🌱 Oat milk

Oat milk is a plant-based drink made from oats and water. It was invented by the Swedish scientist Rickard Öste in the early 1990s. The company Oatly grew out of this work. Today oat milk is one of the most popular plant-based “milks” in the world.

Here is how it is made: oats are ground and mixed with warm water. Then enzymes and heat break down the starch in the grain. The liquid is separated off, vitamins and minerals are added, sometimes sugar, and it is pasteurized. Oat milk tastes slightly sweet and mild. It has little protein — about 1.2 g per 100 ml, roughly a third of what cow's milk has. Without fortification it has less calcium and vitamin A, so makers usually add them.

Oat milk is especially popular in cafés. Its “barista” versions froth well for lattes and cappuccinos. An oat drink needs much less water than cow's milk: by one estimate, about 9 litres versus 131 per glass. The NHS does not advise giving babies under one an oat drink instead of milk. For adults, the NHS advises choosing unsweetened versions with added calcium.