Are you standing in the kitchen where oat curdles at this moment and you searching for “Does oat milk curdle?”
Surprisingly, we have the answer for it. Now we are in the scientific era. We have all the milk queries here in MFG.
I know how awful it was when you got curdling of oat milk while you ready to start the first sip of oat milk coffee. The curdling of milk happens due to several reasons. Let’s dig deep into curdling science.
Why is my oat milk curdling?
It is familiar to hear words like dairy milk are curdling. Nowadays, non-dairy milk is getting popular. In the same way, there is no doubt curdling of oat milk or whatever milk.
Most of the time, non-dairy milk is behaving similarly to dairy milk, the only difference is composition. So there is no doubt in curdling of oat milk though.
So, why does oat milk curdle?
Curdling of oat milk happens only when the PH value of the milk goes down less than 7.0. This makes us understand that the oat milk is getting acidic.
Your oat milk will get curdle when more acidity forms in the milk. This is because of the poor chemical reaction that happens in oat milk. The poor reaction happens because of a lot of reasons such as the temperature of the milk, the acidity level of the tea or coffee which I being added to the milk.
Even more, the oats grains are acidic. Followed by oat milk extracted from that also acidic.
Does oat milk curdle when heated?
So you mean to ask “Does oat milk curdle when boiled?”
It is not every oat milk will curdle when you heat or boiled. But there may be a chance of your oat milk forming curdle depending upon the oat milk you are using, the natural acidic level of the oat milk, and the espresso shot you are adding to it.
General science tells us that, every chemical reaction are happening at a high rate when it is heated at a high temperature(more than room temperature)
The curdling of oat milk is also a chemical reaction. There is the possibility of curdling oat milk. It is not only for the oat milk but applies to all the milk.
It is not advisable to heat milk to a high temperature. For the froting, heat the oat milk to 70 deg. C. Beyond that, there is a higher chance of curdling oat milk while boiling. If you are frothing the oat milk through milk frothers, you can do it through the temperature setting. Some of the best milk frother for oat milk out there in the market are provided with the temperature setting option. Use them to avoid the overheating of the milk
Is it normal for oat milk to separate?
Yes, it is ok for oat milk to separate. When you keep the oat milk still for some time, it is very natural for oat milk to get separated. But if you feel ugly to drink, you can buy from the shops and not as homemade.
The natural response when you made oat milk idle is, getting separated. But the separation of oat milk is different from the curdling. The separation of oat milk will happen only between the water and other ingredients in oat milk. This you can avoid by close the lid of the container & shake the oat milk well.
Or you can use the natural ingredient available in shops such as sunflower lecithin powder. It makes the whole ingredient as one and does not make the oat milk get separated.
But, in curdling, the oat milk will get curdled & form a thick substance, this is due to the poor acidic chemical reaction.
This can be avoided by the process of emulsification. If you bought the oat milk available in shops which contains some emulsifiers that act as an acidity regulator. Thus the oat milk can withstand the high temperature or high acidic environment without curdling.
Does oat milk curdle in hot coffee?
Yes, the oat milk curdles in hot coffee when it is subjected to a specific level of acidic environment.
The oat milk is acidic. You know the coffee beans are too. The more the acidic environment, the more the chances of curdling oat milk. The high temperature makes the chemical reaction fast and it is hard for oat milk to hold up whole ingredients. It forms a long-chain fatty substance.
The curdling of oat milk in hot coffee is depending upon the temperature of the coffee you are using in it. When you pour the oat milk into the high-temperature coffee, It is more prone to get curdle.
The oat milk can also form as a curdled thick substance when you use the highly acidic coffee shot extract into the oat milk.
In general comparison, the oat milk is less likely to form curdling when compare with the other plant-based milk out there. However, there are many reasons which cause the curdling of oat milk.
Five main reasons for curdling oat milk in coffee:
1. Using of uncleaned coffee cup or jar:
Using the dirty or uncleaned coffee mug is also a reason for the formation of oat milk curdling. The curdling of oat milk can happen when the milk gets contact with dust.
2. High acidic coffee bean:
There are different types of coffee beans available in the market. Using the high acidic coffee bean to your oat milk will have more chance of getting milk curdling. You can easily see the acidic value of the coffee bean you are buying in the market.
