Is Oat Milk a Scam? How to Make Oat Milk and What's the Difference with Milk and Almond Milk

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In today's world, there are many different types of milk alternatives. There are many reasons to substitute your standard milk. For some people, lactose intolerance or dairy allergies are health concerns.

For others, staying away from saturated fat and focusing more on plant-based proteins might be a conscious effort. For some people, it might just be wanting to see what the fuss is about when it comes to alternative milk.

Whatever your reason for exploring alternative milk, you'll find there are countless options to choose from. From nut milks to other plant milks and even all derivatives of soy milk, you're sure to find a product that suits your needs and tastes.

That being said, for difficult-to-determine reasons, certain types of alternative milk cost significantly more than others.

For example, comparing almond milk to oat milk. Almond milk tends to be slightly more expensive than regular milk, which is expected since it's a special dietary alternative. Oat milk is very similar to almond milk in terms of quality and taste, but it tends to be considerably more expensive. While this might not make much difference in a single 10-yuan purchase, it adds up significantly if you use it frequently.

So, what makes oat milk more special than other types of alternative milk? Is it the way it's processed and distributed nationwide, or is it an issue with the ingredients required to make the milk?

Why is Oat Milk So Expensive?

The reason oat milk is so expensive is somewhat difficult to explain at first. On one hand, it has a lot to do with supply and demand, while on the other hand, its processing method is also quite different.

How is Oat Milk Made?

Essentially, the process of making oat milk isn't expensive, but the equipment used can become complex and costly to maintain. The things needed to make oat milk aren't that expensive either, but the effort required to prepare and distribute it plays a significant role in its overall pricing.

First and foremost, oat milk is made from oats and water. That's all there is to it. Of course, once the milk is almost produced and nearly ready to be sent to distributors and stores, preservatives and additives are added to make it more consumer-friendly, but its core ingredients are just oats and water.

Depending on the facility, the oats might need to be milled. This means the oats arrive at the processing plant still with their hard outer shell, which cannot be digested in the human stomach.

Of course, this will need to be removed. Some processing facilities might purchase already processed oats, so this step doesn't need to be factored into production costs.

From here, the oats are blended into warm water and subsequently broken down in a large tank. This creates a ground oat slurry that will become the foundation of the oat milk.

The physical action of warm water and crushed oats both help to break them down as small as possible to extract as much milk from them as possible. Once the oats turn into a slurry, the slurry will be treated with enzymes and heated to create a thicker oat base.

This oat base is then filtered through cheesecloth or similar filtering material to ensure all the oat-soaked water can be extracted from it. This oat water will become the milk that people enjoy.

Since the molecular parts of the oats are still in the water, people can get all the nutrition oat milk provides without leaving any oat pulp behind. Depending on the company's production requirements, the oats might go through multiple filtering processes to achieve the proper milk thickness and taste.

Finally, on a commercial level, the oat milk will be treated with additives such as vitamins and minerals, as well as preservatives, because oat milk has a very short shelf life once opened.

Again, this is only on a commercial production level, so if you plan to make oat milk at home, you don't need to worry about this step.

This process isn't complicated because you can even make oat milk yourself without any of this equipment. However, it's a time-consuming and delicate job, and the machinery is specialized and not commonly available nationwide.

This means production needs to be handled by experts, which will further increase production costs, as well as the higher price of the milk itself.

When you combine this fact with only a few production companies handling oat milk, and that oat milk only lasts about a week or so, the demand for the milk is astonishing, but there isn't an equal supply.

Supply and Demand

It's undeniable that oat milk is popular and becoming increasingly so. Unfortunately, given the milk's short shelf life, quick production isn't easy, nor is it easy to transport it to certain regions of the country where distribution might be a problem.

This means that while demand for the milk is high, despite actual production being simple, its supply remains somewhat tight.

This means that in areas of the country where oat milk is very popular, it will be priced higher than in smaller areas where oat milk is truly only for those who need it rather than as a regular alternative.

Due to the concept of supply and demand, it's easy for there to be several dollars difference in oat milk prices between cities. When milk supply is plentiful but demand decreases, prices will also drop.

This is another reason why oat milk prices are so expensive. In short, oat milk prices reflect the high demand for it and the fact that the production process isn't as efficient as other plant milks like almond milk.

With oat milk prices being so high, you might start to wonder if there's any way to find a cheaper milk alternative. The truth is, yes, absolutely, but the alternative that's right for you depends entirely on why you're specifically looking for oat milk.

Finding Alternatives That Suit Your Needs

If you're considering buying oat milk because you can't handle standard milk, then there are other cheaper alternatives to consider switching to oat milk. Almond milk is considered the top competitor to oat milk. Its nutrition is similar to oat milk, its taste is similar, its texture is similar to oat milk, but its price is significantly lower. If you're looking for a plant milk alternative that suits your dietary needs, almond milk should be one of your top choices.

Making oat milk yourself costs much less, as long as you have a blender and can finish the milk within three days (because its shelf life will be shorter without preservatives). If you have the time and equipment, everyone should give it a try.

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