How To Make Oat Milk

Learning How To Make Oat Milk is a cinch! This is a simple recipe for Homemade Oat Milk using only water, oats, vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup. It’s so tasty and effortless that you’ll never buy oat milk again! If you’re looking for a dairy-free and nut-free milk, this is it!

What Is Oat Milk?

Oat milk is a dairy-free milk substitute made by blending oats with water and then straining the blended mixture through either cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. It was developed in the 1990s by Swedish scientist Rickard Oste but it didn’t become popular until more recently in 2017 when it first hit the grocery stores.

The flavor is undeniably, well, oat-like? Yes, it tastes just like oats or oatmeal! It’s used for cereals, smoothies, baked goods, and a variety of other culinary purposes.

Why I Love This Recipe?

• It’s incredibly easy to make! Learning How To Make Oat Milk is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever encounter. This recipe takes only a few minutes to make. Cleanup is minimal as everything goes into a blender and then through a strainer into a bowl. You’ll be sitting down and enjoying a nice tall glass of milk and cookies in less than 5 minutes!
• It tastes just as good as store-bought. If you follow my simple steps to make this Oat Milk Recipe you’ll be shocked at how this milk tastes exactly like store-bought. The first time I made the recipe, I vowed never to purchase the store-bought version again.
• It’s healthy. It’s a healthier alternative to regular milk because it doesn’t include saturated fats which can potentially lead to heart disease and other diseases. Additionally, oats are a healthy food. For example, they are a great source of antioxidants called avenanthramides which are believed to be beneficial for lowering blood pressure. Finally, they are believed to be beneficial for reducing bad cholesterol. These are just a few of the many health benefits of oats.(1)(2)(3)
• It’s vegan! The best part is that you’re not consuming regular milk which requires cows to be separated from their young and subjected to inhumane conditions to extract milk. Additional, as mentioned earlier, plant-based milk is healthier because it doesn’t include all the saturated fats found in regular milk.

Homemade Oat Milk Recipe

• Oats – use rolled oats.
• Water – use cold filtered water.
• Flavoring ingredients – maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla.

How To Make Oat Milk

1. Blend all ingredients. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high for no more than 40 seconds.
2. Strain milk. Place a nut milk bag or cheesecloth over a large bowl and pour the milk through the cheesecloth or nut milk bag into the bowl.
3. Strain a second time. Wash out your blender and your cheesecloth and repeat the straining process.
4. Refrigerate. Pour the Homemade Oat Milk into a bottle or bottles and refrigerate for up to a week.

Tips To Avoid Making Slimy Oat Milk

Why would Homemade Oat Milk become slimy anyways you ask? That’s because oats are not water soluble and they will absorb water. Additionally, oats contain a lot of starch which will also make the milk slimy. So, here’s how to avoid it:

• Make sure the water you use is very cold. Heat will enhance the starchiness of oats.
• Do not blend the oats for more than 40 seconds or this will result in more of an oat smoothie which will be thick and slimy.
• Do not soak the oats. When oats soak, the starch from the oats will seep out into the water.
• Do not squeeze the milk through the cheesecloth. Doing so will result in more starch being passed through the cheesecloth.
• Strain the milk through the cheesecloth twice.

Recipe Variations

If you want to add a little sweetness to your Oat Milk Recipe, you can use either maple syrup, dates, raw sugar, or agave. You can also experiment with different spices like cinnamon, pumpkin spice, or nutmeg. I wouldn’t go overboard on the spices though, maybe just a pinch.

Is It Cheaper To Make Your Own Oat Milk?

It depends on where you buy the ingredients and the brand of the ingredients. Here’s how the math works based on the ingredients I used:

• Store-bought: A 48 oz. bottle of Califia Farms oat milk costs $4.29 and yields 6 cups of milk, .71 per cup.
• Homemade: A 16 oz. bag of Bob’s Red Mill Oats and two 1 gallon jugs of Crystal Geyser water cost about $13 and yields 16 cups of milk, $.81 per cup.

While you may not save any money by making your own milk, there may be some benefit if you’re conscious of the quality and type of ingredients used.

I like to make Homemade Oat Milk not for the savings but because it’s more convenient than having to buy bottle after bottle of milk every time I run to the store. If I run out of milk, I just grab a jug of water and a scoop of oats already on hand in my pantry. It’s one less thing to add to your shopping list.

However, savings is possible if you purchase less expensive ingredients. The ingredients I used aren’t on the cheaper side. So, if you care little about the quality of ingredients, you’ll likely save a little money.

How To Use Homemade Oat Milk

• Use it to make other types of flavored milk recipes like my Strawberry Milk or Banana Milk
• Use it to make smoothies like my Blueberry Spinach Smoothie.
• As a substitute for regular milk in baked goods like my Vegan Zucchini Bread or Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal.
• Pour it over cereals like my Chia Seed Oatmeal or Quinoa Oatmeal.
• Add it to your coffee as a creamer substitute.
• Or, just enjoy a tall glass of Homemade Oat Milk with some good Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Oat Milk FAQs

• Is oat milk gluten-free? Your Homemade Oat Milk will only be gluten-free if you use gluten-free oats to make it. Just be careful when you purchase your oats. Because of regulations, producers of oats must label their products as gluten-free if they are processed without gluten contamination. Just make sure you check the bag labeling and you’ll be fine!
• What type of oats should be used? Rolled oats are the best.
• How long will oat milk last? If refrigerated in a sealed bottle or container, it should last for up to a week.

Looking For More Dairy-Free Recipes?

• Vegan Heavy Cream
• Vegan Cream Cheese
• Vegan Ranch
• Vegan Mac and Cheese
• Vegan Cashew Alfredo Sauce