Less than a decade ago, most people weren’t aware of oat milk. It did exist—it was invented in the 1990s—but it was far from mainstream. Around the mid-2010s, however, things changed. Oat milk started to rise in popularity, and by the end of the decade, it was everywhere. Now, you can find oat milk on the menu at most coffee shops, and some (like Stumptown) have even made it their default option. Of course, Oatly is one of the most popular choices when it comes to this creamy dairy-free beverage, but it is far from the only brand on the market. Find more of our go-to oat milk brands below.
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Why has oat milk become so popular?
Many attribute the success of the oat milk market to Swedish brand Oatly, and that’s for good reason. Back in the 1990s at Sweden’s Lund University, its founders Rickard and Bjorn Oeste actually invented the beverage. It remained a niche choice of milk until 2014 when Toni Petersson became the CEO of the brand.
CNBC reports Petersson changed the packaging and the branding, commissioned the development of the ultra-creamy barista version of the drink, and started targeting the US market. It paid off: now the brand is a top choice for many consumers, and it’s worth more than $598 million.
But Petersson wouldn’t have been able to help steer Oatly to all of this groundbreaking success and inspire a wave of competitors, without a great product. Oat milk has a far creamier texture than many other plant-based milks, as well as a pleasant neutral taste, which means it doesn’t overpower the flavor of coffees and smoothies, for example. It’s also a good environmental option—it requires significantly less land and water to produce than dairy.
9 of the best oat milk brands on the market right now
Set to hit a market value of more than $6 billion by 2030, oat milk has quickly become one of dairy’s biggest competitors. Within the thriving market, there are many, many brands offering delicious, nutritious versions of creamy dairy-free milk—find some of the best below.
1 Oatly
We had to start this list with Oatly, of course. The popular Swedish brand offers many different versions of oat milk to suit many different tastes and needs. If you want to make a super creamy cappuccino or latte, for example, its Original Barista Edition is a great choice. But the brand also offers a low-fat version of its signature blend, as well as Full Fat Oat Milk and even a chocolate-flavored variety, too.
Find it here
Califia Farms
2 Califia Farms
Since 2010, Los Angeles-based Califia Farms has offered various plant milks and creamers to suit everyone’s dairy-free desires. Its offering includes coconut- and almond-based beverages, but its extensive oat milk range is not to be missed. Options include Extra Creamy Oatmilk, Chocolate Oatmilk, and Zero Sugar Oatmilk.
Find it here
Pacific Foods
3 Pacific Foods
Campbell Soup Co. subsidiary Pacific Foods is not one to miss out on the plant milk hype. Alongside cashew milk, almond milk, coconut milk, hemp milk, and soy milk, it offers a handful of oat milk options, including Oat Vanilla. But that’s not all. In 2021, the brand was also the first to launch a range of oat milk soups in flavors like Garden Tomato and Cumin Carrot.
Find it here
Silk
4 Silk
Colorado-based Silk has been in the dairy-free food game since the 1970s. It started off specializing in soy products but as consumer tastes have grown and expanded, so has Silk. Now its extensive product range includes Original Oatmilk and Extra Creamy Oatmilk, both of which are fortified with vitamins and minerals.
Find it here
Elmhurst 1925
5 Elmhurst 1925
In 2016, Elmhurst closed its last dairy farm, before reemerging in 2017 as Elmhurst 1925, an entirely plant-based brand. The products were different, but they were just as tasty, if not more so, than before, and they were far better for the planet. The brand offers a wide range of plant milk options, including a Brown Sugar Oat Latte, Unsweetened Oat Milk, and French Vanilla Oat Creamer.
Find it here
6 Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market offers many different tasty plant-based options in its 365 range, including oat milk. It’s perfectly creamy, a little sweet, and will take your go-to coffee to the next level (but you can also add it to cereal, or, you know, just drink it straight out of the carton).
Find it here
Good Karma
7 Good Karma
Good Karma, a vegan milk brand based in Colorado, started out as an allergen-free, flax milk brand in 2012, but over the years, as the dairy-free market and demand has grown, it has expanded its range to include oat milk, too. It has two oat milk options: Oatmilk+ Barista Blend and Good Karma Kids Oatmilk+.
Find it here
8 Planet Oat
The clue is in the name, but oat milk is Planet Oat’s specialty. The Massachusetts-based brand offers six versions of its creamy dairy-free beverage, including Extra Creamy, Vanilla, and Dark Chocolate, as well as multiple coffee creamers in flavors like Coffee Cake, French Vanilla, and Caramel.
Find it here
9Chobani
It’s not a totally vegan brand, but Chobani, otherwise known as America’s leading yogurt company, does offer five different types of oat milk and creamers. Check out Extra Creamy, Vanilla, and Cereal (which is actually flavored like cereal milk!).
Find it here
For more on plant-based milk, read:
Charlotte is a writer and editor based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.
Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the vegan lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include shopping links where we might earn a small commission. In no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.
