Can You Heat Up Oat Milk?

Want to use oat milk in coffee, hot chocolate, or any recipe, but curious about whether or not you can heat it?

You can heat up oat milk and use it for any hot drink or food you desire. However, it's important to make sure that you do it correctly to avoid changing the consistency or flavor of the oat milk.

We'll show you how to heat up oat milk without burning it or ruining the flavor.

What Happens When You Heat Oat Milk?

It is possible (and expected) for the texture to change when you're heating oat milk.

Oat milk gets strained when it's made, but it still has some fine particles from the oats.

When you heat it, this can cause those particles to thicken and coagulate, so it's so common for oat milk to change consistency when you heat it.

However, as long as you do it correctly and keep it at a medium temperature the whole time, oat milk should stay the same taste and texture when you heat it.

The only thing that should change is the temperature, which will get higher as you warm the milk. 

NOTE: We highly recommend using barista oat milk in hot coffee or tea.

How to Heat Up Oat Milk

Heating oat milk isn't too hard, but it takes some attention because you don't want it to burn or thicken.

If you accidentally leave your oat milk unattended or don't stir it while it's heating, this could cause it to burn or reduce, so always make sure you are keeping a close eye on the warming milk.

You have two options for heating up oat milk:

1. Stovetop
2. Microwave

If you choose the stovetop, it's important to heat it at a medium temperature so that you avoid burning the milk. 

Overall, heating oat milk shouldn't be too daunting because there aren't many steps.

Just make sure that you are stirring it now and then and not heating it at a super high temperature, and you should be good.

Heating Oat Milk on The Stove

Warming oat milk on the stove is pretty simple, and it's an excellent method if you don't have a microwave or would just rather try something different.              

Can You Heat Oat Milk on the Stove?

You can heat oat milk on the stove.

This is one of the easiest ways to make sure that your oat milk doesn't change texture or taste since you can watch it the entire time.

How to Heat Oat Milk on the Stove

The easiest way to heat oat milk on the stovetop is to throw your desired amount into a saucepan and put it on medium-low heat.

Then you should just keep an eye on it, stirring pretty constantly so that it heats thoroughly and doesn't burn.

If you notice that your milk is starting to thicken, try turning the heat down even lower, and make sure you keep stirring.

If oat milk starts getting too hot, it will quickly get thick, so turning the heat down can hopefully stop it.

If you want to heat your oat milk differently, you can also use the double boiler method. To do this:

1. Fill a saucepan with some water and place it on the stove.
2. Put a bowl on top of the saucepan and fill that bowl with your oat milk.
3. Turn it on medium-low heat and heat it like usual, still being sure to stir now and then.

The double boiler method is good if you want to ensure that you aren't overheating your oat milk.

Double boilers apply gentle heat, which is perfect for oat milk.

It will help you avoid that change in texture because it makes it hard to overheat the milk.

It's up to you which method you choose, but if you are worried about overheating the milk, a double boiler can help you feel more confident.

Microwaving Oat Milk

The microwave is a super easy and effective way to warm up your oat milk.

You'll be good to go as long as you have a microwave-safe cup, oat milk, and a microwave.

Can You Microwave Oat Milk?

You can microwave oat milk, but it's important to ensure that you don't overdo it.

Microwaving at intervals and stirring during each one will be your best bet if you don't want your oat milk to get thick or burn.

How to Heat Oat Milk in The Microwave

To heat oat milk in the microwave, start by putting your desired amount of oat milk into a microwave-safe container.

Then turn on the microwave for 15 seconds.

If your microwave has different heat options, make sure it's on medium heat to avoid getting the milk too hot.

After 15 seconds:

1. Take the milk out and stir it.
2. Test the temperature (it usually won't be warm at this point unless you used high heat). If it's not warm yet, put it back in for another 15 seconds.
3. Take it out and stir again.
4. Continue this process until the oat milk has reached the desired temperature.

Is it Safe to Heat Oat Milk in the Microwave?

As long as you're doing it correctly, it's completely safe to heat oat milk in the microwave. 

The only time heating oat milk in the microwave might be bad is when you heat it for too long or at too high of a temperature.

If you do this, the milk could boil and splatter all over the microwave.

Not to mention that it would probably be burnt and thickened if this happened as well.

How Long Does it Take to Warm Oat Milk in The Microwave?

Usually, it takes about 30-40 seconds to heat oat milk on medium heat.

However, the time depends on the strength of your microwave and how much milk you are heating at once.

It could take as little as 15 seconds or as long as 1 minute.

The heating time varies for each microwave, so it's best to just go with the "15 seconds then check" method instead of guessing how long it will take.

Boiling Oat Milk

Many people wonder if they can boil oat milk because they think it will heat it faster.

And while this is probably the case, boiling oat milk can do more harm than good.

Can You Boil Oat Milk?

You should not boil oat milk because this leads to changes in texture and taste.

If you boil your oat milk, it will probably thicken into a consistency similar to gravy.

So unless you want burnt, thick oat milk, I would avoid boiling it and stick to medium heat.

FAQ

Can You Heat Oat Milk in the Microwave?

You can heat oat milk in the microwave. It's a super simple process and doesn't take that long.

See the "How to Heat Oat Milk in The Microwave" section above to learn how it works.

Can You Warm Up Oat Milk For a Baby?

If a baby is over one year old and your pediatrician approves it, it is perfectly safe to warm up oat milk for them.

Just make sure that you don't warm it too hot because you don't want to burn the baby's mouth! 98.6° Fahrenheit is the common temperature for heating milk for babies.

Note: Babies should not have any milk besides breast milk until they are at least one year old!

Can You Heat Homemade Oat Milk?

Homemade oat milk tends to thicken more than store-bought oat milk when you heat it up.

Some people have found that adding a little bit of oil to the oat milk when you make it can help combat this issue.

Either way, homemade oat milk will probably thicken a little (or a lot) more when you heat it. So if you don't want that, you should just avoid doing so.

However, thickening oat milk could work in your favor if you want to use the oat milk in a recipe like pudding, sauce, or gravy.

Can You Reheat Oat Milk?

Generally, you shouldn't reheat oat milk once it's been heated.

This is because plant milk often goes bad after it's been through an extreme temperature change.

So even if it's okay to drink right after heating it up, waiting and heating it again could encourage bacteria growth or make it taste bad.