I Tasted Popular Oat Milk Brands And Ranked Them By Taste
Hi, I'm Farrah! Over the years, I began to notice cow's milk didn't agree with me as it once used to, so I made the switch to oat milk — and I haven't regretted it. Almond milk is too sweet for my taste and I don't drink soy, so I'm glad to see the rise in oat milk's popularity.
If you want to do a little more reading, here's a great link to the benefits of oat milk.
Because there are so many different brands of oat milk out there, I decided to do the ultimate taste test. I'm not loyal to one brand, but Oatly has always been my go-to. I've tried all of these at different points in time, but not together. So today I'll be rating them on how they taste on their own — and seeing if they pass my cereal and coffee test (aka, do they taste good in cereal and coffee?).
Up first: Califia Farms Original Oatmilk!
Thoughts: This oat milk was not as good as I wanted it to be after paying over $5 for it. It's hard to see in the photo, but the coloring was a beigey color. It had too much of an "oaty" aftertaste for my liking, which kind of lingered. It does, however, have a thicker consistency, which meant it worked well as coffee creamer. And because it wasn't super sweet — with more of a neutral taste — it made for great cereal milk.
Cereal/coffee test: Passed ✅
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐(3/5 stars)
Calories per serving (1 cup): 130; sugar: 4 grams
Next: Chobani Oat!
Thoughts: Because this had more grams of sugar than the Califia oat milk, I think I expected it to be sweeter. It wasn't! The coloring was similar to cow's milk, an off-white. There was a subtle oat aftertaste, but it wasn't as strong as Califia's. I enjoyed the overall creaminess, which worked well in both cereal and coffee.
Cereal/coffee test: Passed ✅
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5 stars)
Calories per serving (1 cup): 100; sugar: 7 grams
Next: Planet Oat Oatmilk!
Thoughts: In terms of calories and sugar, this is the "healthiest" option of all the oat milks. The coloring was beigey, kind of like Califia's, and it wasn't as thick or creamy as the other oat milks. It almost looked as if it could have been a "skim" oat milk, even though it says it's original. (I did notice that they have a different option for "extra creamy," however!) As for taste, there was a slight, subtle hint of oats, but overall, it was pretty good. While it did pass my cereal and coffee test, I would choose the extra-creamy option for my coffee next time around!
Cereal/coffee test: Passed ✅
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4/5 stars)
Calories per serving (1 cup): 90; sugar: 4 grams
Finally, Oatly Oatmilk!
Thoughts: As I said at the beginning, Oatly is my usual go-to! It's not the healthiest option out of these (though they do have a low-fat version), but it's pretty tasty. The color is off-white, and it still has that hint-of-oat taste, but there's no weird lingering aftertaste. I like that the consistency is thick but not TOO thick. Even though Oatly has a barista mix for coffee, it did pass my coffee and cereal test. Overall, a very solid option!
Cereal/coffee test: Passed ✅
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5/5 stars)
Calories per serving (1 cup): 120; sugar: 7 grams
And for the final results, here are my rankings, starting on the left with the number one spot (Oatly) and moving to the right with the fourth-place spot (Califia Oatmilk). To be clear, there isn't a BAD option here. They are all great substitutes for cow's milk. In terms of taste, I happen to prefer Oatly and Chobani to the rest.
