Learn How to Make Oat Milk in a few minutes with just a few basic ingredients. This plant-based milk has a creamy texture and is a great healthy and vegan alternative to dairy milk. Use this homemade oat milk in any of your favorite drinks and recipes–it’s so great to have on hand in your fridge!
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What’s in this Oat Milk Recipe?
This homemade oat milk recipe is so great to have on hand in your fridge. It has a creamier texture compared to other plant-based milks and its neutral flavor means that it’s super versatile. Learn how to make oat milk with these 3 simple ingredients!
- Oats: Rolled, old-fashioned oats are best. Avoid quick-cooking or instant oats, which can lead to slimy oat milk. To ensure this oat milk is gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats.
- Water: Using ice-cold water helps prevent the milk from overheating and turning out slimy.
- Salt: A pinch of kosher salt enhances the flavor of the oats.
Variations on Homemade Oat Milk
The best thing about learning how to make oat milk is that you can customize it to your flavor preferences. You can add a few tablespoons of pure maple syrup to this oat milk for sweetness and a little bit of pure vanilla extract to make vanilla oat milk. Start with a small amount and add more a little at a time until you reach your desired level of sweetness.
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How to Store and Reheat
Now that you’ve learned how to make oat milk, make sure to store it properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 5 days.
How to Freeze
While we don’t recommend freezing oat milk for drinking, you can freeze some in an ice cube tray to use in smoothies or to chill your iced coffee without diluting it.
Serving Suggestions
Once you’ve learned how to make oat milk, the possibilities for its use are endless. Oat milk can be used in pretty much any place you would use dairy or other vegan milks. And it’s a great addition to any coffee drink you’re fond of. Just swap the milk in a 1:1 ratio. We love it in an iced chai tea latte, or dairy-free pancakes.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
Making your own oat milk is way more affordable than buying it from the store. Buy a big bag of oats and have at it! It takes no more than 10 minutes to make a batch of this milk and you just need oats, water, and a pinch of salt. Plus, oat milk is full of the good stuff! It’s high in protein and it’s a good source of calcium as well as antioxidants. It’s lower in fat and calories compared to dairy and nut milks.
How to Make Oat Milk
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Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats 200 grams
- 6 cups ice water 1,362 grams
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Optional
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 39 grams, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams, plus more to taste
Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Place the oats, ice water, and salt in a large blender. Blend for 30 seconds.2 cups old-fashioned oats, 6 cups ice water, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the maple syrup and vanilla (if using) and blend again for 10-15 seconds to incorporate.2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl. Discard the pulp and strain the milk through the sieve again, into a large mason jar or pitcher.
- Use immediately or seal the container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- Be sure to use iced water for this recipe for the best results.
- If you don’t have a large blender, you can blend it in batches in a smaller one.
Nutrition Information
How to Make Oat Milk Step by Step
Blend the Oats: Place 2 cups of old-fashioned oats, 6 cups of ice water, and ⅛ teaspoon of kosher salt in a large blender. Blend for 30 seconds.
Sweeten the Milk: Add 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (if using) and blend again for 10-15 seconds to incorporate.
Strain the Milk: Strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a large bowl. Discard the pulp and strain the milk through the sieve again, into a large mason jar or pitcher. Use immediately or seal the container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Oat milk has a fairly neutral flavor compared to other plant-based milks and it makes a great allergen-friendly alternative to dairy and nut milks.
Oat milk is lower in saturated fats and higher in fiber than traditional cow’s milk. However, it is also lower in protein. Both milks have health benefits, and neither is ‘healthier’ than the other.
A blender produces the best results, but you can make this in a food processor as well. You can make it by hand, but it is some effort, you will have to grind the oats down in a pestle and mortar until very fine, then mix with the cold water and salt.
The process of blending the oats and water produces heat, which can cause the oats to begin to cook and turn slimy. Use rolled, old-fashioned oats and super cold ice water to prevent this from happening.
We don’t recommend it, as it can thicken and congeal when heated.
You indicate that it is not good to heat this milk- so I take from this I can’t use it in casseroles such as scalloped potatoes or a bechemel sauce? Thank you
You certainly can; however, homemade oat milk tends to congeal when heated, so we don’t recommend using it in hot beverages, such as coffee. It may work in scalloped potatoes or a bechamel if you omit the other thickening agents and heat slowly!