Oatly Original Oatmilk: 3g Protein per Cup, Labelgrade B- (74/100)
B- 74 / 100 — The dominant plant-based milk on the US market by a wide margin. 3g protein per cup is low (oat milk is generally not a protein source), but the calcium fortification (35% DV) and barista-friendly texture justify the popularity. Honest read: this is a milk-flavored beverage, not a protein delivery vehicle.
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Oatly Original Oatmilk delivers 3 g of protein per 1-cup (240 ml) serving at 120 calories (USDA FDC 2309560) — about 1.3 g per 100 ml, roughly 40% of the protein in a cup of dairy milk (8 g) and well under half the protein of soy. Oat milk is not a protein source; Oatly’s whole appeal is texture — a creamy, milk-like mouthfeel that foams and steams in coffee where almond and soy fall flat. It also carries the highest sugar and carbs of any common plant milk — 7 g of sugar and 16 g of carbs per cup — not from added sweetener but because the oats are enzymatically broken into maltose to build that body. It earns a B- (74/100): low saturated fat, very low sodium, and strong calcium fortification (35% DV) carry it; D-grade protein density and that 7 g of “added” sugar hold it back. Buy it for coffee and cereal; skip it if you came for protein.
Why the B-
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | D | 52 / 100 | 1.3 g per 100 ml. 3 g per cup is 6% of the Daily Value — below the 10% bar to claim “good source.” Oats are a low-protein grain to begin with |
| Ingredient quality | B | 75 / 100 | 11 items: oat base, canola oil, four phosphate salts, sea salt, four added vitamins. Clean for a shelf-stable carton, but longer than a two-ingredient label |
| Sugar load | B- | 72 / 100 | 7 g per cup — the worst of any plant milk here. All “added,” because the maltose is enzyme-freed from the oat starch (the same step that makes the milk creamy) |
| Sodium load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 100 mg per cup — genuinely low, below most dairy milk |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 99 / 100 | 0.5 g per cup. The 5 g of total fat is mostly unsaturated canola oil |
| Fiber | F | 36 / 100 | 2 g per cup. Whole oats are fiber-rich, but straining for liquid leaves the beta-glucan behind in the pulp |
Read honestly: the protein D isn’t a formulation flaw to fix — it’s what oats are. The sugar B- is the one avoidable knock, and it is the direct cost of the texture Oatly is famous for.
The sugar and the creaminess are the same thing
The single fact that explains this product: the sugar is the texture. Oatly treats the oat starch with enzymes that cleave it into maltose — chemically the same starch-to-sugar conversion brewers use to malt grain. That one reaction releases the ~7 g of maltose the FDA counts as added sugar and turns thin, gritty oat liquid into something with body and a faint cereal-milk sweetness.
So you cannot have low-sugar Oatly that still drinks like Oatly. The Unsweetened variant dials back the enzyme step to near 0 g sugar — and tastes flatter and thinner for it, because you have removed the reaction that built the mouthfeel. Soy and pea milks reach a milk-like texture a different way (more native protein, added oil and gums), which is how Silk soy holds 5 g sugar and Ripple holds 0 g while still pouring like milk. Oatly’s tradeoff is specific: you are buying maltose-built creaminess.
Where it actually beats soy and almond — and where it loses
Sorted by what you actually want from the carton, the plant milks in our catalog line up like this:
| Per cup (240 ml) | Protein | Calories | Sugar | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oatly Original (this product) | 3 g | 120 | 7 g | 350 mg (35% DV) |
| Silk Original soy | 8 g | 110 | 5 g | 450 mg |
| Ripple unsweetened (pea) | 8 g | 70 | 0 g | 440 mg |
| Califia unsweetened almond | ~2 g | 84 | 0 g | — |
| Dairy 2% (reference) | ~8 g | ~120 | varies | ~300 mg |
For protein per cup, Oatly sits at the bottom with almond — soy and Ripple nearly triple it. For fewest calories and sugar, almond and Ripple win outright. Oatly loses both races. What it wins, and the reason it became the default oat milk in US coffee shops, is steaming and foaming: the oil-plus-maltose body holds microfoam where thin almond and protein-forward soy do not. To size the protein gap: a cup of Oatly carries about as much protein as 10 g of cooked chicken breast — a third of an ounce. It ties 2% dairy on calories (~120) and even beats it on fortified calcium (350 vs ~300 mg), but gives up more than half the protein. Latte or cereal, Oatly earns its place; protein, choose soy, Ripple, or Fairlife.
