Oat Milk Without Oil

Why do oat milks contain oil?

Most brands of oat milk sold in the UK contain vegetable oils and these are primarily added to give oat milk a creamy, rich texture. Creamier variants like Oatly Whole typically contain the most amount of added oils, while low fat and skinny variants typically contain fewer oils.

In addition to adding creaminess and texture, oils are also be added to improve the shelf life of oat milk, as it can slow down oxidation.

What type of oils are most common in oat milk?

Rapeseed oil is the most common oil added to oat milk as it contains relatively few saturated fats and is a cheap and widely available ingredient. The second most common oil used is sunflower oil which similarly to rapeseed contains few saturated fats and is widely available. If you want to know which oil has been added to an oat milk, simply check the ingredients on the label.

Are oils in oat milk unhealthy?

While rapeseed oil contains primarily monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which are generally considered “healthy fats”, it’s important to note that not all rapeseed oil is created equal. Some rapeseed oils are highly refined and processed, which can involve high temperature heat treatments. Highly refined rapeseed oils can contain higher levels of unhealthy trans fats and offer less nutritional value than cold pressed variants. Without knowing the exact rapeseed oil being used in the oat milk it’s very difficult to determine the nutritional profile or potential health impact, which may mean an oil free oat milk is a safer option..

Which oat milks are free of oil?

Almost all of the oat milk brands currently sold in the UK contains added oils... But good news, there are a few alternatives!

1. Alternative 1: Choose an oat milk with no added oil. We found just two oat milks sold in the UK with no added oils, the first was Oatly Skinny and the second was Plenish Oat M*lk. The only drawback of these is that these are typically less creamy than regular oat milks, which brings us onto alternative 2!
2. Alternative 2: Choose an oat milk which doesn’t use heavily refined oils. With this option you get the creaminess, but without the potential negative health consequences of processed oils, and this is where we come in. Our Overherd oat milk powder uses healthy oils from coconut. The fat chains are shorter compared to oils from rapeseed and sunflower, which allows the body to process the fats more easily and convert them into energy. They also have a host of other health benefits which we won’t go into here. Another brand to consider is Rude Health, which uses organic cold-pressed rapeseed oil which should be much less refined compared to other oils used in oat milks.
3. Alternative 3: You can also consider making your own oat milk at home, which allows you to control the ingredients and make a product that is tailored to your specific needs and preferences, which in this case can mean oil free! Check out our DIY oat milk recipe for easy homemade oat milk.