Oat milk is the latest and greatest choice of milk alternative for conscious consumers and dairy avoiders—and it’s amassed a strong following that suggests it may be here to stay.
Whereas almond milk picked up a ton of popularity in the first few years after dairy milk began to lose some of its luster and dominance, oat milk avoids some of the ethical and sustainability issues almond milk brought with it as tradeoffs to its plant-based milk benefits.
So naturally, with oat milk on our minds, the most important question is, “Does Starbucks have oat milk drinks?”
Yes. Starbucks does in fact have oat milk and even some delicious specialty oat milk drinks.
Here are all the sweet, plant-based details on the addition and what it might mean for your next order.
Does Starbucks Have Oat Milk at All Store Locations?
Yep! They indeed do. But it’s a surprisingly new addition.
Starbucks’ oat milk option was only rolled out nationwide in the United States in 2021.
Prior to that you may have been able to find oat milk at a select few local Starbucks cafes as the company piloted the product prior to its mass-market launch.
What Other Alternative Types Does Starbucks Offer?
While oat milk itself is a new addition to the Starbucks menu, non-dairy milks have been widely available since way back in 1997.
That’s when the global coffee giant added soy milk to its menu in the United States.
Your options were limited to either dairy or soy for nearly 20 years before 2015 saw the addition of coconut milk to the non-dairy milks menu at Starbucks.
Milk almond was promptly tacked onto the list just one short year later, with oat milk finally joining the list half a decade after that.
According to Starbucks, they actually have yet another dairy-free alternative milk option, but you can’t get it just anywhere (and no, this isn’t a Secret Menu item).
In most parts of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Starbucks offers what they call the “Starbucks new Original Nut Blend” which they describe as being made from cashews, hazelnuts, and rice.
Full List of Starbucks Milk Options
Dairy milk (cow’s milk)
Soy milk
Coconut milk
Oat milk
Starbucks Original Nut Blend (select markets only)
What Brand of Oat Milk Does Starbucks Use?
Starbucks went with a well-known and well-liked consumer brand for its new offering—Oatly Oat Milk.
However, they use a special variant called the Barista Edition.
Oatly is a Swedish brand that makes drinks with a focus on producing a high-quality oat milk flavor.
Does Starbucks Sweeten Oat Milk?
Nope! You’ll be relieved to know that the oat milk used at Starbucks is not sweetened, making Starbucks’ oat milk healthy—whether added as a cool splash or in steamed oat milk form.
That means when you add oat milk to your coffee drink, you’re not compromising on the health benefits.
Having said that, just because Starbucks’ Oatly oat milk isn’t sweetened before going into your iced vanilla latte doesn’t mean whatever drink you order containing oat milk won’t itself be sweetened or contain other sweeteners.
If you go ahead and order a delicious honey oatmilk latte or oatmilk iced vanilla latte, for example, you should expect that both hot and cold beverages will have added sugar by default.
But overall, the coffee chain doesn’t do anything to its oat milk that it doesn’t do to its regular milk, which for the most part is to either make it hot or frothy.
And yes, steamed oat milk is just as good as steamed cow milk!
Can You Purchase Starbucks Oat Milk To Use at Home?
The Barista Edition Oatly Oat Milk Starbucks uses is possible to buy for yourself outside of Starbucks, and it’s sometimes even available at a lower price than the Original Oatly Oat Milk version.
The differences between Original and Edition Barista aren’t enormous, but there are a few to point out:
Barista Edition is known to have a creamier texture
Barista Edition contains 10 more calories per serving (8% more than Original—130 vs. 120 calories per serving)
Barista Edition contains 1 gram less sugar per serving (17% less than Original—5 vs. 6 grams per serving)
You can find both the Original and Oatly Oat Milk Barista Edition at major retailers such as Amazon, Target, Whole Foods, Walmart, CVS and even direct through Oatly’s website.
Is Oat Milk Healthy?
Super healthy! Oat milk has a ton of health benefits that put it ahead of regular milk and even the great and popular dairy-free alternative milks like a former queen, almond.
Oat milk is rich in protein, fiber and calcium. It’s also naturally free of lactose (lactose intolerance) and soy and is also gluten-free.
Not to mention it’s full of vitamin and nutrients people needs and that we often don’t get enough of.
If you’re looking for the healthiest option to add to your coffee drink or tea at Starbucks, oat milk is easily your smartest bet.
Is It Better Than Other Kinds of Milk Alternative?
Oat milk does a good job of solving one of the biggest complaints around non-dairy options—consistency and thickness.
Whereas soy milk and its almond cousin have been around and popular for longer, they tend to be a bit thin and watery.
Milk oat on the other hand has a naturally thick consistency much closer to regular milk.
It’s also better for the planet than its almond counterpart, since oats are extremely easy to grow, harvest, and process into milk.
Almonds by comparison require an incredible amount of water, and their trees are very space inefficient as well.
On top of that, they’re very picky about where they’ll grow, meaning almond-based products inevitably contribute a ton more greenhouse gas emissions to our beleaguered environment due to all the logistics necessary to transport them from their sources to customers.
Wrap-Up: Starbucks Oat Milk Drinks—Healthy, Delicious, and Available Since 2021
So now you know that Starbucks’ oat milk is the real deal. The coffee chain has been offering oat milk since 2021, and even a bit earlier at certain stores.
It’s unsweetened, healthy, globally available and tastes amazing.
Next time you’re at your local Starbucks, we recommend picking up a Honey Oatmilk Latte or trying out some steamed oat milk in your chai tea latte.
Let us know how you like your milk oat at Starbucks, and what your favorite Starbucks oat milk beverages are!