Oatly [Review]

Here’s a nondairy company that I’m totally loving!

I first heard of Oatly in January 2016, when I received an email about the “up-and-coming” brand. I browsed their site, impressed by their offerings (a nondairy creme fraiche?!) and their ethics. Oh, and not to mention the design of their site itself. As a lover of aesthetics and good writing, I adore the playfulness of their site. Again, go back to the creme fraiche link and see what I’m talking about.

In the past few months, I’ve started seeing their products (just milk so far) popping up in grocery stores around NYC. Then, just a couple weeks ago, my favorite coffee shop ditched their soy milk and started using Oatly instead. ? NO SOY?!

I don’t often order milky drinks, but when I do, I’m very loyal to soy, so this decision made me pretty anxious. After all, I’ve made my own oat milk before, and it was great, but certainly not better than a soy milk. I’ve also bought the 365 brand of oat milk before. Again–definitely inferior to soy milk.

When I was ready to cash in on a full punch card at the aforementioned coffee shop, I requested a cortado with Oatly. Here’s the truth: I expected something a little bitter or watery, and I anticipated it wouldn’t froth up quite like soy milk ?.  To be honest, it was the “barista edition,” but I’ve been wronged by so-called barista versions of plant-based brands before, so why should I trust this one?

I WAS WRONG. Oh my god, I was so wrong. It frothed! It was subtly sweet! It was creamy! It was thick, not watery! Not only was it better than almond milk (which I think makes awful espresso drinks), but it was quite possibly better than soy milk.

Next, I got to try some oat milk at home (the barista edition), courtesy of Oatly. Honestly, friends, my hot chocolate has never been better. I wasn’t sure how it would thicken with the arrowroot starch or what the flavor would be like. It turns out I didn’t need to worry.

It thickened perfectly, and the flavor was–how do I put this–buttery? Yes, it was buttery. Creamy, rich, and buttery, even though I had changed nothing else about my recipe. I finished that first jug so fast, I couldn’t even snap a picture. I had to use a second jug, and by the time I got the picture shown above, I was already close to finishing THAT jug, too. ?

This milk is superb for anyone allergic to soy, gluten, or nuts, and it’s great for anyone who simply LOVES GOOD FOOD.

Now if only I could get my hands on that yogurt and creme fraiche. *goes to Whole Foods*