Minor figures oat milk reviews

We took the best oat milks in the UK market and tested them with various recipes to see which would win the ultimate oat milk showdown.

The last year has seen a global uprising in dairy alternatives. We’ve seen new varieties of plant-based milks, a rise in vegan milk sales, and a multi-billion dollar alt-milk empire.

The 2010s may have belonged to almond milk, but oat is coming for the throne. It tastes great, contains natural sugars and healthy fats, foams up well, and is better for the environment. And it’s everywhere. Today is World Plant Milk Day, and to mark the occasion, The Vegan Review tested six of the best oat milk brands in the UK, in six different ways, to see which is the best oat milk that truly comes out on top.

Our oat milk review was a month-long process, and it was worth it. We used Barista versions for Califia Farms, Rude Health and Oatly. Here’s our Ultimate Best Oat Milk Showdown.

Read our ultimate showdown for the best barista plant-based milk in the UK.

What’s it like to drink oat milk plain?

Any test has to start with the unadulterated version. We poured out each oat milk into a clear shot glass, to examine its colour and texture and then drank it straight. A lot of people drink cow’s milk straight up, but which oat dairy-free milks make for the best replacement?

Alpro

It looks like custard and is quite thin. On tasting, it is acidic in an unpleasant way, very off-putting and astringent. It’s like drinking a bad syrup. 2/5

Califia Farms

Innocent

Minor Figures

Oatly

Rude Health

Cappuccino

This is the most important test for a lot of people. Two common complaints about plant-based milks are how they don’t foam up enough and how they curdle when added to light-roasted coffee. The latter doesn’t really apply to oat milk as much as it does to soy or almond, which are more acidic.

The two important things we were looking for with this test were how the oat milks heat and foam up, and what they taste like when added to coffee. And since most homes don’t have an espresso machine steamer, the best way to do the test was using a French Press.

Alpro

Unfortunately, it tastes more like a white Americano than a cappuccino; very water-forward with a bitter aftertaste. 3/5

Califia Farms

Innocent

You can taste the oats a lot, due to its freshness and the addition of oat flour, which also leaves caramel-coloured spots in the end. 2/5

Minor Figures

Oatly

It’s very different from the rest, and overtakes and masks the coffee’s flavour a bit. It tastes very porridgy too, but the issue is that the milk is the star, not the espresso. 4/5

Rude Health

Cold brew

Cold brewed coffee is known for its chocolatey notes and low acidity. It’s very different from espresso, and thus deserves its own test.

When adding oat milk to cold brew, we examined its consistency and flavour.

Alpro

However, it has a slightly chemical, bitter aftertaste. It’s pleasant at the beginning, but loses flavour as it sits with the ice, unlike the others. 3/5

Califia Farms

Innocent

At first, it does not have a lot of acidity, but it becomes almost unbearable as it sits. And the taste of oat takes over the coffee. 2/5

Minor Figures

It could do with a thicker texture, and is slimier than the rest of the milks, but it’s still by far the best alternative for cold brew. 4.5/5

Oatly

Rude Health

Porridge

Oat milk in oatmeal might sound like overkill, but it actually works. This test focused on how the oat milk heats up, how creamy it is, and how it tastes; all the things that make oatmeal the go-to weekday breakfast.

Alpro

Alpro Oat smells nutty and chocolatey in oatmeal. It thickens well, tastes delicious, and acts as a suitable carrier for the oats without overpowering them. 4/5

Califia Farms

This is super creamy, complements the flavours really well and makes for an incredible carrier for the oats. It is not too naturally sweet, but the texture is fantastic. Having said that, you can still get unpleasant aftertones of that burnt rubber taste. 4/5

Innocent

This smells really fresh and oaty but it doesn’t thicken as much as you’d like. However, while it has no acidic or sour notes, its flavour is nothing exciting. 3.5/5

Minor Figures

This is just creamy enough, with no distinct oaty taste, but no natural sweetness either. Although, compared to the other milks, it is pretty bland. 3/5

Oatly

Strangely, this takes a little longer to thicken. Much like Minor Figures, it tastes bland. The dormant sweetness of the oat milk does not come through enough, but this is the porridge-iest porridge ever. It’s quite creamy, but not our favourite. 3.5/5

Rude Health

This thickens well and smells like milk chocolate. But it tastes quite flat, with a hint of flour; we’re not fans of this one. 2.5/5

Béchamel

No milk is worth its salt if it doesn’t hold up in savoury cooking. And what better to test it in than a classic roux-based béchamel, the king of white sauces?