3. Pouring oat milk in high-temperature coffee:
The temperature of the coffee will affect the oat milk curdling. We know, higher the temperature of the coffee, high will be the poor the chemical reaction happens in it.
When you pouring the oat milk, the coffee reacts fast with the oat milk and form curdle. The temperature of the coffee tends to reduce naturally due to the thermodynamic rule. But we are pouring the oat milk into it, which makes the heat not flow outside and the only way to react with the oat milk.
4. Using expired oat milk:
Using spoiled oat milk will make the oat milk form curdle easily. The spoiled oat milk has a high acidity level on its own. When you kept the pat milk for a long time in a packed carton. Even though the acidity regulator is added in the oat milk, there is a chance of de-emulsification of oat milk which purely depends on the manufacturer’s ingredients.
5. Storage temperature:
The storage place of the oat milk also matters in the curdling process. When you store the oat milk in the sunlight or make it exposed to room temperature, the oat milk will get spoiled easily which in turn the curdling process happens when you using it for coffee.
It is not recommended to store the oat milk at room temperature.
How do you keep oat milk from curdling?
I know, it is very annoying to drink curdled oat milk. The curdling of oat milk can be avoided. Few tips can apply when you got the question “how to stop oat milk curdling in coffee?”
1. Use clean utensils:
The utensils(such as espresso machine, coffee mug, pitcher, oat milk stored container) we are using for the preparation of oat milk coffee shall be cleaned properly before using. This can avoid the chemical reaction that happens between the oat milk and the acidic substance present in the uncleaned mugs, jars, or whatever you using,
2. Use fresh oat milk:
It is advisable to use the oat milk within three weeks of buying it. This is the oat milk that guaranteed you freshness. Even if you are using homemade oat milk. It is good to use it as soon as possible. Because the hand-made oat milk is different from those prepared from the machines.
3. Refrigerate the oat milk as per manufacturer standard:
The oat milk shall always be refrigerated as per the manufacturers the notes which are mentioned in the back of the oat milk carton. Because the manufacturer has tested the oat milk based on the heat treatments. So it is good to follow their instructions.
4. Pour the coffee over milk:
Pouring the coffee over the oat milk. Wait for coffee to cool up to room temperature and then slowly pour the coffee over the oat milk. This will help oat milk absorb the lesser rate at the specific period which will help you to react to the coffee slowly in turn avoid the curdling process.
5. Use low acidic coffee bean:
The low acidic coffee bean helps to reduce the sudden chemical reaction that happens between the oat milk and espresso shot. If you are intended to use the high acidic coffee beans, then pour the coffee over the milk.
6. Avoid overheating:
Heat the temperature of the oat milk to not exceeding 70 deg. C. This helps to reduce the rate of a chemical reaction between the express shot and oat milk. Also, this is a good temperature to froth the oat milk.
7. Look for high calcium content oat milk:
The market brands which are selling oat milk are fortified with vitamins and minerals. Almost, every oat milk producer will add the calcium content to the oat milk as it will make the oat milk tastes equal to the cow’s milk. This calcium content helps to reduce the acidic nature of the coffee while the chemical reaction.
Use the above tips & don’t ever stuck at “Does oat milk curdle?”
Oat milk that doesn’t curdle:
It is impractical to tell, how good is the homemade oat milk. Depending upon various factors, we cannot tell the degree of milk curdling in homemade ones. Some of the good oat milk is which are less likely to curdle. Based on the customer’s desires and to avoid the process of milk curdling, some of the market brands found good as listed below.
1. Califia Farms – Oat Milk, Unsweetened Barista Blend
2. Pacific Foods Organic Oat Original Plant-Based Milk
3. Oatly Barista Edition Oatmilk
Reference:
- https://sarahbassett.co/oat-milk-that-doesnt-separate/
I’ve been buying my oat milk half n half from Walmart as it the only place I can find it. It’s already curdled when it gets here. 2 month shelf life? The brand is silk. It’s expensive 5.00. I never had an issue when I poured it in my coffee. Just opening it. I’d love to try another brand. I don’t like sweet. I like creamy like half n half.