Oat Milk Latte

This homemade oat milk latte is sweetened with honey. It’s super easy and simple to make with just 5 ingredients, no special equipment required, and it tastes better than Starbucks!

I cut out all dairy (and the other 7 top allergens) for the month of January this year.

Yeah. It was rough.

But, latte lover that I am, I had to learn to deal.

And that was with oat milk!

Personally, I find that oat milk is the best plant-based milk for coffee drinks. I’ve tried almond milk and coconut milk, and they just don’t compare IMO.

There’s a good reason that you’ve been seeing this non-dairy milk more and more at your local coffee shop!

Now, I’m not going to tell you that I think that oat milk is just as good as regular milk in a latte.

But I will say this: it’s pretty difficult to tell the difference!

In fact, the other day I made Reuben an oat milk latte, and he thought it was made with real milk!

The strong coffee flavor masks the oatiness quite well. So if you’re actually looking for a latte that taste like oatmeal, you’ll have to wait for my matcha version to come out!

I don’t think it has quite as nice of a creamy texture as regular milk, but it’s pretty good!

How to Make an Oat Milk Latte:

Okay, enough chit chat. Let’s dive in and I’ll show you how to make an oat latte with my step-by-step guide!

Ingredients:

Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need:

• Coffee: I like to buy espresso roast for homemade lattes. When I can, I try to source fair trade, organic coffee beans.
• Oat Milk: I’ll discuss my favorite brand of oat milk down below!
• Honey or Maple Syrup: For an oat milk honey latte, you can simply use honey for the sweetener. But maple syrup is quite nice as well. Any other flavored syrup would work as well, but I really like the natural sweetness of honey. I’ve never tried agave syrup, but I’m sure it would work here as well. You could even mix it up by using caramel syrup, hazelnut syrup, etc. And honestly, white sugar will work as well!
• Unrefined Sea Salt: Adding a little bit (we’re talking a tiny pinch) of sea salt helps to make this drink more flavorful.
• Vanilla: I like a vanilla oat milk latte because that’s just the flavor I associate with lattes. So I included a dash of vanilla extract in my recipe. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract, NOT imitation vanilla! You could also use a bit of vanilla bean paste. 

Best Oat Milk For Lattes?

I’ve tried a couple of barista blend oat milks, and I think that Califia Farms is a little better than Oatly. 

But I accidentally stumbled upon something even better: if you mix half Califia Farms Barista Blend and half Thrive Market oat milk (which is made with organic oats), the combo is perfect for lattes.

If you want to save money, or if it’s important that your oat milk is organic, you can actually make your own oat milk barista blend! 

Thrive Market oat milk is $2.49 per 34 oz carton, whereas Califia Farms is $3.75 per 32 oz carton. If you simply add a teaspoon of avocado oil and a pinch of sea salt to the Thrive Market oat milk, you’ve got a DIY barista blend!

I’ll make sure to include the recipe at the bottom of the post.

Brewing the Coffee:

I own an espresso machine, so that’s how I typically make my espresso for my homemade oat milk lattes. But I’m going to show you how to make espresso with a French press and an Aeropress.

French Press:

Place 1/4 cup of finely ground espresso roast coffee beans in the canister of a French press.

Pour 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of 190° F (87° C) water on top of the grounds.

Stir the water and grounds together with a spoon until it’s evenly moistened.

Put the lid on top of the French press and let it stand for 4 minutes.

Plunge the French press down.

Pour the coffee out into your mug.

 

Aeropress Coffee Recipe:

Dampen a paper filter and place it in the filter basket. Screw the basket onto the chamber of the Aeropress.

Put 1/4 plus 1 tablespoon of finely ground espresso roast coffee beans into the chamber of the Aeropress.

Pour 2.5 ounces of of 175°F (79°C) water over the grounds in the chamber.

Stir with the provided stir stick.

Plunge the Aeropress down, pressing the plunger all the way down to the grounds.

Other Ways to Make Coffee:

You could also mix together 2-3 teaspoons of instant coffee with 2 tablespoons of hot water to make the equivalent of about 1 shot of espresso strength coffee.

Or you could use about 1/4 cup of cold brew coffee, depending on how strong you like your coffee drink.

I haven’t personally tried a coffee concentrate, but I’m sure that would work here too!

In this video I also demonstrate how to make espresso strength coffee with a moka pot.

And in a pinch you can even use regular coffee, but the drink will be more watery/have a weaker coffee flavor.

By the way, feel free to add more espresso shots if you like a stronger oat milk coffee drink!

Now you can add the honey or maple syrup (or sweetener of choice), vanilla extract, and sea salt to the mug. 

Frothing the Oat Milk:

Now for the best part: it’s time to add some air bubbles to the oat milk!

Heat the oatmilk over medium heat to about 155 degrees Fahrenheit (68 degrees Celsius). 

There’s no need to buy a special electric milk frother. You can use either a French press, hand pump milk frother, or mason jar. I personally own this stick frother, which is also great for whipping small amounts of ingredients.

If you’ve never frothed milk before, I’ve got a YouTube video all about How to Froth Milk Without a Machine! Make sure to check it out, because it has some awesome tips.

Or, if you own an espresso machine with a steam wand, you can definitely use that get your oat milk foam on!

Top the coffee/honey mixture with your frothed, warm milk, and you’ve got yourself a delicious vanilla and honey oat milk latte!

Are Oat Milk Lattes Good?

That depends on what kind you’re talking about! I tried out a Starbucks honey oat milk latte yesterday, and it wasn’t great. To be honest, it kind of tasted like cardboard.

But my DIY version is SO much better. It tastes very similar to a traditional latte in my opinion.

With careful attention to ingredients and preparation, it can be a delicious treat!

By the way, I prefer a hot oat milk coffee to an iced latte. 

Oat Milk Latte Calories:

If you’re talking about the Starbucks honey oat milk latte, a short is 140, a tall is 200, a grande is 270, and a venti is 360.

My homemade version is 143 calories if it’s made with Califia Farms Barista Blend. And it’s 169 calories if it’s made my DIY barista blend.

So that’s how to make an at home coffee oat milk latte! 

BTW, I don’t think I have a dairy intolerance thankfully!

Here’s a video tutorial in case you learn better that way:

More Latte Recipes:

• Dirty Chai Latte
• Spiced Apple Tea Latte
• Sugar Free Matcha Latte
• Homemade London Fog Latte
• Matcha Hot Chocolate
• Golden Milk Latte
• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Iced Matcha Latte
• Mocha Latte
• Shaken Brown Sugar Iced Oat Milk Latte

Recipe Card:

Post updated on May 3, 2023