Does Oat Milk Go Bad? - Here's What You Need To Know

A frequently interesting question we get is, "can oat milk go bad?" if we're talking about bad as in not bad, but bad as in good, like, "hey, this oat milk is the baddest!" the answer will be different depending on the individual providing you with the answer, but we would say yes. It can totally go bad.

If you mean bad, as in deteriorate, then this might be the best webpage on the internet to find the answer. Shelf-stable oat milk has a super long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature and stay fresh for almost a year if unopened. Meanwhile, refrigerated oat milk must be kept cold at all times.  

The best way to store unopened oat milk differs depending on what kind of package you buy, which is another thing we'll untangle in the following q and a if you use your scrolling skills. 

Can Oat Milk Go Bad?

Unopened oat milk can be stored without going bad for a long time; if you buy a flat-topped ambient package, it can be stored at room temperature, and the shelf life is close to a year. If you favor the gable top oat milk cartons in your favorite store's fridge, the shelf life before opening is shorter.  

Spoiler alert: if you leave an opened carton with the cap open outside the fridge for a long time or let the best-before date pass, you might find yourself with spoiled oat milk in your hands. In conclusion, it can go bad eventually. 

What’s the difference between your refrigerated oat milk and your shelf stable oat milk?

It's the same milk, but the construction of the carton is different. The ambient flat-top oat milk carton is more airtight, allowing it to be stored at room temperature for about a year before opening. The gable-top carton must be stored in the refrigerator and have a shorter shelf life before opened. So, the difference is the packs, and the reason we have one shelf-stable and one chilled version is that some consumers prioritize storability while others like to find their oat milk where they have always found dairy products, so we figured making a carton of each was the best bet in helping people transfer from a dairy-based to a more plant-based lifestyle.

How To Tell If Oat Milk Is Expired

You can quickly tell if oat milk is expired by following these three simple steps:

Step 1. Check the best-before date and compare it to the date of the day you're checking it. If the best-before date has yet to pass, it has not expired, and you can skip the following two steps and pour yourself a glass. If the best-before date has passed, move on to step 2.

Step 2. Look at and smell the product. Spoiled oat milk doesn't get the same sour smell as spoiled dairy; it still gets a sour smell, but it's more dairy-free. If it smells okay, it's probably okay to drink, but to be sure, move on to step 3.

Step 3. Taste the product. If you recognize the taste and texture of the regular creamy oat milk you love in your cereal, you can still have a glass even though the best-before date has expired.

What's the Best Way to Store Oat Milk?

The best way to store an opened shelf stable or refrigerated oat milk is to keep it cold in the fridge. If you find the oat milk in the refrigerated section of the store, you should store it in the refrigerator section of your home before opening it. If you buy a shelf-stable oat milk carton with a flat-top carton, you can store it at room temperature before opening it. It's totally up to you where to put it. Most people put it in a cupboard, pantry, or kitchen cabinet, but it can also be placed on a living room shelf as decoration if you avoid direct sunlight. Just saying.

Does Oat Milk Need To Be Refrigerated?

If you buy chilled oat milk found in the fridge or the refrigerated section of your local store, you should also store it in the refrigerator at home because no one likes spoiled oat milk. If you buy a shelf-stable oat milk, you can store it at room temperature before opening it. Once opened, the chilled and shelf-stable oat milk should be stored in a refrigerator. If you feel we are repeating ourselves here, you've been reading all the questions and answers, and you are right. The target audience for this particular answer was "humans who skip to the main question they wanted answered," but thanks for being a meticulous reader. 

Should You Freeze Oat Milk?

You can freeze oat milk, and if you need to, you should go ahead and do it. Yolo! Frozen oat milk might separate once thawed; this is easily fixed by giving the oat milk a good shake before pouring or giving it a whisk afterward. We also recommend using a different container for freezing because the thin plastic film inside the package might crackle when frozen and mix with the milk. You can use whatever container you like, ice cube trays, or whatever.

How Long Does Oat Milk Last In The Fridge?

Our oat milk in shelf-stable cartons lasts about a year from the production date, whether you store it in the fridge or at room temperature. The chilled, refrigerated oat milk lasts about two months from the production date as long as you store the unopened carton in the fridge. Once opened, you should always store oat milk in the fridge, shelf-stable carton or not. Always smell and taste the product before throwing it away, even if it's a week past the best-by date.

How Long Does Oat Milk Last After Opening? 

No one really knows how long oat milk lasts once opened. If the package is kept chilled after opening and handled “properly,” then the oat milk inside should be good for approximately 5-7 days (or longer). Always follow the steps of looking, smelling, and tasting the product before throwing it away.

How do you handle an opened oat milk properly?

Avoid leaving the package open too long or touching the opening with your fingers, lips, or whatever. Doing so can introduce more microbes to the oat milk, which will cause it to spoil more quickly. 

Does Oat Milk Last Longer Than Regular Milk? 

Most of the time, most properly stored oat milk lasts longer than most milk from a cow (if that is what people mean with regular milk), but since there's always an exception to the rule, our lawyers advised us not to be too specific in this answer; we think we did ok. 

Do you know any good recipe I can use for Oat Milk that is about to expire? 

A great thing about oat milk is that you can use it exactly like you used milk from a cow in your previous life, including cooking. The internet is full of great recipes, so just open your favorite browser to a search engine of your choice and enter the words "recipe" and "milk." click on the first recipe you like, and if it says one cup of dairy milk or cow's milk or milk, replace it with one cup of oat milk. It's that easy! Actually, even if the recipe says soy milk or another plant milk (sometimes referred to as alternative milk), you can still use oat milk if you happen to think it's the best plant-based milk. If not, that's cool too.

What About Homemade Oat Milk? 

Homemade oat milk is amazing, and if you, for some reason, don't want to consume store-bought oat milk, the internet is full of recipes and tips on how to prepare your own. If you make some and find that it doesn't taste as good as oatly, the secret is that you most likely made yours from oat flakes, while we make ours from oat kernels. If you're thinking about making your own instead of buying ours, no hard feelings, and later, if you conclude that it was better when we made your own oat milk for you, it will patiently wait for you at the local store.

So, in conclusion

In the store, you'll find the gable top packages in the refrigerator because they need to be stored in a cool place at all times; the gable tops also have a shorter shelf life when unopened. The flat-top ambient packages can be stored at room temperature for a really long time thanks to the more airtight package. Both have a longer shelf life than cow's milk (some call it regular). Once opened, both packages stay fresh for five to seven days if you treat them appropriately. They might last longer, though, so remember that thing with the eyes, nose, and mouth before throwing it away.