How Do You Make Oat Milk?

We use milk every single day of our lives, from our morning granola to the bechamel sauce. Homemade Oat Milk is by far the cheapest and fastest plant-based homemade milk option.

We like that this recipe is super adjustable. You can make it creamier, sweeter or flavor infused.

Ingredients

It requires 2 ingredients, 5 minutes, and a blender.

• Rolled Oats
• Water
• Dates (optional)
• Salt (optional, omit if adhering to a Whole Foods Plant-Based diet)

Instructions

So, how Do you Get Milk from Oats?

The first thing you need to do, it put your oats to soak overnight in water. If you don't have the time and want to make it quick, you can also soak them in warm water for 5 minutes and proceed. I find that making them overnight gives the milk a creamier texture.

Remember to shop for Gluten-Free Oats if you are on a Gluten-Free diet, as Oats naturally do not contain gluten. Still, they are usually processed in places where there is gluten, and usually, they don't guarantee they are gluten-free.

You then need to drain the oats and add them to the blender. Blend for 1 to 2 minutes along with 4 cups of water.

You can optionally add a pinch of salt and your preferred sweetener or flavoring as for flavor enhancers.

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Then it would be best if you strained through a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Or even better, a clean t-shirt or canvas fabric bag, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

I like using a piece of fabric for Oat Milk because it is thinner, and that nuts milk, that way to strain more pulp out of it.

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Suggested sweeteners: dates, raisins, agave syrup, or maple syrup.

Add in ideas: cocoa powder, vanilla extract, banana, strawberry, or hazelnuts.

Soaking your oats

• Soak the oats at room temperature or in the fridge.
• If a day has passed and you forgot or didn't get to make the oat milk, they are at room temperature, change the water, and put the soaking oats in the fridge. If you leave them longer, they will become gooey. In that case, we recommend placing them in a colander under running water for a couple of seconds before continuing with the process.
• If you need to make it the same day, pour warm water into the oats to accelerate the process and leave them soaking for 5 minutes.

Which type of oats?

We find that using Rolled Oats gives better results in general.

If you are on a Gluten-Free diet, look for rolled oats that clearly state it.

How to thicken It

This creamy oat milk recipe is already in the mid-range of thickness. If you want thicker milk, increase the amount of oatmeal.

We find the perfect thickness for our taste is 1 cup of oats / 4 cups of water.

Suggested thicker oat milk options:

• 1 cup of oats / 3 cups of water, if you don't mind sacrificing final volume.
• 1 ½ cups oats / 4 cups of water, if you want the same volume.

If you want thinner oat milk, reduce the number of oats flakes to ¾ cup or increase water by one cup.

Storing: how long does it last?

It depends on whether you sterilize your equipment and how fresh are the ingredients you used. In general, we have found it lasts about 2-3 days.

We use oat milk quite often for our morning smoothies or Homemade Granola, so one batch only makes it to the third day. If you are like us, you don't need to sterilize your ingredients as it reaches the 3^rd day without any problem.

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If you find that it goes off before expected, easily sterilize your bottles either:

1. Pouring boiling water inside, ensuring the jars are not cold so that they won't break.
2. Then, putting them in the dishwasher.

If you have unexpectedly leave home or didn't use your milk soon enough and want to prevent it from going off.

You can freeze it in ice cube trays and save them to add to your morning smoothies.

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How to use it

You can use it the same way you would use regular milk: in smoothies, in your morning granola or breakfast fruit bowl, bechamel sauce, or baking.

Below are some recipes where you could use your oat milk:

• Post-Work Out Smoothie
• Easy Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Vegan Cauliflower Wings
• Creamy Vegan Sauce for Everything

Why should you do your own DIY oat milk?

Convenience

It is effortless to make; it only takes us 5 minutes.

Although with Almond Milk, you can accelerate the overnight soaking process, and you can also do this soaking for Oat Milk, it is barely necessary and skippable.

You can make only the quantity you need.

It's fully adjustable on flavor, thickness, and sweetness.

Economy

Making it is super Cheap, out of 1 cup of rolled oats you get 4 cups of delicious plant milk.

150 Tetra Paks saved per year: 3 per week!

If you are on a budget, Oat Milk is the most suitable of them all, including cow's milk. It is also more sustainable than almond milk. You can either let it in or make it part of your smoothies in terms of the very little remaining pulp.

Health: 9 oat health benefits

• Low in Calories: if you are looking into keeping your waist, this easy oat milk should be one of your allies. Although all vegetable kinds of milk are significantly lower in calories (46kcal per cup) than regular milk, homemade oat milk is lower than their peers (even lower than Homemade Almond Milk (88 kcal per cup) and Homemade Soy Milk (138kcal per cup)).
• Skin: oat milk benefits for skin come from its anti-inflammatory properties, which help reduce acne flare-ups. Oat milk is a humectant, which helps skin retain water and is widely found in moisturizers.
• Bone Strengthening: Potassium, magnesium, and zinc are potent minerals included in this plant milk and are essential for forming and strengthening bones.
• Fats: oat milk has a zero count of saturated fats and three times less fat than whole milk.
• Dairy-Free: oats are low in fat and dairy-free, so it is an excellent choice for the lactose intolerant. It also has a naturally sweet taste.
• Cholesterol-Free: it contains zero cholesterol. Regular consumption may even lower LDL (bad cholesterol) in the blood.
• Helps Regulating Blood Sugar Levels: this good friend of people with type 2 diabetes slows down the absorption of carbohydrates in the gut, providing a slower and steadier supply of sugar into the bloodstream. This property is brought to us thanks to its content of soluble fiber.
• High in Fibre: oat milk has twice the soluble fiber as regular milk, making it an excellent choice for adding fiber to your diet for a healthy gut and digestive functions. Soluble fiber plays a role in strengthening the immune system, so regular consumption can prevent infections and also helps the body to heal itself naturally.
• High in Vitamins: oat milk has our beloved B vitamins folate and thiamine, which support the normal function of red blood cells and the breakdown of carbohydrates, respectively.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

Food safety

We sometimes take for granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.

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