Oat milk, oat cheese, and other oat products have gone from niche alternative to fridge staple — and dairy giants like Chobani are taking notice

• In the US, oat milk sales have jumped 90% in the last four years as consumers search for dairy-free alternatives.
• Dairy giants like Chobani have recently begun to sell oat-based products as the dairy industry declines.
• But the oat category is still relatively small compared to almond milk and soy milk.
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This mozzarella is made from oat milk. It’s made by Rucksack Foods in McLean, Virginia.

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Dairy-free cheese like this is just one of many oat-based products on the market.

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Kosta Drakakis, the cofounder and CEO, said his company wanted to make a dairy-free cheese that was also free from other common allergens like gluten and nuts.

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But most importantly, “it has to taste good, meaning that a whole family can enjoy it at a dinner table,” Drakakis said. “Not only your child that suffers from some food allergies, but the entire, entire family.”

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Oat milk and oat products are no longer a niche dairy alternative. They’re everywhere, from coffee shops to the grocery store.

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Sales of oat milk in the US have risen 90% since 2015, according to Nielsen. And during the coronavirus pandemic, demand has soared even more.

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During the third week of March, sales shot up 513% compared to the same time last year.

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And even Greek yogurt-maker Chobani joined in on the trend. The company started making oat products like oat milk and oat yogurt last year at its plant in Twin Falls, Idaho.

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“Plant-based is here to stay,” said Chobani president Peter McGuinness. “We think oat is the king of the plants and for a lot of reasons: taste, versatility, nutrition. We wanted to put a better option out there. Which is why we decided to do it on our own.”

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The oat milk process can take up to 14 hours from start to finish. At Chobani, making the base is a multi-step process.

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First, oat flour is steeped in water to hydrate.

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Next, enzymes are added to the mixture to make the base more fluid.

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The oat fibers are then strained out of the mixture. The base is used in a variety of Chobani’s oat products, from oat milk to oat-blend yogurt.

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Oat milk has been trending thanks to the rise of alternative dairy products. “It has good nutrient density to it,” McGuinness said, adding that it also requires less water to produce than almond milk.

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But the oat category is still relatively small in comparison to other dairy-free alternatives. In 2019, oat milk made up just 3% of the market share.

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And Chobani doesn’t think that plant-based products will replace dairy anytime soon.

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“Most consumers are flexitarians,” McGuinness said. “We’re a company that are doing both. Why? Because consumers consume both. So it’s not an either/or, or a ‘one is better than the other’ scenario.”