You may have noticed a new milk alternative that’s being offered up by your local cafe: oat milk. And the new lactose-free option for your lattes and cappuccinos is a real challenger to almond milk, the current steamed milk of choice. That’s because oat milk’s cost, flavor, and health benefits make it a great alternative to your other milk alternatives.
How Many Calories in Oat Milk
Oat milk isn’t just cheaper than almond milk but it’s also quite nutritious. It has a good amount of fiber and some protein. It also contains potassium manganese, phosphorus, as well as vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin E. One cup of oat milk contains more than 35% of the recommended daily dose of calcium.
That’s all good and fine, but let’s talk about how many calories are in this new milk alternative. We looked at the nutritional information for Pacific Natural Foods’ Organic Oat Non-Dairy Beverage, Pureharvest Organic Oat Milk, and Oatly’s and there’s approximately 130 calories per 8-oz one cup serving.
| Brand | Type | Serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oatly | Barista Oat Drink | 8.1oz | 144 |
| Pacific Natural Foods | Organic Oat Non-Dairy Beverage | 8oz | 130 |
| Pureharvest | Organic Oat Milk | 8.4oz | 142 |
If we’re to take that reported calorie number as relatively accurate, then oat milk has many more calories than almond milk. Unsweetened almond milk has approximately 30-40 calories in the same serving size. So though oat milk is a surprisingly tasty milk alternative to whole milk and just as flavorful as almond milk, if you are watching your calories while keeping lattes in your diet, oat milk isn’t the best choice out there.
Outside of the higher calories, oat milk has a lot of other benefits to consider when considering the bigger picture. Oat milk is vegan, high in soluble fiber, calcium-rich, stabilizes blood sugar, and it’s better for the environment than most nut milks.
