A nice cup of tea is best when free of carcinogenic herbicides. We’ve rounded up the best glyphosate-free oat milks, in case that’s your plant-based milk of choice.
Just as oats can contain glyphosate, so can the oat milk made from those oats.
Here’s the low-down on glyphosate and why it matters.
Why check oat milk for glyphosate?
Many farmers use glyphosate on oat crops to speed up the drying process before harvesting.
This is known as ‘pre-harvest dessification’ and can result in glyphosate contamination of the oats and the final products made from these oats, such as oat milk.
The TL:DR is that, whenever possible, you want to avoid ingesting glyphosate. The trouble is, this stuff floats around and contaminates food crops, so it’s not always clear what will and won’t contain the chemical.
Organic oat milk is far less likely to contain glyphosate than oat milk made with conventional oats and other ingredients that aren’t certified organic.
Still, USDA Organic certification isn’t a reliable way to tell if an oat milk is glyphosate-free. That’s because the certification isn’t based on testing the final food product and contaminants can creep in even when organic farmers don’t spray their crops directly.
USDA Organic certification is also notoriously ‘leaky’ when it comes to supply chain testing standards.
Furthermore, glyphosate residue maximum limits, as used by the USDA Organics program, are set at 5% of the EPA or FDA tolerance for pesticides. This can be quite high in some food crops (1500 ppb for sugarcane, for instance) and is typically much higher than the LOD used by The Detox Project.
How about the Non-GMO Project certification? This only tests for GMOs in the supply chain; it doesn’t check for glyphosate or other toxic chemicals.
What you need is a specific test for glyphosate (and, ideally, heavy metals) in the final oat milk product.
Testing
A handful of oat milk brands claim to be glyphosate-free. Some go as far as getting certified by The Detox Project. Depending on how many products a company makes, the cost of certification can range from around $2100 to well over $20,000 a year.
Peace of mind for consumers, though, can be invaluable.
Ideally, when testing for glyphosate, scientists will also test for the chemical’s main metabolite: aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) and heavy metals. This is because glyphosate can bind to toxic heavy metals including cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic, dragging them into final food products we consume.
The Detox Projects tests both for glyphosate and heavy metals and certifies only those products that test below the limit of detection (LOD) of 10 parts per billion (ppb). This level is considered the lowest possible detection limit for a food sample and is in line with government-recognized limits of detection (LODs) for glyphosate testing.
The Mamavation report on oat milk
A 2023 report from the Environmental Health Network and Mamavation revealed the presence of glyphosate in just 1 of 13 tested oat milks. Another oat milk tested positive for arsenic, however.
The oat milk found to contain glyphosate above the detectable level of 10 parts per billion (ppb) was Silk Extra Creamy Oatmilk (14 ppb).
The oat milk found to contain arsenic was MALK Organic Oat Milk (at 12 ppb). This milk did not have detectable glyphosate, however, despite some outlets reporting otherwise (including, oddly, the EHN website that partnered in the study).
Of the 13 products tested, Mamavation found no glyphosate or heavy metals in oat milks from:
- Three Trees
- Rise Brewing
- Oatsome
- Kirkland
- Califia
- Planet Oat
- Oatly
- Nut Pods
- Elmhurst
- Chobani.
While I appreciate the testing done by Mamavation, the sample was small, including just 13 oat milks.
So, to put together our recommendations, I’ve instead favored The Detox Project list of certified oat milks, which you can find here. The Detox Project uses a third party ISO 17025 accredited laboratory to test a company’s products for glyphosate residues.
In addition to being certified Glyphosate-Free, I looked for oat milks with the following attributes:
- Good quality, organic ingredients
- Well packaged, using recyclable materials
- Made by companies that are B Corps or otherwise responsible.
Note: Many ‘Barista Blend’ type oat milks contain vegetable or seed oils to create the creamy texture and to enable frothing and steaming.
The sunflower and canola oils used for this purpose are typically highly processed, bleached, and provide little added nutritional value while potentially introducing harmful elements to the mix.
As such, I’ve bumped these kinds of oat milk products down the list and given top place to those with simpler, organic ingredients.
Our top picks
My top pick for glyphosate-free oat milk, and the one I drink myself, is Earth’s Own Oat M*lk. Fortunately for me, this is made in Canada and widely available in Canada. Unfortunately for most of you reading this, it’s not yet available in the U.S.
You might also wonder why some household names in oat milk – Oatly, Planet Oat, Elmhurst, Chobani – aren’t on this list. That’s because they aren’t made with organic oats, even if they are Certified Glyphosate-Free. Why these companies don’t make at least one organic oat milk is bewildering to me. If they did, I’d likely add it here.
So, for now, the best glyphosate-free oat milk available in the U.S. is as follows:
Willa’s Organic Non GMO Oat Milk Unsweetened
Highlights: Simple, organic, glyphosate-free oat milk in recyclable packaging from a sustainable company.
- Certified Glyphosate-Free by The Detox Project
- USDA Organic and Non-GMO
- Made with organic oats and vanilla
- Simple ingredient list – no added sugar and naturally low-sugar
- Available in bulk to reduce price
- Zero-waste process uses whole oat grain, for extra protein and fiber
- Energy efficient, shelf-stable product
- Recyclable vacuum-sealed TetraPak (no preservatives required)
- BPA-free (and bisphenol-free) packaging
- A little pricy
- No vitamin/mineral fortification
- Can separate, so needs shaking before each use
Price: $36 for 6 / $9.99 each at Amazon
Ingredients: Filtered Water, Organic Whole Grain Oats, Organic Vanilla Extract, and Sea Salt
Willa’s Original Unsweetened Oatmilk is a creamy, tasty, minimally processed, quality oat milk made in America using American-grown oats. It works great for:
- Baking
- Cooking
- Coffee (with a bit of stirring)
- Drinking by itself.
