The Way To Create Barista-Worthy Oat Milk At Home

If an oat milk latte is your go-to order, because if you prefer the nice dairy-free froth it adds to your morning coffee, or because you can't drink dairy, you know the feeling of disappointment when there's no Oatly stock within a 50-mile radius. As the brand struggles to meet its production demand in the US, you may find yourself reaching for another plant-based milk in hopes that it will live up to the smooth, frothy, and creamy barista oat milk you usually buy. But not all nut milk is created to froth — leaving you with a flat, foamy failure of a cappuccino. 

You may know from experience that not all vegan milk hits the mark in the froth-ability department. Coconut milk lattes steam like water, almond milk lattes separate into chunks of foam, and the froth in soy lattes is just plain sad looking. It's like Oatly finally introduced you to the ultimate dairy-free barista milk, and you'll never return to the flat, froth-less lattes you had before — only now, you can't get your hands on it. The good news is that there's an easy way to create your own barista-worthy oat milk at home.

The reason dairy milk steams so flawlessly is due to its high fat content (via Willas Kitchen). So, it's only natural that if you want to achieve a texture that's most similar to dairy, your barista-style oat milk recipe has to incorporate more fats. To formulate oat milk that can steam and stretch into an Instagrammable froth, and avoid them without rising store-bought prices, do what Oatly does and add a neutral-tasting oil to your homemade oat milk.

While Oatly uses rapeseed or canola oil, you can use any neutral-tasting oil that you have on hand. For example, A Couple Cooks recommends using grapeseed oil, light olive oil, sunflower oil, and peanut oil for cooking recipes that call for a neutral oil but walnut and avocado are also good options. Whichever you choose, you can add 2 tablespoons to your blender along with your oats, water, and any sweeteners you like, before blending away. As you do, the oil will emulsify, AKA froth (via Good Witch Kitchen) — and it will continue to do so each time you mix, steam, or froth it in the future.