The Oat Milk Brand That Many Starbucks Stores Use Might Already Be In Your Fridge

If you're a Starbucks fan these days then your world is already saturated in oat milk. While the dairy alternative has been an option for years now, the rise of the Oatmilk Shaken Espresso has been one of the chain's biggest successes in recent years. It's been so popular that new seasonal menus almost always include at least one oat milk-based drink, like the recent Lavender Oatmilk Chill or a holiday-special Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai. It's enough to make you wonder what the company is working with, and just as importantly, if you can use it yourself at home. Well, you might be in luck, because Starbuck's most commonly used brand of oat milk could be one you've already stocked up on: Oatly.

Starbucks' partnership with Oatly started back in 2021, when oat milk joined the menu alongside other non-dairy offerings like soy and almond milk. Not every single location uses the brand, as baristas have told customers in several threads on Reddit; some regions use Dream or Chobani, seemingly due to supply issues. But Oatly is the go-to if possible, and definitely seems like the choice most Starbucks baristas prefer. That doesn't come as a shock to us, as Oatly topped our own ranking of the best oat milks you can buy. It has a real creaminess that is essential for making the best coffee drinks, and it doesn't have an overly sweet flavor either. There's even a barista blend version of Oatly that's made specifically for foaming.

If you aren't already in the habit of buying Oatly for your morning coffee or otherwise, you might be surprised to learn that the brand has been improving its formula all these years. Much like with other plant-based products, there has been a learning curve that has led to a lot of streamlining. In fact, Oatly released a new version of its oat milk just this year, which cut down on many of the added ingredients, and improved the nutritional profile.

With the right oat milk it actually gets pretty easy to recreate a lot of your Starbucks favorites at home. The Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso is made by mixing brown sugar syrup, which is made the same way as standard simple syrup, with a dash of cinnamon and shots of espresso over ice in a shaker. Give everything a good shake, pour into your cup, and top with your oat milk. Congratulations, not only is your drink going to taste almost identical, but you've just saved a lot of money and a trip to the drive-thru!

If you want to stick to more basic drinks, oat milk is an easy substitute. Cool summer favorites like iced caramel macchiatos are just as good made dairy-free and don't require any changes to the recipe except your new oat milk. Even if you don't normally go non-dairy, it's worth trying for the flavor alone. There's a reason Starbucks uses the stuff so much.