Is Oat Milk Keto? Can You Drink Oat Milk On Keto?

Oat milk is a tasty whole milk alternative for anyone who’s lactose intolerant or looking to avoid dairy.

But is oat milk keto?

In this post, I’ll cover drinking oat milk on keto, what types of milk to avoid and the best keto milk.

Is Oat Milk Keto-Friendly?

You can’t consume oat milk on keto. One cup of oat milk contains 17 grams of carbs, 130 calories and four grams of protein.  Sweetened oat milk often has more carbs.

And since you must restrict carb intake to under 30 to 50 grams per day, if you’re drinking a cappuccino or latte with oat milk in one sitting, the carbs can interfere with ketosis. Even if you spread it out across the whole day, you’ll need to restrict other low-carb foods and opt for zero-carb meals instead.

But if you like the sweetness oat milk offers, I’d suggest adding just a touch to your morning coffee or tea.

Oat Milk Nutritional Facts

Here’s the nutritional content of one cup of unsweetened oat milk:

• 17 grams of carbs
• 130 calories
• Four grams of protein
• 1.5 grams of fat
• Six grams of sugar
• Two grams of dietary fiber
• Trace amounts of potassium, iron and calcium

Made from whole oats, you’ll notice oat milk contains a fair amount of calories and lots of carbs, making it impractical for keto dieters or those looking to lose weight.

Now that we know oat milk isn’t allowed on keto, let’s cover other types of milk that’ll knock you out of ketosis.

Other Types Of Milk To Avoid On Keto

When doing a keto diet, avoid the following types of milk.

Rice Milk

Made from water and milled rice, rice milk is super high in carbs. One cup of unsweetened rice milk contains 23 grams of carbs and 10 grams of sugar which is higher than oat milk. So if you’re on keto, you want to avoid rice milk at all costs.

Rice milk also has 120 calories per cup, so it isn’t a good option for anyone looking to lose weight.

If you’re getting sweetened rice milk from the local grocery store, you can expect these numbers to be significantly higher.

Goat Milk

Just like rice milk, avoid goat milk on keto. Although it’s packed full of essential nutrients like calcium and vitamin D, you’re also drinking a lot of carbs. One serving of goat milk contains:

• 11 grams of net carbs
• 168 calories
• Nine grams of fat
• 10 grams of sugar

With goat milk, 10 out of the 11 grams of carbs are sugar, spiking blood glucose and insulin levels.

Whole Milk

Whole milk is in the gray area of keto. So if you’re on a strict keto diet, I’d suggest avoiding it. 

Cow’s milk contains a lot of lactose, a milk sugar that spikes blood glucose and can kick you out of ketosis when consumed in large amounts. Many people also can’t tolerate lactose, making whole milk something you should stay away from.

One cup of whole milk consists of:

• 149 calories
• 12 grams of carbs
• Eight grams of protein
• Eight grams of fat
• 12 grams of sugar
• Zero fiber

But if you’d like to implement whole milk into your diet, use it in tiny amounts.

Condensed Milk

Because condensed milk is filled with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other harmful additives, you must avoid it on keto. These ingredients won’t only kick you out of ketosis, but it spikes blood sugar and triggers inflammation.

A 100 gram serving of condensed milk contains:

• 321 calories
• 54 grams of carbs
• Nine grams of fat
• Eight grams of protein

If a recipe calls for condensed milk, try making keto condensed milk with a sugar substitute, butter and heavy cream.

All you have to do is add your heavy cream, butter and keto sweetener of choice to a saucepan on medium heat. From here, increase the heat while stirring and wait until it starts boiling. Turn down the heat and let it simmer while also stirring for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Once your mixture is thick, remove it from the heat, let it cool and enjoy!

Low-Fat Milk

Since fat is flavorful, whenever a brand removes all the fat from a product, they replace it with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup to make it taste nice again. So like condensed milk, low-fat milk is a big no on keto.

One cup of low-fat milk can have over 12 grams of sugar. This spikes blood sugar and insulin levels.

So you might be wondering what types of milk a keto dieter can drink. Well, here are some options.

Keto Oat Milk Alternatives

These are the healthiest and more delicious low carb milk alternatives.

Heavy Cream

Although heavy cream isn’t milk, you can use it as a keto-friendly alternative to oat milk. But always check the label to see if it has any added sugars.

Consider using heavy cream in your coffee and dessert recipes since it’s delicious and thick. One cup of heavy cream contains:

• Six grams of carbs
• 88 grams of fat
• Five grams of protein
• Essential micronutrients like calcium and vitamin D

Coconut Milk

Unsweetened coconut milk is one of the healthiest dairy-free milk alternatives. It has a lot of fat and little carbs, making it a healthy alternative to oat milk on keto. It’s also thicker than most types of milk, so it works well in desserts.

One cup of coconut milk consists of:

• Eight grams of carbs
• 57 grams of fat
• Five grams of fiber
• Five grams of protein

But if you have a nut allergy, you’ll want to stay away from coconut milk. Instead, opt for other alternatives like unsweetened seed milk and heavy cream.

Unsweetened Almond Milk

When shopping for almond milk, always look for brands that use zero sugar and additives. Although it has a different taste that you’ll need to get used to, it ensures you stay in ketosis because it only contains one gram of carbohydrates per cup. It’s also a practical option for you’re doing a keto vegan diet.

But you want to avoid sweetened almond milk since the carb count immediately kicks you out of ketosis.

Here’s the nutritional profile of a cup of almond milk:

• 40 calories
• One gram of protein
• Three grams of fat
• One gram of fiber

But if you have a nut allergy, avoid coconut and almond milk.

Unsweetened Seed Milk 

Unsweetened seed milk is the perfect option for anyone with a nut allergy. There are different types of seed milk like cashew milk, hemp milk and flax milk. But all these seed milk contains under eight grams of net carbs, making it perfect for keto dieters.

For example, hemp seed milk contains:

• 130 calories
• Four grams of protein
• Three grams of carbs
• One gram of fat

Final Word On Oat Milk On Keto

You can’t drink oat milk on a ketogenic diet because it has 17 grams of carbs per cup. Since your daily net carb allowance on keto is 30 grams, consuming this amount of carbs in one sitting can interfere with ketosis.

But oat milk isn’t the only type of milk you should avoid on keto. Rice milk, whole milk, condensed milk and low-fat milk contain high carbs. You also want to avoid unsweetened soy milk due to its phytoestrogens and GMO.

Instead, opt for low-carb alternatives like heavy cream, coconut milk, almond milk and various types of seed milk. These won’t kick you out of ketosis and offer a high-fat content.

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