Ingredients
Oat base (water, oats). Contains 2% or less of: low erucic acid rapeseed oil (canola), dipotassium phosphate, calcium carbonate, tricalcium phosphate, sea salt, dicalcium phosphate, riboflavin, vitamin A, vitamin D2, vitamin B12. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2309560.) The oats and oil do the work you taste; the phosphates stabilize the emulsion and supply the fortified calcium, and the four vitamins bring it in line with dairy on micronutrients.
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 cup (240 ml)
190646640026See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 cup (240 ml)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 120 |
| Protein | 3g |
| Total Fat | 5g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 16g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2g |
| Total Sugars | 7g |
| Added Sugars | 7g |
| Sodium | 100mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 350mg |
| Iron | 0.3mg |
| Potassium | 389mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Oatly Original Oatmilk (32 fl oz (946 ml) carton) · UPC 190646640026. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Oatly Original Oatmilk?
3 g per 1-cup (240 ml) serving (USDA FDC 2309560) — about 1.3 g per 100 ml. That is the lowest-protein category of plant milk alongside almond. A cup of dairy milk has roughly 8 g; a cup of Silk Original soy has 8 g; Ripple's pea-protein milk has 8 g. Oat milk is a texture product, not a protein source.
Why does oat milk have so much more sugar than dairy or soy milk?
Because the oats are deliberately broken down into sugar. Oatly's first ingredient is 'oat base (water, oats),' and the oat starch in it is treated with enzymes that split it into maltose — the same starch-to-sugar reaction that malting uses in brewing. That is where the 7 g comes from and why the carb count (16 g) is far higher than soy (8 g) or Ripple (0 g). The enzyme step is also what gives oat milk its body, so the sugar and the creamy mouthfeel are two sides of the same process.
Why does the label say 7 g 'added sugar' if Oatly adds no sugar?
It is a labeling quirk. No cane sugar or syrup goes into the carton, but the FDA counts the maltose freed by Oatly's enzyme step as 'added sugar,' so the Nutrition Facts panel reads 7 g added even though the source is the oats themselves. Oatly's marketing disputes the wording; the federally required label still shows it, and that 7 g is what costs the product on the sugar dimension below.
Oatly vs soy vs almond — which should I buy?
By the numbers in our catalog, per cup: Oatly Original is 3 g protein / 120 cal / 7 g sugar; Silk Original soy is 8 g / 110 cal / 5 g sugar; Califia unsweetened almond is ~2 g / 84 cal / 0 g sugar; Ripple unsweetened (pea) is 8 g / 70 cal / 0 g sugar. Soy and Ripple win for protein. Almond wins for fewest calories. Oatly wins for one thing the others lose on — coffee texture.
Is Oatly Original the same as Oatly Barista Edition?
No. Barista uses a slightly different oil and stabilizer blend tuned to hold microfoam for latte art, which is why most cafes pour Barista. Original (this carton) still foams and steams better than soy or almond, and it is the one most people keep at home for cereal and everyday coffee.
Why is the calcium (350 mg) higher than dairy milk?
Fortification, not oats. Raw oat liquid has almost no calcium, so Oatly adds calcium carbonate plus tricalcium and dicalcium phosphate. The result — 350 mg, the label's 35% DV — actually edges out the ~300 mg in a cup of dairy. On calcium, an oat-milk diet is not shortchanged; on protein, it still is.
What is 'low erucic acid rapeseed oil' doing in oat milk?
That is canola oil under its technical name. Oatly adds about 5 g of it per cup to supply fat and creaminess, because plain strained oat liquid is thin and watery. The added oil — not the oats — is most of why a glass of Oatly feels like milk in the mouth, and it is why total fat (5 g) reads higher than the near-fat-free soy and almond options.