Milk. There are so many non-dairy options out there that it’s hard to know which to choose. Almond? Soy? Rice? What about oat? Oat milk hasn’t gotten as much attention as some of the other alternatives, but it’s about time that changed.
A group of Swedish researchers created oat milk in the 1990s, which became the first commercial oat milk company - Oatly.
As they say on their website, “The original idea behind Oatly was to find a way to make a nutritious liquid product for people who just didn’t like cow’s milk or were unwilling to use it for personal reasons. Today, the concept of producing a drink directly from oats instead of first feeding oats to a cow and letting the cow process them into milk is an option but back when we started in the 1990s most people thought we were totally crazy.”
Oatly came to the United States in 2017 and took the market by storm. Baristas got behind the dairy alternative in a big way, and they were able to break into a crowded market.
Why? It foams nicely, it doesn’t curdle, and isn’t full of artificial ingredients that makes it hard to work with due to texture or taste. Maxine’s agrees with the baristas on this one - Oatly is the creamiest and most like regular milk. Plus, their oats are gluten free.
It’s a healthy alternative, too. Oats are said to lower cholesterol and oat milk has more protein than other plant-based milk alternatives like almond, coconut, cashew, or rice milk one expert told Shape. Oats also give your body a boost in key vitamins and minerals like thiamin, folate, magnesium, and zinc.
Oat milk is vegan, lactose free, nut free and (usually) gluten free. If you have dietary restrictions, finding a milk that meets them all can be difficult. Oat milk is that magic milk that does just that since its made from just oats and water. If you have celiac or a gluten sensitivity, just double check to make sure that the oats are gluten free.
Finding the right milk alternative can be a tough quest, but oat milk might just be the creamy, delicious, healthy winner.
------------
Into oats? Try our oat-based cookies!
