Does Oatmilk Need to Be Refrigerated – Health Guide

June 11, 2022

Oatmilk is a great milk alternative for those with milk allergies or who might have lactose intolerance. This type of plant milk is made by extracting plant materials from whole oat grains by soaking the oat grains in water.

Oat milk has a delicious creamy texture with a mild oatmeal flavor and can be used as a milk substitute to safely enjoy breakfast cereal, coffee, cold brew coffees, or all sorts of delicious beverages with a creamy flavor without the risk of getting sick.

If you are trying oat milk for the first time then you will likely have plenty of questions about this milk alternative. One of the most important questions is does oatmilk need to be refrigerated?

In this guide, we are going to take a look at the shelf life and storage methods to preserve oat milk and keep it fresh for as long as possible.

Table of Contents

Does Oatmilk Need to Be Refrigerated?

Not all types of oat kinds of milk do need to be kept in a fridge. Some commercial oat milk is shelf-stable. This essentially means the milk is pasteurized and stored in an air-tight container. The milk will hold up very well if kept in this air-tight container like a glass jar at room temperature and away from direct sunlight.

But some types of oat milk like the refrigerated types bought in stores or homemade oat milk should be stored in a fridge. This is because this milk is not pasteurized and does not contain preservatives or artificial colors. These milk products will start to decompose when they are left outside of the fridge and will spoil.

It is also important to store shelf-stable oat milk products in a fridge once the container has been opened. Once the seal has been broken, the mild is exposed to bacteria which sets the decomposition processing motion and warmth increases bacterial growth which can make your milk spoil much quicker.

How Long Does Oatmilk Last?

The shelf life of plant-based foods varies for different brands and types. Here is a quick look at the life expectancy of these delicious milk types.

How Long Does Shelf-stable Oatmilk Last?

Shelf-stable oat milk is packaged in a sterile environment, pasteurized, and often contains preservatives that can extend the shelf life of the product. Most stable products have a 9-month shelf life before it will reach their expiry date. But oat milk is usually still drinkable long after it reaches its expiry date.

If unopened shelf-stable oat milk is kept in a cool environment away from direct light or sunlight, the milk should hold up just fine for 3 – 5 years.

It is important to store shelf-stable cartons in a fridge once the seal has been broken. When the seal is broken, the milk makes contact with air and becomes contaminated by bacteria which can cause mold growth and spoilage.

At room temperature, opened shelf-stable milk will start to go off after about 2 hours and should be consumed within 24 hours or discarded thereafter.

It is advisable to store opened shelf-stable oat milk in a refrigerator. Once opened, you can successfully store this milk for 7-10 days before it will start to spoil.

How Long Does Refrigerated Commercial Oatmilk Last?

Not all commercial oat milk is shelf-stable. The types of bottled products you usually find in refrigerators in stores should be kept in a refrigerator because it spoils much quicker compared to shelf-stable oat milk. This is because the packaging materials do not offer the same qualities as aseptic packaging and these chilled cartons won’t offer the same level of protection to plant milk, creamers, or other dairy products.

The expiry date of refrigerated variety unopened oat milk is usually about 14 days and can sometimes still taste good a couple of days past its expiry date.

Once the seal on these bottles of perishable oat milk has been broken, it is usually best to consume the creamy product within 7 – 10 days because these milk types are not shelf-stable and usually go off much quicker.

Non-refrigerated oat milk will however go off much quicker. If you open the bottle and leave it on the table, it can start to go off after about 2 hours.

How Long Does Homemade Oatmilk Last?

Homemade oat milk should always be stored in a refrigerator because these products haven’t been packaged in an airtight container or sealed plastic container under sterile conditions.

Refrigerated homemade oat milk typically lasts about 7 days in total. If the milk is kept outside of the fridge it will start to spoil within two hours.

How To Tell If Oatmilk is Bad?

Since some food products like oat milk can often be used long after reaching its expiry date, it is probably a good idea to learn the visual cues of spoiled oak milk. This way, you can safely drink expired oat milk without putting your health at risk. Here are the best signs of spoilage to look out for when checking to see if the milk expired.

Smell test

First, sniff the milk to see if you can detect a strange smell. Oat milk usually has a sweet nutty smell. If the spoiled oat milk smells sour or off-putting then it is likely expired.

Visual test

Fresh oat milk is usually light beige in color with a smooth consistency. If the milk forms lumps have a different hue or look watery then it is likely spoiled oat milk. You can also check for signs of mold growth on the milk edges or inside the milk cap. Visible mold growth or discoloration are the top signs that you should avoid drinking the milk.

Taste test

Oat milk usually has natural flavors with a nutty taste with an oatmeal aroma. If the oatmeal tastes bitter, sour, or has a slight burning sensation on the tongue then it is likely bad and should be discarded.

What Happens When You Drink Bad Oat Milk

It isn’t good for your health to drink or eat any bad or perishable foods when they go off. If you drink bad oat milk, you can become ill. Bad oat milk can cause the following issues;

Food poisoning
Intestinal inflammation
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Stomach aches
Stomach cramps

Can You Freeze Oat Milk?

Freezing oat milk is a superb method to make many foods and beverages last a lot longer. And yes, you can also freeze oat milk to enhance its durability. The best way to freeze oat milk is in an air-tight container and many also prefer to add oat milk to ice trays and freeze the milk into small blocks of ice before storing these food items in bags.

It is however important to take special care when frozen oat milk is tawed. As with regular milk, defrosted oat milk can sometimes be a bit lumpy or grainy.

If you want to avoid lumps or grains in the oat milk then you should either warm the milk gradually on a stove or sift out the grains using a cheesecloth.

Homemade oat milk can usually be stored in a freezer for 6 months or even a bit longer, after which it will start to expire.

Final Thoughts

From the question; does oat milk need to be refrigerated? it becomes quite clear that not all milk types should be kept in the fridge. Some oat milk like shelf-stable milk can be stored for months or even years if the milk is stored under proper conditions.

It is however very important to keep an opened container of shelf-stable variety in the fridge. It is also very important to store homemade oat milk or the chilled store-bought oak milk in a refrigerator since warm temperatures tend to make these types of oat milk go bad much quicker.

We hope that you enjoyed this guide and if you want to learn more about oat milk, find out what type of blender you need for making nut milk types, or if you want to know more about other types of health juices then you should have a look at some of the other guides we have on JuicerzHub. With our handy guides, you can always find all the latest and best juicers, recipes, and blenders.