was one of many few samples the editors may drink a glass of, with Genevieve noting that she’d be completely satisfied to buy it.

Runner-Up

365 by Entire Meals Unique Oatmilk

This oat milk had a pure oat taste and wasn’t overly candy. Laila thought it had a “powdery, barely gritty mouthfeel,” however took it as a constructive. “The powdery texture could also be off-putting for some, however I discovered it interesting,” she mentioned, explaining that it probably indicators minimal processing.

Different tasters did not select the identical graininess Laila did. As an alternative, Amanda praised the consistency, saying, “Lastly, a milk texture.” I agreed, noting how thick and creamy it was, whereas Genevieve puzzled if it was too thick. “This has loads of physique,” she wrote. “It may be too thick for some, however it will be good for cooking.” General, she decided that it was a fantastic choice, noting, “It is not tremendous candy or overly salty. I like this!”

Of the samples we tried, I believed this feature tasted essentially the most like oats. Laila agreed, remarking that it was “clearly oat-forward, with a extra pure, much less processed style” than different samples. Amanda caught a touch of a taste on the backend that she did not love however could not fairly place, and Megan agreed, noting a bitter aftertaste and a “barely chalky” end.

The Contenders

• 365 by Entire Meals Market Unique Oat Milk
• Califia Farms Further-Creamy Oat Milk
• Chobani Oat Unique
• Chobani Oatmilk Further Creamy
• Good & Collect Unique Oat Milk
• Kirkland Signature, Natural Non-Dairy Oat Beverage
• Malk Natural Unique Oat Milk
• Oatly Full Fats Oatmilk
• Oatly Unique Oatmilk
• Natural Valley Natural Oat Beverage
• Pacific Meals Unique Natural Oat Milk
• Planet Oat Unique Oatmilk
• Silk Oat Milk Unique
• Dealer Joe’s Non-Dairy Oat Beverage

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Most oat milks are made with water, oats, oil, sugar, and salt. Many manufacturers comprise components, emulsifiers, and stabilizers that give their merchandise a wealthy, creamy texture and/or enhance their capability to foam for espresso drinks. Our winner, Oatly Full Fats Oatmilk, lists an “oat base” of water and oats as its first ingredient. It truly has a patent for its course of, which includes mixing oats with water, milling them, then including “pure enzymes” to the combination. This breaks down the grain’s starches and converts them into sugar, sweetening the beverage. As soon as the bran is filtered out, the remaining elements are added, and the beverage is heat-treated earlier than being packaged.

Each our winner and runner-up are made with related elements: They each have a base of oats and water, and comprise 2% or much less of an oil (rapeseed for Oatly; sunflower seed oil for 365 by Entire Meals), calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, and nutritional vitamins. 365 by Entire Meals additionally accommodates gellan gum and potassium phosphate.

Whereas sure manufacturers tout their brief ingredient listing as a promoting level, we discovered that milks made with simply oats and water had been extraordinarily skinny and watery, and our favourite oat milks used oils and different components to imitate complete milk’s richness and texture. 

It is smart. Dairy milk has butterfat that coats the tongue, and a mix of oats and water merely will not replicate that texture. Including fats by way of oil and different elements that thicken the combination creates the creamy, {smooth} physique that most individuals search for in milk. 

A few of the lower-performing oat milks use oat flour as a base, which supplies the drinks a grittiness and a raw-flour taste. We additionally discovered that milks that relied too closely on gums—resembling gellan or locust bean gum—with out balancing them with fats had a gluey or slimy texture. 

It is also value noting that we most well-liked the full-fat model of Oatly to the unique model because it had the creamiest, most “milk-like” texture of the bunch. The complete-fat model has a better rapeseed oil content material than the unique, giving it a fuller physique.

Our Testing Methodology

All style exams are performed with manufacturers utterly hidden and with out dialogue. Tasters style samples in random order. For instance, taster A could style pattern one first, whereas taster B will style pattern six first. That is to stop palate fatigue from unfairly giving anybody pattern a bonus. Tasters are requested to fill out tasting sheets, rating the samples in response to numerous standards. All knowledge is tabulated, and outcomes are calculated with no editorial enter to offer essentially the most neutral illustration of precise outcomes attainable.

January 2026