Oat Milk vs Almond Milk: Nutrition Compared

Oat milk and almond milk are the two most popular plant-based milk alternatives on the market. Both are widely available, dairy-free, and naturally lactose-free — but nutritionally they are quite different. Choosing between them depends on what matters most to you: calories, carbohydrates, flavour, or how they perform in coffee and cooking.

This is part of our Milk Alternatives Complete Guide. For other comparisons see Almond Milk vs Soy Milk and Oat Milk vs Soy Milk.

Calories: Almond Milk Wins by a Wide Margin

This is the most significant difference between the two. Unsweetened almond milk contains approximately 30 calories per cup, while oat milk contains around 120 calories per cup. That is a fourfold difference — meaningful if you drink milk regularly or use it daily in coffee, cereal, or smoothies. Over a week of daily use, choosing almond milk over oat milk saves around 630 calories.

For anyone in a calorie deficit or trying to reduce overall calorie intake, almond milk is the clear winner on this metric.

Carbohydrates: Almond Milk Is Much Lower

Oat milk contains approximately 16g of carbohydrates per cup, compared to just 1g for unsweetened almond milk. This difference is particularly relevant for people following low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diets, for whom oat milk is essentially off the menu while almond milk fits comfortably. The carbs in oat milk come primarily from oat starch, which breaks down into sugars during processing — meaning oat milk can raise blood sugar more than its ingredient list might suggest.

Protein: Both Are Low, Oat Milk Slightly Higher

Neither milk is a meaningful protein source. Oat milk provides around 3g of protein per cup, almond milk around 1g. Both fall well short of dairy milk (8g) or soy milk (7g). If protein is important to your diet, neither is a good dairy milk substitute — consider soy milk instead, or supplement protein through other food sources.

Fat: Similar, Oat Milk Slightly Higher

Oat milk contains around 5g of fat per cup, almond milk around 3g. Both are predominantly unsaturated fats. Neither is a significant source of saturated fat. The fat difference between the two is minor compared to the calorie and carbohydrate differences.

Taste and Use in Coffee and Cooking

This is where oat milk has a genuine advantage. Its creamy texture and mild sweetness make it the best-performing plant milk in coffee — it froths well, does not split when added to hot drinks, and has a flavour that complements coffee naturally. It is also more versatile in cooking and baking due to its higher starch content giving it more body.

Almond milk has a lighter, slightly nutty flavour that works well in smoothies, cereal, and cold drinks but can be watery in coffee and does not perform as well in cooked sauces or baked goods.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose almond milk if: you are counting calories, following a low-carb diet, or want the lightest possible milk alternative for smoothies and cereal.

Choose oat milk if: you use milk primarily in coffee, want a creamier texture, or are not concerned about the higher carb and calorie content.

Use our Daily Calorie Needs Calculator to find your daily targets and our Food Tracker to log your intake.