Why you should be replacing regular milk with oat milk

AOL.com Editors

Every day, it seems like there's a new kind of milk taking over: almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, hemp milk...the list goes on and on.

Let us be clear that despite the few lactose intolerant and even fewer vegans on our team, we're staunch supporters of regular ole milk. Whether in our coffees or in our cereal, we're not known to venture away from the carton. These trending iterations were just trends in our eyes... until we stumbled upon oat milk one Monday morning.

Oat milk just happens to be the latest fad in the milk category and for good reason! Yes, it's gluten-free, lactose-free, soy-free, peanut-free (the list goes on!), but the milk alternative also boasts a plethora of nutritional benefits that regular milk lacks. It's high in protein, low in fat and is packed with calcium and Vitamin D.

Related: Try swapping dairy milk for oat milk in one of these recipes:

For example, one 8oz. serving of Planet Oat oat milk (one of the leading brands for oat milk) has 350 mg of calcium and 90 calories, which is much less than the 130 to 150 calories normally contained in dairy milk. In comparison to other oat milk on the market, Planet Oat has twice the soluble fiber than its leading competitor and has 30 fewer calories in an 8oz serving as well.

There's more to oat milk, however, than just the health benefits, like its taste. Rich and creamy, oat milk boasts a taste that many would outrank in comparison to regular milk. Professional chefs are even using the milk as a substitute in their recipes due to its creamy consistency and versatility.

Explained Amy Yi, the culinary director for Manhattan's trending restaurant West Bourne, “Planet Oat oat milk is a great dairy substitute in many recipes, as it is thick and creamy but neutral in taste, making it an incredibly versatile ingredient."

Yi uses oat milk as a substitute for dairy milk to enhance the taste of many of her breakfast dishes.

"When substituting dairy with oat milk, the dish feels lighter, yet keeps the creaminess," she explained to AOL Lifestyle. "Having a lighter base lets me add more toppings to fill out my breakfast experience with more texture and flavor."

She continued, " I love making yogurt and overnight oats with it. At West Bourne, we make our overnight oats with cashew and oat milk with seasonal compote, fennel seed sesame brittle, and basil, and using oat milk boosts the natural flavor of the oats."

One of our new favorite ways to use oat milk? In pancakes! Check out our new favorite pancake recipe below.

Planet Oat

Banana Oat Pancakes

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15-20min
Total Time: 15-20min

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup regular cooking oats

  • 2 cups Planet Oat Original

  • 1 cup almond flour

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1 medium ripe banana

For serving:

  • Salted butter

  • Sliced banana

  • Pure maple syrup

  • Cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Add oats to a high-speed blender and pulse until a coarse flour forms.

  2. Add all the other ingredients to the blender and blend, lid on, until batter is smooth.

  3. Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Heat pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, begin cooking pancakes, working in batches.

  4. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into the pan for each pancake and cook until the pancake bottom is golden brown (check by lifting up an edge of the pancake with a spatula) and the bubbles in the pancake begin to pop and leave open holes, about 90 seconds. Flip and cook on the other side for another 60-90 seconds, or until both sides are golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone.

  5. Serve pancakes with salted butter, sliced banana, pure maple syrup and cinnamon.

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