The best barista oat milks for your frothy coffee

For keen coffee drinkers looking for a dairy-free alternative that doesn’t compromise on taste or texture, oat milk is a popular choice. 

To find out which oat milks are worth pouring into your morning brew, we enlisted a panel of experts to blind taste three popular barista-style oat milks. Each was assessed in freshly brewed coffee, with experts scoring them on appearance, flavour and aroma, and texture and mouthfeel.

Below, we reveal the standout performer from our expert panel for its smooth texture and balanced flavour, and we explore why plant drinks continue to grow in popularity.

We know it’s not technically 'milk', but as that’s the term most people use, it’s the one we’ve used here.

Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend - 72%

£1.50 for 1L

Califia Farms was the clear favourite, standing out for its smooth texture and balanced flavour.

One expert praised its 'smooth and silky appearance,' while another highlighted 'even bubbles and a natural colour.' It produced less foam, but the finer bubbles created a more milk-like finish, the kind that wouldn’t look out of place in a café flat white.

The flavour was widely liked for being well-balanced and not overpowering. One expert described it as having a 'nutty and reasonably sweet flavour,' and another said it was 'creamy and sweet', and 'not too oaty'. 

Our panel also appreciated that the coffee flavour still came through, with one noting it was 'sweet and smooth – a little acidic but the coffee can still be tasted.' 

Texture was another strong point. The panel described a 'soft and silky mouthfeel,' with a 'fuller and creamier' body and 'no chalkiness.' If you're shopping for a barista-style oat milk for your morning coffee, this comes highly recommended – especially if you like your brew to feel a bit more like a coffee shop treat.

Available from: Waitrose (£1.50), Asda (£2.03), Ocado (£2.10), Sainsbury's (£2.10), Tesco (£2.10)

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Alpro Barista Oat Long Life Dairy Free Drink - 62%

1.58 per 1L

This contender from Alpro delivered mixed results from our tasting panel, with some positive notes on sweetness and overall flavour, but inconsistencies in texture and mouthfeel.

Our panel noted that appearance was a little lacking, with one expert describing it as 'quite bubbly and a bit thin,' while another pointed to a 'turmeric yellow' colour with 'uneven-sized bubbles.' 

This carried through to the texture, with one panel member describing it as ‘fairly thin’ and ‘lacking in the satisfying butteriness’ they’d expect from a milky drink.

Flavour divided opinion. Some found it appealingly mild, with one expert describing it as ‘smooth and pretty neutral’, and a ‘sweet and pleasant drink’. However, others felt it lacked character, calling it ‘a touch bland and dry’.

Opinion was split on how this Alpro oat milk performed in coffee. While one expert said it ‘sits really well in the coffee and complements the flavours’, others found it ‘didn't pair well’. Some testers also noted that the foam and milk separated quickly, leaving bubbles on top and untextured milk underneath.

Ultimately, while this Alpro blend can produce a sweet coffee, its thin texture means it doesn’t finish top of the pile in our head-to-head.

Available from: Asda (£1.58), Ocado (£2.20), Sainsbury's (£2.20), Tesco (£2.25), Waitrose (£2.30)

If you’re struggling to get good results at home, the coffee machine you use can make a big difference – see our guide to the best coffee machines.

Oatly Oat Drink Barista Edition Long Life - 59%

£2.20 per 1L

After comparing the three oat milk options, this Oatly drink was the least liked, despite showing flashes of promise.

One member of the panel described it as 'a bit cardboard-like (not smooth),' while another pointed to 'uneven bubbles' but a 'more natural-looking colour.' Despite this, it retained its foam relatively well.

On texture and mouthfeel, some experts found it lacking, with comments including ‘a little chalky compared to dairy’ and ‘a bit powdery in texture and mouthfeel afterwards’. It wasn’t all bad, though – we also heard comments describing the oat milk as having a ‘buttery mouthfeel'. 

The flavour was generally liked, though with some reservations. One expert noted a ‘nice biscuity and malty flavour’, 'pleasant sweetness and aftertaste'. While another described it as ‘nice and sweet and not overpowering’. However, some felt the oat flavour was too prominent.

Available from: Asda (£2.20), Ocado (£2.20), Sainsbury's (£2.20), Tesco (£2.20), Waitrose (£2.30)

Why are plant milks so popular?

Plant-based milks might once have been seen as a niche alternative, but options are now filling supermarket shelves, giving shoppers more choice than ever. For some, the switch is down to lactose intolerance or dairy allergies, while others are drawn to perceived health benefits, such as lower saturated fat.

Barista-style oat milks, like those covered in our recent taste test, are made to foam, texture and blend well with coffee, making them a popular choice for those who don’t want to compromise on their morning brew.

This shift to plant-based milk isn’t just happening at home – it’s on the high street, too. Last year, the Guardian reported that one in four coffees sold by major UK chains is now made with plant-based milk, highlighting just how common it’s become. It also reported that, according to data firm Kantar, just under 35% of UK households consume plant-based drinks.

You might notice that brands such as Oatly often use terms like ‘oat drink’ rather than ‘oat milk’. As reported by Euronews, this is because the Court of Appeal in London ruled that the word ‘milk’ can only be applied to animal-based products.

Our testing panel

Our panel of independent experts blind-tasted three oat milks. Each sample was assessed in coffee to reflect how these barista-style oat milks perform in real use at home.

Experts scored each sample on appearance (20%), flavour and aroma (50%), and texture and mouthfeel (30%) to give an overall rating.

Our expert tasting panel included:

• David Jameson – Founder of Danelaw Coffee, certified Q Grader specialist coffee taster, two-time UK Coffee cocktail champion, roaster, and blender.
• Casey Lalonde – Founder of Girls Who Grind Coffee and certified Q Grader specialist coffee taster.
• François Knopes – Director and coffee advisor at The Collaborative Coffee Network, fourth-generation coffee roaster and certified Q Grader specialist coffee taster.
• Esther Hope-Gibbs – Director and consultant at Hope Espresso, certified Q Grader specialist coffee taster and instructor.

We buy all our test samples ourselves. We may buy direct from the supermarket if the product isn't in stores yet, but we always pay for products we test to maintain our independence.

If you're shopping for a coffee machine without spending too much, see our expert reviews covering coffee machines under £150.