How to Make Oat Milk {2 Ingredients}

Name: How to Make Oat Milk
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 cup rolled oats; 5 cups water; ⅛ teaspoon salt

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Yes, you definitely can make your own oat milk! DIY oat milk (or oatmeal milk) is definitely a thing. All you need are rolled oats (the ones labeled old-fashioned, not instant,) water, and either a blender or large-capacity food processor.

Homemade oat milk is ridiculously affordable. A bag of organic oats at my grocery store makes at least four batches and costs the same as one quart of processed oat milk. Plus, homemade is totally customizable with flavorings and sweeteners and avoids all the unpronounceable ingredients commercial manufacturers add.

How to make homemade oat milk

Place the oats and salt in a high-speed blender.
Add the salt and combine all ingredients together.
Look for a nice milkiness but do not expect every speck of oats to be incorporated into the liquid.
If you really need to blend more, wait a minute or two for the second round of pulses so as not to heat the milk with the power of the blender. You do not want to start cooking the oats as this creates a gunky texture.

3 image collage to show how to make the oat milk in a blender

Below is oatmilk ready to be strained. Notice there is still solid oat matter floating at the top but the liquid is a nice, milky white.

oat milk in a blender after blending oats and water

Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. If necessary, do a second strain to remove additional residue.

Straining the oat milk with a cheese cloth

Homemade oat milk recipe variations

Fruit sweeteners: Dates are a natural sweetener. Chop finely and add to mix before processing so they completely incorporate.
Honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, or the sugar of your choice is also nice. Start with a teaspoon or so. Add to taste.
Vanilla extract can be added too and is especially nice with a sweetener.
Cocoa powder along with a sweetener makes chocolate oat milk.
Warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, or a pumpkin spice blend are also fun.

Tips for making homemade oat milk

Use cold filtered water to avoid passing chlorine or other off-tastes from tap water into your oat milk. Cold water makes the best oat milk because it prevents the oats from cooking and releasing too much starch, which leads to an undesirable texture.
Don’t overfill your food processor or blender. Check that you are not filling beyond the liquid fill line. You may have to split the recipe into two batches.
Resist over blending. If you process the oats to smithereens, you will end up with thick, gelatinous oat milk – a substance closer to thin gruel than milk.
Adjust the water during the blending process for a thinner or thicker consistency. You can go down to 3 cups of water or as much as 7 cups of water.
Do not press sediment through the sieve. This will give you a gritty product. It’s best to lightly strain using the mesh sieve or even use a cheesecloth.
Add dates, maple syrup or any sweetener during the blending process. This will create a sweeter oat milk.

Recipes with oat milk

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to strain the oat milk?

Yes. You may have to actually strain it twice to remove all the sediment, because the oats breakdown into tiny pieces.

How long does it keep?

It will keep for a week in the refrigerator. It tastes best cold.

What type of oats are best for making oat milk?

Old-fashioned rolled oats work best. The quick-cooking variety breaks down too fast and makes for slimy oat milk, while steel-cut oats are too unprocessed and do not soften fast enough. Of course, if you like to be organic, buy organic oats. Also important, if you have gluten issues, make sure to buy gluten-free oats.

Oat milk has become a favorite for vegans and people with dairy and/or nut allergies. If you have been curious about it, why not make a batch at home?

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