Ok, hello world. It is me. Here to tell you that making oat milk is actually SO easy and takes less than 2 minutes. Which is exactly why we have no reason not to do it, y’know? (that was a double negative and yes I am sorry).
ANYWAYS, making your own oat milk will not only save time, but it will save you money and is also better for the environment! This quick, plant based recipe is perfect if you are vegan, dabbling in plant based or just curious to see what homemade oat milk will taste like!
The best part is when you make it at home, you don’t need any stabilizers or emulsifiers in the recipe. You just need water, oats, sweetener, vanilla and salt. It’s that easy!
However, oat milk doesn’t last forever, so this is a small-batch recipe to make sure it doesn’t spoil before you can use it! This makes about 24 ounces of oat milk, or 3 cups. Perfect to have on hand for cereal, baking, or even adding to your oatmeal (very meta, I know).
Let’s talk a few tips and tricks on how to make this oat milk ~work~, because I always see common complaints when it comes to oat milk recipes on the internet. The most common issues/complaints I see are:
- It’s too grainy.
- It comes out tasting slimy.
And while these are legitimate complaints, they totally can be fixed.
Here’s how I fix the big ones:
- It’s too grainy – this is because of blending and straining. Two things we can totally fix! The best way to do this is to only blend the oat milk for 30 seconds. This is plenty of time to get everything combined, but it will make sure that the oat granules don’t become too small to be strained out. Another tip is strain with a cheesecloth. A cheesecloth is the best way to strain an oat milk, because it captures more than what a normal strainer can!
- It comes out tasting slimy – we can fix this by using ice cold water. This will prevent any warming of the oats during the blending process, and will help the oat milk stay smooth but still creamy, without adding any of that slimy texture.
And a few tips on straining – after the oat milk is blended, you’ll want to gently pour it through a cheesecloth. The key word here is gently. After you pour, you’ll need to gently squeeze down the cheese cloth to get all the liquid out. You don’t want to squeeze too hard, or else you’ll force out bits of oat granules you don’t want, leading to a grainy texture.
A good rule of thumb is to gently squeeze until you feel a slight amount of resistance. That will let you know that you’ve gotten all the milk out that you need!
Now let’s talk about storing the oat milk – once you make it and strain it, it will be good to drink right away! But if you choose to store it in the fridge, you’ll notice that it separates quickly. And this is totally normal – it’s good even!
This is because this oat milk doesn’t have any emulsifiers (think xantham gum, agar agar etc.) in it to stabilize the blend. But all you need to do is give it a quick shake and it will be good to use! You can store the oat milk in the fridge for up to 5-7 days 🙂
The Easiest Oat Milk Recipe on the Internet
Equipment
- blender
- Cheese cloth
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional, but recommended!
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups ice water
Instructions
- In a large blender, add the oats, maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Cover with the ice water.
- Blend for 30 seconds max (this is the most important part!) Overblending will lead to a slimy texture, plus 30 seconds will be plenty of time!
- Immediately strain through a cheesecloth. I've found a cheesecloth is the best straining tool, a normal strainer will let in too much meal and will lead to a grainy milk.
- Use your hand to squeeze the milk through the strainer, do this step slowly to ensure you get all the milk out.
- Chill in the fridge and use as-needed. This will make 24 oz and last for up to 4 days!
My oat milk came out delicious and this recipe was easy to follow. Definitely will be making this milk again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it!!