We used flour and vegan butter to make the roux, and then slowly added the oat milk to turn it into béchamel, which formed a base for a mushroom spaghetti. Consistency, binding strength and taste were the key factors here.

Alpro

Califia Farms

Innocent

Minor Figures

Oatly

The aroma is quite sweet throughout, but it tastes fantastic. It dominates the dish again, but this time it’s welcome. It has a slightly sweet aftertaste, which could be off-putting. 4.5/5

Rude Health

But the sweetness isn’t noticeable once the mushrooms are added to the roux. And while all the other oat milks thicken naturally as they cool, Rude Health does it more than any other, and it tastes delicious. 4/5

Pancakes

To round off the tests, we made pancakes. Fluffy pancakes. This was more focused on the chemical properties of the oat milk than the actual taste.

We added apple cider vinegar to the milk and let it sit for a few minutes to see if it curdles and bubbles up a little, which is what provides the pancakes with the fluffy texture. We used baking powder as well, and examined the consistency, rise, whether it held its shape, and the flavour.

Alpro

Califia Farms

Innocent

Minor Figures

Oatly

Rude Health

Price, availability and ingredients

Price, availability and ingredients are other key factors. Most oat milks use around 10% of oats with water, using other ingredients like plant oils, fibres, salt and acidity regulators to round up the list. It was refreshing to note that none of our chosen brands have added sugar or maple syrup for sweetness, something that recipes for homemade oat milk often suggest. We thought that including the ingredients information was more important than rating the milks based on these parameters.

Alpro

Alpro is the cheapest and most widely available; you can find it in most grocery stores around the UK, and its regular price can be as cheap as £1.40. Its Barista version costs £2.00, but can only be found in superstores.

It has a 9.8% oat content, using chicory root for the fibre, sunflower oil and sea salt for texture and flavour, and is fortified with calcium and vitamins.

Califia Farms

Califia Farms has quite a limited availability, which makes sense as it’s only been in the UK for a year. You can find it in Sainsbury’s superstores and online, but will struggle to find it elsewhere. It’s also on the pricier side, at £1.95.

The milk is made up of 10% oats, with added ingredients like sunflower oil, sea salt, acidity regulator and calcium supplements.

Innocent

Innocent is available in most major supermarkets, but less so in the smaller local stores. But unlike the rest, the bottles are 750ml instead of 1 litre, and it costs £1.75.

This is the purest of all milks, comprising 9% oats and 1% oat flour with spring water, citrus plant fibre, and sea salt. It’s the only one on the list not sold in a tetra pack, which also means it has a much shorter shelf life.

Minor Figures

Minor Figures is the hardest to find. You can usually only get it either in higher-end health stores like Holland & Barrett and Whole Foods or online, but it’s gradually appearing in supermarkets like Waitrose. It’s more widely found in cafes, as it’s marketed as a specialty coffee product. It costs £1.79, which is standard.

Its ingredients are almost identical to the Califia Farms milk, with 10% oats, calcium supplements and salt. The only difference on paper is that it contains rapeseed oil instead of sunflower.

Oatly

Oatly is known worldwide, and is only second to Alpro when it comes to availability. It’s slowly started appearing in smaller, local stores like Tesco Express and Sainsbury’s Local. It costs £1.80.

This also has 10% oats, rapeseed oil and salt, fortified with calcium, vitamin and iodine supplements, and an added acidity regulator.

Rude Health

This is in all the bigger stores, but it’s harder to find in the local ones, especially the Barista version. It’s also the costliest; the lowest price you can find it for is £2.25.

It’s worth noting as part of our Rude Health oat milk review that it is known for its focus on healthy products, and this ingredient list is proof. The Barista version has the highest oat content, with 14% organic oats. Apart from that, it has organic sunflower oil, sea salt, and its defining distinctive ingredient, seaweed.

Read our in-depth review of the best peanut butters in the UK.

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