This oat milk is a little different from most as it’s made using the whole organic oat groat, not just the oat starch with added sugar. The result is a creamier texture without thickeners or oils. It’s also more nutritious, with more fiber and protein and less sugar than typical oat milks.
Willa’s also offers chocolate oat milk and other organic oat milk blends. And, while Willa’s oat milk has a superior creamy texture, you may want the Barista oat creamer version if you’re planning to make a latte. This contains organic cold-pressed high oleic sunflower oil, which is far healthier than most barista blend oat creamers.
Finally, I appreciate Willa’s transparency about packaging and ingredients. Not only does the company use BPA-free TetraPaks, it also confirms that the packaging is free of bisphenols B, F, or S. The TetraPaks use 100% Forest Stewardship Council certified paperboard, along with layers of polyethylene and aluminum to create a robust, shelf-stable, safe package that protects the oat milk – no refrigeration required until you open it.
And, when you’re done, you can recycle the packaging in most places in the U.S.!
Minor Figures Organic Oat Milk
Highlights: Great for coffee. Certified organic and glyphosate-free. Made by a Carbon Neutral certified B Corp.
- Made with organic oats
- Certified Glyphosate-Free by The Detox Project
- Doesn’t separate as much as some oat milks
- Shelf-stable, energy conscious TetraPak
- Made by a B Corp that’s Carbon Neutral certified
- Seems to contain 8 g of added sugar, with no clear reason why
- Contains oil (organic sunflower)
Price: $4.99 for 32 fl.oz. / $28.49 for 6 x 32 fl.oz.
Ingredients: Water, Organic Oats (12%), Organic Sunflower oil, Salt, Potassium Carbonate
Minor Figures makes several plant-based milks, including one organic oat milk. This blend is a favorite for baristas because it is very silky and tends not to separate in coffee. The ingredients are simple, with more oats than oil.
Oddly, the nutrition label says it contains added sugar, though this must be through the oat processing as there’s no other sugary ingredient in the list.
This plant milk is made by a Benefit Corporation (B Corp) that recently achieved Carbon Neutral status. That means it reduces and offsets its carbon emissions.
Because this oat milk is shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration in transit or storage, until opened, the energy footprint is way lower than for an oat milk requiring constant refrigeration from factory to home refrigerator.
Califia Farms Organic Original Oat Milk
Highlights: Made with just three ingredients and certified organic and glyphosate-free.
- Three simple ingredients (allegedly)
- No gums or oils
- USDA Organic certified
- Certified Glyphosate-Free by The Detox Project
- Comes in a recycled and recyclable plastic bottle
- Quick to separate
- Won’t froth well
- Not as creamy as Willa’s oat milk
- Contains added sugars, per nutrition label, not listed on ingredients
Price: $6.49 for 48 fl.oz.
Ingredients: water, organic oats, sea salt
Califia Farm’s offers several oat and almond milks, but only the Organic Original Oat Milk is made with just three ingredients, with no gums or oils.
That said, there is an odd discrepancy between the nutrition label and the ingredients label. There appear to be added sugars that aren’t accounted for by the three ingredients.
Still, Califia Farm’s oat milk has been certified glyphosate-free by The Detox Project and is USDA Organic certified, so it’s far better than most oat milks out there.
Califia, unlike Willa’s may use a select portion of the oat grain, meaning less fiber and protein and a stronger tendency to separate. It’s also not as creamy and can taste a bit watery to some people.
This brand also makes a barista style creamy version of its oat milk, which includes oils and gums.
Kirkland Signature Organic Oat Non-Dairy Beverage
Highlights: Affordable, organic, certified Glyphosate-Free, and just as good as fancier oat milks.
- Affordable and readily available at Costco
- Shelf-stable
- Made with certified organic ingredients
- Certified Glyphosate-Free by The Detox Project
- Fortified with vitamins and minerals
- Contains quite a lot of unnecessary ingredients
- Won’t win any product packaging design awards
- No clear indications that packaging is free of BPA or analogs
- Spout tends to leak
Price: 6 x 32 fl.oz. for $11.99
Ingredients: Organic oat base (filtered water), organic rolled oat flour), organic sunflower oil or organic canola oil, calcium carbonate, sea salt, sunflower lecithin, organic natural flavors, ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2), Vitamin A Palmitate, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12).
If you’re on a budget, skip the fancier oat milks above and go for Costco’s in-house Kirkland oat milk. It’s organic and certified by The Detox Project as free of glyphosate.
These two things make it a rare gem in a field of wannabe great oat milks that aren’t made with organic ingredients and/or don’t have Glyphosate-Free certification.
Yes, the packaging is… lacking in style, and there’s no clear indication that it’s free of BPA or BPS, F, etc. The spout also tends to collect liquid and makes the whole thing a soggy, sorry mess.
My top tip: Pour the milk into a glass jar after opening, then store it in your refrigerator.
Other than that, this is one of the best glyphosate-free oat milks around!
The Bottom Line
Oats, sadly have glyphosate, and it only makes sense that “milk” made from oats can as well. The bottom line is it takes work for consumers to track down oat milk brands that take extra steps to deliver as pristine a product as possible.
I hope this research helps you along the way to a non-toxic pantry and kitchen.