If you’ve been wondering how to make oat milk, get excited. It’s one of the easiest types of milk to make and takes only five minutes! With only two main ingredients (oats and water), this recipe could not be simpler.
If you thought making homemade almond milk was easy, wait until you try homemade oat milk! This is a three step recipe that provides the delicious and refreshing milk flavor that we all love. It’s the perfect drink for pairing with your favorite cereal or fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies.
One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s so much creamier than what you find in the store. It’s really rich and it tastes so fresh! Plus, there are no stabilizers mixed in, so you know exactly what’s in the milk. No need for artificial flavors or preservatives in this recipe!
Make this lactose free milk recipe your own by choosing from a variety of flavor options. Stick with plain, classic oat milk, or add cocoa powder, vanilla, or berries!
Here’s what you’ll need
Oat milk is as simple as can be. It requires only two main ingredients, plus a light pinch of salt for flavor.
- Rolled Oats: We will be using 1 cup of rolled oats as the base of this recipe. No need to soak them beforehand!
- Water: We will blend 3 cups of water with the oats to help make the milk.
- Salt: Finally, a pinch of salt helps to bring out the oat flavor.
Feeling adventurous? Flavor it up with these easy options.
- Sweetened: Want to keep the oat flavor but prefer a sweet touch? Add 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or brown sugar.
- Vanilla: For vanilla milk, simply add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Chocolate: 2 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder will work to create a rich and chocolatey oat milk.
- Berry: For a tasty berry blast smoothie, add ½ cup of mixed berries! You can also stick to one type, i.e. blueberries, strawberries, etc.
How to make oat milk
To make this creamy milk, there are only 3 steps! Begin by blending the oats with water, and then strain the pulp and add your preferred flavorings. That’s it! In total, this recipe only requires 5 minutes of your time.
Step 1: Blend the oats
Add the oats and the water to a blender. Blitz just until the oats are broken down, about 30 seconds. Lean on the side of blending too little, as over-blending can release the oat starches and make the oat milk slimy.
Step 2: Strain the milk
Lay a thin dish towel in a colander and pour the mixture through. Don’t squeeze the oats, just let the milk drain out. Squeezing can cause slimy oat milk. When finished, discard the oat pulp.
Step 3: Adjust the flavor
Add a pinch of salt and optionally blend in your desired flavors. If the oat milk is thicker than you’d like, add a bit more water (up to 1 cup). Serve chilled.
Tips for making the best homemade milk
Follow these guidelines to create the perfect refreshing and flavorful beverage.
Prevent slimy milk
To prevent your milk from getting slimy, there are a few things that you can do. First, refrain from soaking the oats before blending. Soaking is used for other plant milk recipes (like almond milk), but is not needed for oat milk. Second, blend the ingredients for a short time (just until broken down). Finally, don’t squeeze the milk through the the dish towel – just let it drip out.
Don’t use a nut milk bag
For this milk recipe, a dish towel works better than a nut milk bag, as the bag can let too much sediment through. We don’t want to wind up with pulpy milk!
Storing leftovers
Store your milk in an airtight container and be sure to keep it refrigerated. Enjoy within 5 days!
How to use oat milk
Oat milk is obviously a great choice just in a glass by itself, but you can also use it in a bunch of recipes!
- Apple Pie Overnight Oats
- Eggless French Toast
- Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Mocha Overnight Oats
- Cherry Oat Smoothie
Ingredients
Oat Milk
- 1 cup rolled oats 90 g
- 3 cups water 700 mL
- Pinch of salt
Optional Flavors
- Sweetened: 1 Tbsp maple syrup or light brown sugar
- Vanilla: ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Chocolate: 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Berry: ½ cup mixed berries
Instructions
- Blend: Add oats and water to a blender. Blitz just until oats are broken down, about 30 seconds (lean on the side of blending too little – over blending can release the oat starches and make the oat milk slimy).
- Strain: Lay a thin dish towel in a colander and pour mixture through. Do not squeeze the oats, just let the milk drain out (squeezing can cause slimy oat milk). Discard the oat pulp.
- Adjust: Add a pinch of salt and optionally blend in your desired flavors. If oat milk is thicker than you'd like, just add a bit more water (up to 1 cup). Serve chilled.
Tips & Tricks
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Mary says
This didn’t work for me at all. The milk would not strain through the dish towel. Waited 20 minutes and only had 1.5 c milk. Wish it had worked!!
Sarah says
Aw, sorry to hear it! Sounds like you just needed to blitz the oats a little bit more so they were more broken down.
Joanna says
What is considered a thin dish towel? I wouldn’t consider any of my dish towels thin.
Sarah says
Great question! Thin enough for liquid to easily pass through. You could also use a heavy duty paper towel (one that won’t disintegrate with the liquid).