So you’ve decided to use non-dairy milk in your coffee. Great! But now what? Do you choose soy, almond, or oat milk? Or what about coconut, rice, hemp, or even avocado milk? Which one is the most like cow’s milk? Which will go best in your latte, iced coffee, and everything in between?
Oat milk is quickly becoming the most popular non-dairy milk to use in all types of coffee drinks for several reasons. Its creamy texture, it’s rich and slightly nutty taste that complements coffee very well, and it’s surprisingly excellent ability to froth. Our pick for the best oat milk in coffee is Oatly Full Fat.
With more vegans and omnivores choosing non-dairy milk in coffee shops, it’s time to break down the best oat milks to use with coffee.
What Makes A Plant-Based Milk Good In Coffee?
Whether you are new to dairy-free milks or are experienced in the many different types, we can all agree that the milk you use will make or break your morning coffee. Each different type of non-dairy milk affects the taste and texture of your coffee differently.
Frothability
One of the most essential elements to consider (besides the taste, of course) is called the “stretch”. This is the milk’s ability to froth and foam for drinks like lattes and cappuccinos.
Dairy milk foams because the proteins in it melt when they are heated. When air is introduced into heated milk, the air gets trapped by the melted proteins and then stretched to make tiny bubbles (foam).
Not all plant-based milks can foam up like dairy milk can. So when you want to create a dairy-free latte or macchiato, the plant-based milk’s ability to “stretch” becomes very important.
Rich & Creamy
The ideal dairy-free milk will have as many similarities to cows’ milk as possible in order to produce the coffee drink you are looking for. So finding a plant-based milk that is full-bodied, rich, and creamy, like dairy milk, will produce the best results.
It doesn’t Curdle Or Separate
One of the biggest complaints about non-dairy milk is that there can be separation or curdling when used in a hot coffee drink. This is caused by the coffee and milk’s temperature and acidity when combined. Options like almond and soy milk are known to curdle when added to hot drinks. They may also separate when heated, so your latte art may look beautiful on top of the foam but hide a watered-down drink underneath.
Taste
For most coffee drinks, you will want neutral-tasting milk, so it doesn’t change the flavor profile you are looking to achieve. The exception is if you want a specific flavor or are using strong syrups or other flavorings that will mask or enhance the milk flavor you desire. For more information on flavored oat milk, check out this article!
How Does Oat Milk Taste With Coffee?
Oat milk is excellent in coffee because of its creamy nature and neutral taste. It is slightly sweet and slightly oaty, but in a very complimentary way to coffee.
What Oat Milk Do Baristas Use?
Most professional baristas will use a barista specific oat milk in their coffee drinks. The most popular brand in America is the Oatly Barista Edition oat milk.
What Is The Difference Between Oat Milk and Barista Oat Milk?
The perfect cappuccino starts with the milk. Coffee baristas have particular requirements when it comes to choosing their milk, and fat in this beverage helps create velvety foam that makes lattes so satisfyingly rich.
Barista oat milk is specially formulated with slightly different ingredients, like more vegetable oil than regular oat milk. The additional fat helps the oat milk foam and froth very similarly to dairy milk, which is why it is a favorite of baristas.
What Kind Of Oat Milk Does Starbucks Use?
Starbucks has been serving Oatly Barista Edition oat milk at participating cafes since 2020 in the United States. View our list of popular coffee shops that offer oat milk here.
Best Oat Milk To Use In Hot Coffee
Oatly Full Fat
This oat milk is delicious with a full-bodied flavor that tastes great in all coffee drinks! It has a subtle oat flavor and steams and froths very well.
Best Oat Milk For Latte art
Oatly Barista Blend
The Oatly Barista oat milk is similar to the Oatly Full Fat but is formulated to froth better. So while you may notice a tiny difference in the flavor, the main difference is its ability to make foam.
Oatly does this with patented enzyme technology; the Swedish brand ensures that their Barista Edition oat milk tastes just like what you would find in nature. The 3% fat content allows for rich but lighter bodied drinks to enjoy without feeling too heavy on your taste buds when creating beautiful lattes and other frothy drinks with it! This oat milk has the natural taste of oats without being too overwhelming.
Best Oat Milk For Iced Coffee
Pacific Barista Series
We chose this oat milk for cold coffee drinks over Oatly because it has a slightly nuttier taste that goes really well with iced coffee.
Why Does Oat Milk Curdle When Heated?
Often, curdled oat milk is still safe to drink, it will just look less appetizing. And not all oat milk will curdle; most brands available in your grocery store have added oils and emulsifiers to help the oat milk steam and froth without curdling or separating.
Oat milk can break down and curdle when it becomes too hot or too acidic. Since oat milk is exposed to both heat and acidity when combined with hot coffee, it is helpful to know how to avoid it!
How To Prevent Oat Milk From Curdling In Coffee
- Avoid overheating the oat milk (this reduces the rate of the chemical reaction between the coffee and oat milk)
- Let the steamed oat milk cool for a bit before using it so there is a better temperature balance between your coffee and oat milk.
- Use a low-acidic coffee
- Pour the coffee into the milk (this will help bring the milk up to the coffee temperature).
- Try a barista blend of ready-to-drink oat milk from the store.
Final Thoughts
While soy milk and almond milk have been around for a while and are well known as dairy milk replacements in coffee drinks, the newest kid on the block, oat milk, is quickly becoming the most popular plant-based milk for all types of coffee drinks. And the most popular oat milk for coffee right now is Full Fat Oatly, Oatly Barista, and Pacific Barista Series.
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