I Tried 8 Oat Milks and This One Made the Best Oat Milk Latte

My methodology

When possible, I chose the “extra creamy” or “barista edition” of each brand of oat milk. These have been formulated to be thicker, creamier and act more like dairy milk when frothing.

I have been enjoying a daily morning latte for at least five years now. When the pandemic forced everyone inside, I invested in a Nespresso machine and milk steamer and learned how to make a latte on my own. So, I decided to use those two tools to decide which oat milk would be the best replacement for milk.

I brewed one espresso pod into a coffee mug, then used my combination milk steamer/frother to prepare the oat milk for the latte. There’s a line for foam on my steamer, so I made sure to measure out each oat milk evenly so the lattes had the same amount. I poured the oat milk on top of the espresso, gave it a stir and waited for it to settle. Then I snapped a photo before drinking it. And don’t worry—I used decaf espresso for my test. I do think my doctor would advise against drinking eight lattes in one sitting.

My ranking has two parts: one for how well the oat milk foams, and one for the overall taste of the latte. I averaged the two scores to get an overall ranking. I’m looking for an oat milk that will add both volume and texture to a latte, that silky, creamy mouthfeel that’s so distinct to the drink. Can any of these oat milks do it?

8. Kirkland

Oh, so this is what betrayal feels like. My love of all things Costco made me believe that this would be a great oat milk option. And it was not. In fact, this is barely good oat milk for drinking. The milk is thin, brown and tastes noticeably like oat. It didn’t froth at all, and after trying my best, the milk ended up with just a few air bubbles. The overall effect feels like someone left a handful of rolled oats sitting in water overnight, then blended them together.

Foam: 0/5

Taste: 0/5

Overall: 0/5

7. Open Nature

I had never tried Open Nature oat milk before, even though I do like a lot of their products. Sadly, their oat milk is not one of them. It foamed more than the Kirkland option, but just barely. Plus, it didn’t add any texture or flavor to the latte. This is overall an unremarkable oat milk.

Foam: 0.5/5

Taste: 1/5

Overall: 1/5

6. O Organics

The best thing about O Organics oat milk is that it doesn’t have an oaty taste. I appreciated that, because it’s not a flavor I really want in my latte. This really let the coffee flavor shine, though it wasn’t very creamy and it did a terrible job of foaming. It’s not one I’d buy again to make an oat milk latte.

Foam: .05/5

Taste: 2/5

Overall: 1.25/5

5. Chobani

OK, this was my second disappointment of the taste test. Chobani has amazing dairy creamers that have almost achieved cult-like status in the coffee world. So I thought their oat milk would be up to the task. Sadly, it was not. While it was creamy and dense, it did not foam well. The taste of oats was also too strong.

Foam: 1/5

Taste: 3/5

Overall: 2/5

4. Califia Farms

Now we’re cooking! I’ve used the Califia Farms oat and almond milks before, but I never tried their Barista oat milk. The packaging mentions how it steams and froths like real milk, so the bar was high. And it did a great job of foaming! The volume of foam produced was slightly lower than the top 3, so I took off a point. As for taste? Well, it was missing something. It tasted bland and not as creamy or full-bodied as other milks, which was surprising considering how well it foams.

Foam: 4/5

Taste: 4/5

Overall: 4/5

3. Oatly

Now, something I need you to note is that now that we’ve reached the top three, I’m really splitting hairs. Oatly has been hugely successful, and I can see why: this is a premium oat milk. The foam and flavor are excellent. It does everything you want a milk substitute to do, and it does it well. The only reason I bumped it down was because it was slightly less rich than my top two picks.

Foam: 5/5

Taste: 4.5/5

Overall: 4.75/5

2. Organic Valley

When I saw that Organic Valley was releasing an oat milk, I told my editor I needed more time to finish my story. Because the quality of their dairy products is so high, I wanted to see if they could make an impressive oat milk (cc: Chobani). I was kind of blown away by just how good this Extra Creamy oat milk is! It has incredible foam, and is smooth and creamy, just like a latte should be. I took off the tiniest amount because there was just one quality that it lacked that my first-place oat milk had.

Foam: 5/5

Taste: 4.75/5

Overall: 4.875/5

1. Planet Oat

I was unaware of just how good Planet Oat’s oat milk is. This Barista Lover’s version is as close as you can get to dairy milk using oats. It’s smooth, creamy and almost decadent. It foamed so well and created so much volume that I actually couldn’t fit all of it into my coffee cup! What really put this one on top of my list was that it had an almost fatty mouthfeel in that same way that milk does. It was subtle, but important to achieve a perfect oat milk latte.

Foam: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I’m so happy that I decided to put these oat milks head-to-head to see which one is really the best for an oat milk latte. There was a clear division between brands that could froth like milk and ones that couldn’t, which I think is the most important factor when making a latte. Now I’m off to tell my doctor that I now live on Planet Oat.

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