Try our Oat Milk Recipe and learn how to make oat milk like a pro with our step by step photos and video! This recipe is nut free, dairy free, soy free, vegan, and can be made gluten free by using gluten free oats.
Oat milk is creamy and delicious – if you’ve been thinking about buying it in stores, first try making it at home. It couldn’t be easier! Add your favorite flavorings or even enjoy with a bowl of cereal.
what is oat milk?
Oat milk is a plant based milk alternative made from oats and water. You can use rolled oats or steel cut oats.
It’s also nut free so those who can’t have almond milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or dairy milk you should definitely try this recipe. It’s just strained oats which most of us have at home. Plus you’ll save money by making it yourself instead of buying in grocery stores.
We’ve been buying storebought oat milk for a few months and have enjoyed it as a milk alternative. I’ve noticed that more and more people are buying it as well because there have been shortages in stores. I figured how hard could it be to make homemade oat milk? Plus not to mention the brand we buy isn’t organic and oats can be loaded with pesticides, we’ll pass on Glyphosate.
Also let’s be clear, GMO free is not the same thing as organic. It simply means that it does not contain GMOs.
how to make oat milk
tools you will need:
A nut milk bag is an essential tool for this oat milk recipe. The oats in the milk are really tiny, you need to use a nut milk bag or a cheesecloth to catch all of the little bits. Otherwise, you’ll have a grainy milk. You can use nut milk bags for nut milks, juices, and even straining yogurt to make greek yogurt.
We use a Vitamix in our home. We recommend using a high-speed blender to make oat milk. It really breaks the oats down and creates a smooth and creamy oat milk. When using a traditional blender you may need to blend for 1 minute instead of 30 seconds.
If you suffer from celiac disease or you are gluten free remember to use gluten-free oats instead of traditional rolled oats.
Oats contain phytic acid, to remove some we like to soak our rolled oats in water for 20 minutes or even 30 minutes, but not over.
Once the oats are done soaking you are ready to drain and rinse the oats with clean water.them with clean water.
Discard the water that you used to soak the oats.
Now it’s time to blend the oats into oat milk. Place the rinsed and drained oats into a high-speed blender with water and blend for 30 seconds.
Once the oats are blended you’ll pour them into a nut milk bag placed over a bowl. We use a large measuring cup so that it’s easier to pour into our glass bottle.
Gently squeeze the milk out of the nut milk bag. Start squeezing from the top of the bag to the bottom.
Stop squeezing once you feel the milk coming out is getting slimy.
Pour the milk into your favorite glass bottle to refrigerate and enjoy within 4 days.
how to use leftover oat pulp:
Don’t throw away the pulp! That’s all the fiber, instead, try some of these options.
- add to smoothies
- use in baked recipes like bread, cookies, muffins, or even crackers
- make a face mask
- consider adding to your compost instead of just tossing
how to make flavored oat milk
oat milk recipes with flavor:
- plain oat milk – no flavorings, just oats, and water.
- vanilla oat milk – salt, vanilla extract, maple syrup
- strawberry oat milk -salt, vanilla extract, strawberry syrup
- chocolate oat milk – salt, vanilla extract, maple syrup, cocoa
Tip to make the chocolate – we blend half the water with the oats and half the water with the cocoa. We like to make the chocolate milk like we make our regular chocolate milk recipe, but instead of using vanilla sugar we now use maple syrup.
can you heat oat milk?
You can, but keep in mind that it is made from oats and oats thicken. When you heat it up the milk will get a little thicker, we do not mind it warmed up in coffee or tea, but we don’t recommend using it for something like hot chocolate.
how to use oat milk
We enjoy oat milk just as one would enjoy other plant-based milk or cows milk. We use it coffee, in smoothies, with cereal, or just a refreshing beverage. I like enjoying it vanilla oat milk with a pinch of cinnamon, it makes for a comforting cup of milk in the fall with the cinnamon.
If you’re vegan, dairy free, have a soy or nut allergy, or lactose intolerant, this may be a great option for you! If you’re starting a dairy-free lifestyle there are many dairy substitutes available now.
recipe notes:
- do not over soak the oats, it will end up slimy
- do not use quick oats
- you can use your favorite sweetener if you do not like maple syrup
- if you want a creamier consistency use less water, this makes an excellent creamer for coffee
how to make oat milk video
We show you just how simple this recipe is in our easy to follow video. We hope you enjoy as much as we do!
Oat Milk Recipe
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Print Pin SaveIngredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- water for soaking
- 3 1/2 cups water for blending
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Place the rolled oats into a large bowl and cover with water.
- Soak the oats for 30 minutes to reduce the phytic acid.
- Once the oats are done with soaking drain and rinse them with clean water.
- Discard the water that you used to soak the oats.
- Place the rinsed and drained oats into a high-speed blender with 3 1/2 cups of water and blend for 30 seconds.
- Once the oats are blended pour them into a nut milk bag placed over a bowl.
- Gently squeeze the oat milk out of the nut milk bag. Start squeezing from the top of the bag to the bottom.
- Stop squeezing once you feel the milk coming out is getting slimy.
- Pour the milk into your favorite glass bottle to refrigerate and enjoy within 4 days.
Notes
- do not over soak the oats, it will end up slimy
- do not use quick oats
- you can use your favorite sweetener if you do not like maple syrup
- if you want a creamier consistency use less water, this makes an excellent creamer for coffee
- plain oat milk - no flavorings, just oats, and water.
- vanilla oat milk - salt, vanilla, maple syrup
- strawberry oat milk -salt, vanilla, strawberry syrup
- chocolate oat milk - salt, vanilla, maple syrup, cocoa
Nutrition
The nutritional information is automatically calculated and can vary based ingredients and products used. If the nutrition numbers are important for you we recommend calculating them yourself.
I’m confused. At the start of the recipe, you said you can use rolled or steel-cut oats. And throughout the recipe itself, it says to use rolled oats. But in your recipe notes at the end, it says NOT to use rolled or steel-cut oats. So, which is it?
Thank you!
You should definitely use rolled or steel-cut. That was an error, thanks for letting us know. 🙂 You don’t want to use quick oats.
Would it work to add the sweeter, cocoa, or other add ins as you blend the oats… prior to straining?
Can you add any protein powders to it to make it more protein dense?
Absolutely! Depending on what protein you use it would change the flavor and texture, just like adding protein powder to dairy milk. I would do it before consuming, not the entire batch that you’re storing in the refrigerator. 🙂