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With more people following vegan and dairy-free diets, the world of coffee and tea is changing.

Gone are the days of simply asking if you’d like milk and sugar in your beverage. Now the question is whether you’d like regular milk or non-dairy milk in your drink.

One type of plant-based milk that’s been gaining popularity recently is oat milk. But, can you froth oat milk to make your favorite lattes and cappuccinos?

Let’s find out in this guide.

What to Know About Oat Milk

Oat milk has been rapidly gaining popularity in recent years. Whereas soy milk was once the go-to nondairy milk alternative, oat milk is now becoming a popular choice.

Oat milk has a neutral flavor and a thick texture which makes it perfect for mixing with coffee. The creamy milk froths up well and it won’t drown out the flavor of the coffee, either.

Oat milk doesn’t contain a whole lot of protein. It only contains between 0.5 and 1 gram of protein per 100 ml. As a result, it can take a little longer to form a stable foam.

However, oat milk does whip up easily. If you want to make oat milk foam in the blender, you can whip it up into a bubbly consistency at temperatures up to 65ºC!

Advantages of Oat Milk

There are a ton of reasons why people might use oat milk but I’ve put together a quick list of some of the top reasons.

Let’s get into them.

Neutral Flavor

For one thing, oat milk has a neutral flavor. Unlike almond milk which can be noticeably nutty, oat milk is much more subtle.

As a result, it tastes good in just about any type of coffee you want to brew.

It’s Good for Latte Art

If you’ve ever tried to make latte art with almond milk, you know it’s tough. In fact, if you’ve ever tried to steam up almond milk at all, you’ve probably noticed that it’s hard!

Due to the watery nature of almond milk, it can be hard to make a good latte with this non-dairy beverage.

Oat milk, on the other hand, develops a silky texture and plenty of micro-foam. That makes it perfect for making latte art on your drinks.

It’s Environmentally Friendly

Oat milk is one of the most environmentally friendly plant-based dairy products.

Oat milk uses 80% fewer greenhouse gasses as well as significantly less energy to produce than cow’s milk.

On top of that, it doesn’t use as much water as beverages such as almond milk. As a result, it’s an environmentally friendly non-dairy beverage.

Disadvantages of Oat Milk

If we’re going to give you an honest review of oat milk, we’ve got to talk about a few of the disadvantages as well as the advantages.

Luckily, there aren’t too many. Let’s take a look at the disadvantages of this non-dairy beverage.

Not as Nutrient Rich

Although oat milk contains vitamin B12 and calcium, it’s definitely not as nutrient-rich as your standard cow’s milk.

Some oat milk brands will enrich the milk to put more protein and vitamins into it. However, natural oat milk doesn’t typically contain those additional nutrients.

Higher Sugar Content

Perhaps one of the reasons that so many people like oat milk is thanks to its high sugar content. This makes a much sweeter drink.

However, it can also be an issue for those who are on a low-sugar diet. If you’re in this boat, you might want to look at alternatives such as almond milk or pea milk.

Higher in Calories

This one goes hand-in-hand with the sugar content.

Thanks to the extra sugar, oat milk tends to be a bit higher in calories. There are usually about 42 calories in a 100ml serving, as opposed to your standard 15 calories for almond milk!

FAQ’s

Do you have a few lingering doubts about whether you can froth oat milk or not? I hear you.

Here are a couple of frequently asked questions to help you get all the information you need.

Is It Harder to Froth Oat Milk?

It can be a bit difficult to foam oat milk, but it’s not impossible. In fact, it’s much thicker and creamier than some other plant-based milk, which makes it a pretty good choice for making cappuccinos and lattes.

What’s the Best Milk to Use for Frothing?

If we’re being honest, the best milk to use for frothing is cow’s milk. And, the best type of cow’s milk is whole milk. Whole milk creates a thicker, creamier foam which ultimately gives your beverage more volume.

How Long Should You Froth Oat Milk?

It should only take you about thirty seconds to froth oat milk. Steaming it for too long can mean you run the risk of scalding it and having to throw it out and start from scratch.