Make your own homemade Oat Milk in less than 20 minutes from start to finish. It’s so quick, easy and budget friendly!
Two words : Oat Milk
This homemade vegan milk is a game changer.
You’ve all heard of, and no doubt use all kinds of non-dairy milk, like cashew milk and almond milk, but did you know that you can make your own milk from oats?
It’s almost as cool as making your own Vegan Butter! If you haven’t tried that recipe yet you must. Just look at it and it takes literally a few minutes to make!!!
But back to the oats…
This Oat Milk is so quick and easy to do. You need no special equipment. You don’t even need a nut milk bag.
See my video below to see what I mean!
All you need are 4 things:
- oats
- water
- optional add-ins such as a date, a pinch of salt and some vanilla
- a sieve
- a blender
I wouldn’t be without my Blendtec but because the oats are pretty soft, you don’t need a super-duper blender.
I used to make this Oat Milk in a really cheap $40 blender before I upgraded to my Blendtec and the results were fine. The milk will end up slightly creamier if you use a better blender though.
SUPER SPEEDY HOMEMADE VEGAN MILK
Most common vegan milks are nut-based and they take a little while to make because you have to soak the nuts for at least a few hours or overnight before you start. Oat Milk is different. You have to soak the oats, but only for 15 minutes. Then you can jump right in and make it. You’re talking 20 minutes tops.
The number of times this Oat Milk has saved me when I have been about to make a recipe and realized I have no milk in the fridge is unbelievable. We all do it, right? But as long as you have some rolled oats in the pantry, you are never more than 20 minutes away from having some homemade milk.
About to make some Gingerbread Pancakes and realize you’re out of milk?
No worries! Make some homemade Oat milk!
THE CHEAPEST VEGAN MILK
If you use a lot of nut-based milks, things can get pretty expensive, but this is ridiculously cheap to make, which is why I use it in most recipes that call for milk. Cakes, muffins, pancakes, sauces etc.
THE BEST PLANT-BASED MILK FOR COFFEE
This Oat Milk is excellent in tea and coffee and does not curdle.
It’s particularly good in coffee when it has the vanilla and date added.
I drink my coffee black and have never added milk or creamer to it, but tried this in a cup of strong coffee at the weekend. Just as an experiment really, to see if it curdled. It was so good I ended up having another right after. And no curdling.
It doesn’t work so well if you heat it independently before adding to hot drinks though so please do not do this. This includes using a steam wand. If you do heat it independently or use a steam wand you will end up with an oaty custard type concoction 😂
Just remember that if you are using it for savoury things, it’s best to omit the date and vanilla.
Rolled oats are incredibly cheap to buy, and using this Oat Milk rather than more expensive nut-based milks will save you a small fortune.
PERFECT FOR CHILDREN OR ADULTS WITH NUT ALLERGIES
Oat Milk is a great option for people who avoid dairy but are also allergic to nuts. It is also a great gluten-free option as long as you are sure to buy certified gluten-free rolled oats.
Children tend to really enjoy the taste of Oat Milk because it’s so neutral.
WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER OAT MILK PULP
You will be left with some oat pulp when you have finished straining your milk and there are a few ways you can use it:
- Make my chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
- Add to smoothies
- Add to oatmeal
- Use a dehydrator or spread out thinly on a baking tray and bake in a low oven until completely dry then use in granola recipes or blend up into flour
HOW TO MAKE OAT MILK
There are just a few simple steps when making your own Oat Milk.
FOR INGREDIENTS, FULL INSTRUCTIONS & AN INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO, PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
Step 1
Soak the oats but not for long (nothing about this process is long!)
Step 2
Rinse the oats well
Step 3
Add the soaked oats to a blender with the other ingredients and blend until smooth
Step 4
Strain through a sieve, nut milk bag or cheese cloth. I just use a sieve, and not a special one. It was from a cheap set and is very similar to these:
OAT MILK FAQ
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DISCARD THE SOAKING WATER AND RINSE THE OATS?
