Oat Milk: The Most Affordable Homemade Plant-Based Milk - SPUD.ca (2024)

FAQs

Is making your own oat milk cheaper than buying it? ›

It's thicker than almond milk (and, for my nut-free friends, oat milk doesn't have any nuts) and is much cheaper to make, too. Oats, especially when bought in bulk, are very inexpensive, making them perfect for those who are on a budget, or otherwise want to save a little $$$.

Oat Milk Benefits

It's much cheaper to make than other plant-based milks. It's virtually fat free, cholesterol free and low in calories.

Soy beverages fortified with calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D are the only plant-based alternatives with a nutrient content similar enough to milk to be included in the dairy group in the federal government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Oat milk is rich in carbohydrates and B vitamins, a great energy source to get you through the day. It's a high source of fiber, promoting healthy digestion and happy gut bacteria, reducing inflammation and therefore the chances of getting inflammation-linked diseases such as arthritis or ulcerative colitis.

If you have problems digesting gluten, it's best to purchase oat milk labeled as certified gluten-free. You can also make it yourself using gluten-free oats. Keep in mind that homemade oat milk is not enriched with vitamins and won't be as nutritious as most commercial alternatives.

Homemade oat milk has a wonderful fresh oat flavor. But the biggest difference between the homemade stuff and Oatly Original Oat Milk—our favorite brand for drinking straight—is in the texture. The homemade version is thick, extra-rich, and creamy, while Oatly's original blend is more milky and clean.

Is making your own nut milk healthier? Absolutely. Not only is it healthier, but it's also much richer, creamier and more nutrient-dense.

Among the plant options, soy milk comes closest to the nutritional profile of cow's and goat's milks. Many plant-based milks are lower in saturated fat and calories than cow's milk. But the manufacturing process often destroys the parts of the plant that provide nutrition, and it adds lots of new ingredients.

Plant milks made at home are alive, meaning that they contain lots of active micro and macronutrients such as amino acids, minerals, lipids, vitamins, enzymes, etc… To ensure that these drinks last up to 3 to 5 days, it's necessary to keep them in the fridge between 2 to 5ºC.

Oat Milk. Oat milk is perhaps the creamiest of all the plant milks. Its thick creamy texture means it's one of the closest plant-based milks to resemble dairy milk. Oat milk is quickly becoming a favorite non-dairy alternative to milk with popular brands like Oatly disrupting the traditional milk industry.

What milk is best for gut health? ›

Low-fat, skim or 1% cow's milk are healthier options compared to 2% or whole milk. They contain less fat. “If you can't have cow's milk, soy milk and rice milk are often the healthiest milk for gut health – especially for people with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation,” Park said.

One of the biggest downsides to plant-based milk is most options on the market have low or are void of protein. Since consuming adequate protein is a requirement for good health, if you're considering eliminating dairy from your diet, it's critical to ensure you are receiving protein from other sources.

Drinking oat milk is probably fine for your body unless you're drinking large quantities of it, already loading your diet with carbs, and/or diabetic. If most of your day's liquid is coming from any milk, plant-based or not, that's probably not great. Moderation is key.

The process of making milk out of oats turns carbohydrates into sugar. Not a big deal, but if you mix it with coffee and have it as first thing in the morning, it can cause a massive sugar (glucose) spike — similar to what a small can of Coca-Cola can do to your glucose levels in the afternoon.

Beta-glucan fiber in oat milk provides prebiotics too, which fuel your body's probiotics and help these friendly cultures of bacteria survive and thrive in the long run. Over time, consuming foods like oat milk that beta-glucan has also been connected to enhanced gut health and immunity.

So much cheaper than spending $4+ bucks a carton and takes about 2 minutes for me to make a batch. Add 4 cups water, 1 cup old fashioned oats, a pinch of salt, and 1/2-1 tsp of sweetener (you can also add some vanilla if you feel), and blitz with an immersion blender.

It's super easy to make, it's smooth and creamy, and it has a yummy oat-y flavor that tastes great in coffee or tea. Unlike other non-dairy milk recipes, this one doesn't require any special equipment (looking at you, nut milk bags). And because you don't need to soak the oats beforehand, it takes minutes to make.

The Verdict. If you're purely looking at numbers, the answer is clear: It's mostly cheaper to buy packaged milk than to DIY. This is likely because non-dairy milk producers buy massive quantities of nuts in bulk, which reduces cost significantly.

Oat milk contains a good quantity of fatty acids, protein, minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber, and a variety of micronutrients and provides several health benefits, as it reduces blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, and prevents cancer (Jeske et al., 2018). Therefore, oats are a promising alternative to traditional milk.