Making your own non-dairy oat milk is super easy and super cheap with none of the nasty additives that come in store bought milks.
Milk is something that I never consumed (other than when I was a baby ;o)) until I was vegan. I find that odd. I have never liked the taste of cow’s milk and remember my Mum encouraging me to drink it throughout my childhood without much luck. Now that I am vegan I have thrown myself into the many non-dairy milks that are available….not literally…..
I love the variety of flavours available and the fact that they don’t taste like cow’s milk. I mean cow’s milk is all well and good but it’s made for baby cows not humans. I’ll milk an almond (or an oat in this case) over a cow any day.
I started off buying commercially made non-dairy milks but as soon as I became aware of the ingredients I decided enough was enough and that I needed to make my own.
Cashew milk has got to be my all time favourite non dairy milk. It is so thick, rich and creamy and involves no straining which I love. You can find my recipe here. Almond milk is second in line but you need a nut milk bag or fine cheese cloth to make it and although I have done this in the past I prefer not to have to do it every couple of days.
The trouble with cashews and almonds is that they aren’t cheap. If you are using a cup every few days that is going to amount to a good few dollars over the course of a year. So what I do is make my favourite cashew milk when I am going to be drinking the milk or making something that will benefit from the richness of it, such as french toast, rice pudding or chia pudding for example. If however I am just going to be using my milk for things like baking, pancakes or waffles then I use oat milk.
Oat milk is probably the cheapest non-dairy milk you can make and is also very quick to make. No overnight soaking here. Just soak your oats for fifteen minutes then you are good to go. If you are about to make some pancakes and suddenly realize that you are out of milk, oat milk is your saviour as you only delay your progress by fifteen minutes (the same time it would take to walk/drive to the local store to buy some ready made milk).
Oat milk is also great for people who have nut allergies.
To make your own non-dairy oat milk all you need to do is
soak your oats
strain and rinse well
place in a blender with some water
blitz
strain with a sieve twice
Done.
As with all homemade non-dairy milks, they do require a good shake before using. As they have no emulsifiers (like their store bought counterparts) they do separate so this is essential.
I use a sieve to strain my oat milk as I only ever use it in something rather than drinking it as it is. The result is very slightly powdery and you will get a bit of sediment in the bottom of your bottle or container when it’s been sitting in the fridge. I don’t mind this. If you don’t think you would like this then use some fine cheese cloth or a nut milk bag to strain it instead of a sieve.
If you are going to be drinking your oat milk then it might be nice to add one medjool date, or a little bit of vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder to the blender when you are blitzing it all for a bit of added flavour or sweetness.
You will be left with some oat pulp when you have finished your straining. Don’t throw this away as I have been busy perfecting a chocolate chip cookie recipe which utilizes this pulp and I will post that recipe next. The pulp stores nicely in the fridge for a few days so you don’t need to use it immediately. You can also add the pulp to your smoothies.
Make sure to store your oat milk in the fridge and it should keep for about 3 – 4 days.
Oat Milk
Ingredients
- 90g | 1 cup rolled oats
- 1440mls | 6 cups water for soaking
- 960mls | 4 cups water for making the milk
- 1 - 2 medjool dates (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , or 0.5 teaspoons vanilla beans powder vanilla bean powder (optional)
Instructions
Add oats to a large bowl or jug and cover with 6 cups of water.
- Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
- Pour everything through a sieve discarding the liquid.
Rinse the oats very well under a cold running tap.
Put the rinsed oats, vanilla (and the dates if you are using them) into a blender.
- Cover with 4 cups of water.
- Blend on low for 30 seconds then gradually move up to high over a minute or so.
- Strain twice through a sieve, or once through a nut milk bag or fine cheese cloth.
- Pour into a lidded container and store in the fridge.A mason jar is great for this.
Jac -Tinned Tomatoes (@tinnedtoms) says
Love this, I have to try it. The dates are a good tip too. I’d add the left over oats to a breakfast smoothie to make it more filling.
A Virtual Vegan says
Great idea! I do have another recipe coming on Thursday that uses the oat pulp though!
Britney says
This is a great substitute for non-dairy milk. I was concerned about giving my toddler too much soy and tried oat milk. My daughter loves it and it will save me a TON using this instead of buying other non-dairy milks.
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m so glad you and your daughter like it and it’s an extra bonus that it saves you some cash! I loved the picture you sent of her drinking it!
Deborah says
Is it any good in coffee? I use Alpro oat milk which I know is mostly water and I’ve tried home made coconut milk but it’s awful in coffee (it’ll do when I have nothing else but only in an emergency! lol) If oat milk will work it’ll be a better choice I think??
A Virtual Vegan says
I drink black coffee so have ever tried it. You could try halving the recipe and giving it a go in your coffee. That way you won’t have much on your hands if it doesn’t work. Its very cheap to make which is why I tend to use it in recipes that call for non-dairy milk.
Deborah says
I might do that tomorrow coz I’m out of my usual milk 😀
A Virtual Vegan says
I hope it works out in your coffee!
Deborah says
Me too 😀
Karine says
Thank you for the recipe! Do you add the date or the vanilla extract during the blending or after the sieving ( so you put back the oat milk into the blender and blend it with the date or the vanilla extract)?
By the way, have you tried rice milk?
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Karine, Add the date and the vanilla during the blending. Sorry the instructions weren’t clear. I have just amended them. As for rice milk, I don’t think I’ve ever tried it and I definitely haven’t ever made it. Perhaps I should as I love rice! Watch this space. Enjoy your oat milk :O)
Stefani says
Just think of all the poor baby oats who can’t have that milk now… just kidding!
I’m tickled to find this recipe because what’s cheaper and easier to get than a BIIIIIG container of oats? That’s right, nothing! Btw, I love cashew milk too, but only since I’ve started making my own. It’s a hugely different animal from the watery stuff you get in a box at the store, so creamy and flavorful.
My current obsession is lavender-infused milk. I’ve only made that with almonds, but I’ll bet it’ll work with oat milk, too.
A Virtual Vegan says
Ha ha ha! That reminded me of “The hardest part about being vegan is having to wake up at 5am to milk all the almonds”!!!
And yes oat milk is super, super cheap. It’s not as nice for drinking as nut milks (as least I don’t think so) but it’s wonderful for so many other things. I use it all the time. It’s so quick to make too so you can make it as you need it. You really can’t beat homemade milks.
I am loving the idea of lavender infused milk! How beautiful. I bet it’s lovely warm. Imagine a great big mug with some of my Lemon Lavender Shortbread as an accompaniment….Perfect! I will be trying it. Thanks Stefani :O)