Oats become slimy when they get wet. By discarding the soaking water and rinsing them well before making the milk, you wash off the slime. If you do not discard the water and rinse the oats well then your milk will be slimy.
HOW LONG WILL OAT MILK LAST ONCE MADE?
Oat milk will last for 3 – 4 days in the fridge.
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Oat Milk
Ingredients
- 90g / 1 cup rolled oats
- 960mls | 4 cups water for making the milk , plus extra for soaking
- 1 - 2 medjool dates , (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , (optional)
- small pinch salt , (optional)
Instructions
- Add oats to a large bowl or jug and cover with water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
- Pour through a sieve discarding the liquid then rinse the oats very well a number of times under running water. This step is really important so don't skip it. (see my FAQ below if you want to know why).
- Put the rinsed oats, optional vanilla, optional salt and optional dates into a blender.
- Cover with around 3 cups / 720 mls water then blend until it smooth. The time it takes will vary depending on your blender. In a Blendtec or a Vitamix it will take around 1 minute. Don't blend it for too long as if it gets hot it will start thickening up and going weird. It's better to do it in short bursts if you have a super high powered blender. Check the thickness. It will likely be quite thick like cream now. Add enough extra water to get it to the thickness that you like and give it a quick pulse to mix. If you are using it as a coffee creamer then it's nice left pretty thick. For other things it's better thinner.
- Strain 2 or 3 times through a sieve. You can use a nut milk bag if you have one but it isn't necessary. If you use a nut milk bag straining once will be sufficient.
- Pour into a lidded container and store in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Debbie says
Sounds easy. I plan on trying.
Suzy B says
It was a surprise to me that I like this for my lattes as an alternative to almond milk. The only downside is it doesn’t lighten up the coffee like a nut-based one. Great recipe and tips. I concur with a prior comment about rinsing the strainer. I didn’t add the optional ingredients except a pinch of salt.
Rachel Cox says
How did you calculate the calories for this recipe? Since almost all of the oat pulp is removed, wouldn’t the calories be near zero per cup?
A Virtual Vegan says
The calories for all of my recipes are just there as a guide. I wouldn’t include them at all if Google didn’t require it. The only way to calculate the calories in this recipe is to add up the calories in all of the ingredients. Without a lab to test what’s left after straining it’s impossible to tell for sure.
Ahala says
Is it safe to drink the milk if the oats have been soaked for 2 days? I got pretty lazy. I rinsed the oats off a small bit since i read i’d be getting rid of the healthy stuff so it was a little slimy but is it safe to drink it? It seems people dont wanna use it if the texture is different. The oats that were soaked didnt give off a weird smell and I tasted it a bit im just worried that maybe it wouldnt be okay to drink it that way. I dont know how bad oats look.
A Virtual Vegan says
The milks lasts about 4 days before it starts to turn. You can smell it when it does start to go bad. So after 2 days of soaking it should be ok for another day or two.
Jordan says
Sort of tastes like horchata— anyway, pretty good!
Becky Richard says
This was very easy to make. I can only find one store in my city that sells oat milk and it’s over $5 a quart! Thanks so much! I used organic quick oats and my vitamix….. there was nothing in the strainer! It blended it so much the oats disappeared!
Sarah says
In spite of rinsing the oats obsessively & straining twice through a nut milk bag, mine came out gross & slimy with a mucousy texture. Ick. Any thoughts what could have gone wrong?
Jasmine says
You may have blended a bit too long! I learned that the longer you blend this, the slimier the texture will be. I blended mine for 30 seconds, with 4 cups water, and it came out perfect!
A Virtual Vegan says
If you over-blend it and it gets hot (more likely to happen if you have a Vitamix or other super-duper high powered blender)then it will get really weird in texture. Maybe that’s what happened. Unfortunately the nature of homemade oat milk is that it does get a little slimy as it sits, but if you give it a good shake before using it shouldn’t be too noticeable.Try blending in short burst rather than one big long blend next time.
