Oat milk is all the rage these days. It’s a great dairy alternative and in some uses, like a latte, it’s even better due to soluble fiber that slightly gels when hot. However, it’s expensive to buy and some brands use way too many ingredients and add a lot of sugar and sodium. The easy solution, make it yourself! Minimal ingredients. A fraction of the price of store bought. And you can make as little or as much as you want.
Making your own oat milk has been around for a long time now, and I even blogged a recipe years ago for both plain and chocolate oat milk, I’ve learned some tricks and tips to make a better oat milk. There’s been plenty of trial and error to get it consistently right, but I’ve cracked that secret code, and I’m sharing it here with you!
Jump to RecipeCheck out these great posts!
- Creamy Homemade Oat Milk
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Homemade Apple Pie
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- Homemade Lotion
Four tips to make your homemade oat milk so much better!
Chill Out
Oats start to cook even with warm water and the friction created in the blender can also cause slight cooking which makes an off texture to your oat milk. The trick is to add a couple of ice cubes into your cold water to keep the whole batch cold as it blends.
Caress, Don’t Squeeze
When straining out the liquid from the pureed oats there’s the innate drive to squeeze the cheesecloth or nut bag, but what you’re squeezing out is excess starch which makes your final product a bit slimy. Resist the urge to squeeze and your oatmilk will be creamy and not weird.
Make it Thicc
If you want your oatmilk to be thicker, similar to what you purchase in the store, you will need an added gum. Xanthan gum works great to thicken cold liquids and you don’t need much for a batch. You don’t need to add it, but if you don’t like the watery consistency of homemade oatmilk, this addition might be a gamechanger for you.
Slow Down Champ
You only need to blend or process the oats and water for 20-30 seconds. If you’re blending it for a long time then the oats will break down too much and you’ll have a slimy end result or it’ll have too fine of oats that will end up in your milk as sediment and make it slightly bitter. I don’t like slimy oat milk, and I struggled with some slime batches over the years.
Make it Gluten Free
Oats are a grass and don’t contain any of the proteins that trigger a gluten reaction for those who are allergic to wheat. There are four proteins found in wheat: albumin, globulin, gliadin, and gluten. People can be born with an allergy to one of them, or a combination, or form an allergy later in life. Oats don’t have any of these proteins, but if you have a wheat protein allergy you need to purchase Gluten Free oats. Why? Cross-contamination. Wheat and oats are often grown near each other due to similar growing cycles, and harvesting machines don’t get fully cleaned between harvests. There’s also cross-contamination at processing plants. Gluten Free oats are grown on their own, harvested with an oat exclusive machine, and processed in a gluten free facility. If you have a diagnosed gluten allergy, make sure to get GF oats. If you believe you might be gluten sensitive, you don’t need to worry about gluten in standard oats, because it’s not a guarantee there will be gluten and the amount will be minimal.
Make sure to check out the rest of the blog for even more great recipes like this veganized Rasta Pasta.
Homemade Oat Milk
Equipment
- Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 1 cup old fashioned oats (GF is needed)
- 6 cups cold water
- 2 ice cubes (Don't skip)
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (Can omit)
- see notes for optional additions
Instructions
- Add oats, water, and ice cubes to a blender. Blend for 15 seconds, preferably on a low speed if applicable. Let rest in the blender jar for 5 minutes.
- Slowly pour the contents of the blender through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Don't press it in the strainer, only allow gravity to do its job. If there is solid oats at the bottom of the blender jar you can stop pouring once you're at that level.
- Save the blended oats! They can be made into oatmeal, added to a smoothie, or into baked goods.
- At this point you have plain oat milk that is rather thin but good for baking and even drinking. If you want it a little more thick and creamy, clean out your blender jar, pour the oat milk into the blender with the xanthan gum. Blend for 15-20 seconds. Strain again just to ensure no oat solids.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Notes
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