Does Oat Milk Need to Be Refrigerated? (Explained!)

When one of your regular visitors is a vegan, it is more than decent to buy some oat milk so that they can, for example, put it into their coffee. But if you’re not a vegan yourself, oat milk is probably a mystery for you – first, it is hard just to decide what kind of oat milk to buy.

But maybe even a bigger problem occurs when you need to store it somehow. Don’t worry, though; we’re here to help you! For starters, let’s answer this essential question regarding storing oat milk:

Does oat milk need to be refrigerated? To put it simply, no, oat milk doesn’t need to be refrigerated. With that being said, though, oat milk needs to be refrigerated after opening. And don’t forget that some kinds of oat milk should even be refrigerated all the time – you can tell these simply by the fact they’re sold in the refrigerated section.

But this obviously isn’t everything you should know about oat milk’s storage, so in this article, we’re going to dive into this topic a bit deeper.

Let’s not waste any more time then and just get started!

Does Oat Milk Need to Be RefrigeratedPin

Does oat milk need to be refrigerated?

No, most kinds of oat milk don’t need to be refrigerated. However, the “most kinds” part is essential because some oat milk requires refrigeration all the time. Additionally, it is crucial to point out that all kinds of oat milk should be refrigerated after they are opened.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the most popular oat milk brands so that you know whether the one you have should be in the fridge even before opening or not:

Does Silk oat milk need to be refrigerated?

No, Silk oat milk doesn’t need to be refrigerated because it is shelf-stable. But with that in mind, this goes only as long as you don’t open it – after opening, Silk oat milk should always be refrigerated and consumed within seven to ten days.

Does Oatly oat milk need to be refrigerated?

Since it is sold chilled, Oatly oat milk needs to be refrigerated before opening. Additionally, remember that it should also be consumed within a week once it is opened.

Does Chobani oat milk need to be refrigerated?

No, since it is shelf-stable, Chobani oat milk doesn’t need to be refrigerated. But remember that this is the case only until you once crack the original packaging – after opening, even Chobani oat milk belongs to the fridge.

Does Alpro oat milk need to be refrigerated?

Yes, Alpro oat milk needs to be refrigerated even before opening because it is sold chilled, meaning it otherwise might become dangerous to drink just after more than two hours.

Does Califia oat milk need to be refrigerated?

As the USDA says, no perishable food can sit out for more than two hours before being dangerous to consume. And since drinks from Califia are perishable, it means that Califia oat milk needs to be refrigerated even if the original packaging hasn’t been broken yet.

Does Planet oat milk need to be refrigerated?

Planet oat milk is shelf-stable, and that means only one thing – no, Planet oat milk doesn’t need to be refrigerated! However, keep in mind that this is the case only as long as the original packaging hasn’t been broken because, after opening, even Planet oat milk should be kept in the fridge.

How long does oat milk last in the fridge?

We’ve already touched this a bit, but let’s do it again for clarification – oat milk lasts only for something about a week in the fridge after it was opened. On the other hand, before opening, oat milk can stay suitable for even as long as a year in the refrigerator.

Does oat milk need to be refrigerated after opening?

As we have already explained, oat milk needs to be refrigerated after opening. That is because breaking the original packaging takes from the milk its shelf-stable abilities.

And that means that if you left it out of the fridge, it would quickly (within a matter of two hours) become dangerous to drink.

How to store oat milk without refrigeration?

The best way to store oat milk without refrigeration is to put it in some dark and chilly place. There, it will stay good for even as long as a year, provided we’re not talking about the type sold refrigerated because that oat milk simply needs to be in the fridge all the time. 

How long can oat milk sit out at room temperature?

As explained above, once it was opened, you should always store your oat milk in the fridge – the reason for that is that, at least according to the USDA, opened oat milk cannot sit out at room temperature for any more than two hours before it is dangerous to be consumed.

And when talking about the kind of oat milk sold in the refrigerated section, this is the case even before opening. Unopened shelf-stable oat milk, on the other hand, can sit out at room temperature for a very long time; more about comes this in the following answer, though.

Is it safe to leave oat milk at room temperature?

It’s impossible to answer this question generally because we need to look at three different situations – first, you have the shelf-stable oat milk, and yes, it is safe to leave that kind of oat milk at room temperature as long as it’s not opened.

However, there is also a kind of oat milk that should be refrigerated even before the opening, and as you’ve probably guessed, it isn’t safe to leave that kind of oat milk at room temperature.

And last, let’s take a look at oat milk after opening – no matter what kind of oat milk we’re talking about, it is not safe to leave it out at room temperature after it is opened.

How do you know if oat milk has gone bad?

Just like with pretty much every other drink, telling bad oat milk from the good one is nothing complicated. To know if your oat milk has gone bad, just carefully check its smell and appearance and also taste just a tiny bit of it.

If you have seen, smelled, or tasted anything weird, the oat milk has already gone bad, and you should throw it away as soon as possible; otherwise, it’s good to go, though!

Summary

In most cases, oat milk doesn’t require refrigeration before opening. But if you bought your oat milk in the refrigerated section, you should store it in the fridge all the time, because it can sit out for only two hours before being dangerous to drink,

And the same goes for oat milk you’ve already opened as well – no matter its kind, opened oat milk has to be always refrigerated because, according to the USDA, it cannot be left out of the fridge for more than two hours.

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Image credits – Canva

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