Kelly P says
Many homemade creamers I have tried separate. I saw you mentioned it does not curdle but does it separate?
A Virtual Vegan says
Not in coffee. No curdling or separation. It does separate when left in the fridge in the bottle as it doesn’t have any emulsifiers like store bought. It takes a little while to do that though and just needs a quick shake before use.
Zena says
Can’t wait to try this
Kelly says
Just made this! Turned out great! I had no dates in the house so I added a bit of maple syrup- yum!!
Neely says
Can’t wait to try the recipe! Have you tried frothing it? Curious if it works!
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I have tried frothing it, but to be absolutely honest with you I have a really good espresso machine with a great wand but am TERRIBLE at frothing. I have no idea why but I just can’t do it properly no matter what the milk. I just don’t have the technique and it takes ages. When I tried it with this oat milk it seemed ok at first but because it took me so long it ended up getting too hot and turning into something I can only describe as custard. Not what you’d be wanting in your coffee! If you are good at frothing you might have better luck, but if you are anything but super quick it will get really, really thick and horrible.
Theresa Ron says
Really excited to try this recipe. I just recently heard about oat milk…but I wanted to know if I could substitute steel cut oats instead?
A Virtual Vegan says
You can use steel cut oats. Just soak them for a little longer. About 30 – 40 minutes should do it.
Xcindy says
I can’t wait to try this! I can no longer drink milk or use any dairy without servere discomfort. But I can’t substitute nut milks because I also have nut allergies.
Susan Parrigan says
You mentioned that if heated, it will become custard like. Have you ever tried to make a custard dessert with it?
A Virtual Vegan says
No but it will happen eventually. I’ve take a couple months off my blog to write a cookbook. As soon as it’s done, custard is on my list of to-dos!
Molly says
Can you use a food processor instead of a blender? It’s all I have 🙁
A Virtual Vegan says
I’ve never tried but I can’t see why not. I would imagine it will be fine, but you will end up straining a lot more oaty bits out of it out because they won’t be blended up quite as well. You also might not need quite as much water as you will be straining out more oaty residue.
Suzanne Wynn says
Hi. Thanks for this. Does your nutrition info include dates? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes it does include dates. The nutritional info for this recipe isn’t very accurate I’m afraid though because I can only calculate it with everything that goes in. Lots gets strained out at the end with this milk and there is no way for me to calculate that and reduce the numbers.
LSH says
I accidentally bought quick oats. Can I use them?
A Virtual Vegan says
You can. It wont make any difference.
Dana Pehrson says
Thank you so much for the recipe, especially about the part of rinsing the oats. I did add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and after two screenings it is delicious!
A Virtual Vegan says
You’re welcome Dana. I’m so glad you are enjoying it!
Sean says
Would it be okay if I don’t strain it after?
A Virtual Vegan says
A lot of oaty remnants get strained out, even when you use a high powered blender. Personally I wouldn’t want to drink it like that, but if you don’t mind then go for it. Maybe try it and see what you think then strain after if you want to. If it’s waste you are concerned about, you can add the pulp to smoothies, dry it on low in the oven and add to homemade granola, or you can make these cookies with it: https://avirtualvegan.com/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookies/
Zz says
Wonderful!! I reccommend rinsing your strainer as you strain the oatmilk to get the best possible consistency.
emma says
are the nutrition facts including the optional ingredients like the dates?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes it includes the 2 optional dates. It is just a guide though, especially with this recipe, because it gets strained after you make it so you don’t end up consuming absolutely everything that goes in. It’s probably a lot less calories than I calculated by the time you deduct that!
Cheyanne Kester says
Hi, I just made the milk, but it doesn’t taste all that good. I’m going for a more sweet, kind of like sweetened almond milk, taste. How would you recommend I do this?
A Virtual Vegan says
Just add extra dates or some maple syrup to make it sweeter.