Easy Homemade Oat Milk Recipe (2024)

How to Make Oat Milk

The only ingredients you need to make wonderfully creamy dairy-free milk are:

• rolled oats
• water

Optional ingredients include:

• pinch of sea salt, about 1/4 tsp
• pure vanilla extract
• sweetener such as 1-2 dates or 1 tbsp maple syrup
• cacao powder, for chocolate oat milk

If you’re using the oat milk in sweet baking recipes, for tea and coffee, in cereal or for drinking, I’d recommend adding a tiny bit of sweetener plus the vanilla and sea salt.

If you’re using it in savoury recipes, you can leave it plain or just add a tiny pinch of sea salt.

• Blender.You can use any blender to make homemade oat milk. I recommend a Vitamix. My most-loved kitchen tool, which makes easy work of this recipe and the smoothies you can make with it. If you can invest in one, go for it. You will not regret it! Click here to shop Vitamix.
• Nut milk bag (or cheesecloth or old t-shirt).I would highly recommend ordering a nut milk bag from Amazon if you don’t have one. They’re inexpensive and perfect for making quick oat milk and other homemade nut and seed milks. If you don’t have one, you can strain your oat milk through cheesecloth, fine mesh sieve or even a cut-up old t-shirt. To use cheesecloth or an old t-shirt, cut a large piece big enough to fit over your bowl or measuring cup, pour the oat milk over then gather up the sides of the square and twist to squeeze the oat milk through.
• Large bowl or measuring cup.I love these large measuring cups with a pouring spout for straining the oat milk into.
• Storage container.I like storing my oat milk in a mason jar with these plastic lids but any sealable jar or bottle works.

If you don’t have a large measuring cup with as spout, you can strain it into a bowl then use a funnel (or a steady hand) to transfer it to a jar. You can also strain it directly into a mason jar, it’s just a little messy this way!

The oat milk can also be left unstrained. It will be quite thick but this is fine is you plan to blend it into smoothies. Otherwise, I’d suggest straining it at least once. Some like to strain it twice but I think once is plenty.

Step 3. Pour the strained milk into a glass jar. It’s ready for use or can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to Use Oat Milk

Homemade oat milk can be used:

• For drinking. I’d recommend adding a sweetener if you plan to enjoy it as a standalone beverage.
• In Smoothies.Oat milk is great for smoothies and I make it often when we’re out of almond or cashew milk. Try it in myVegan Carrot Cake Smoothie orSweet Potato Smoothie.
• In Coffee or tea. It froths quite nicely! I love it in coffee. You can also try myVegan Oat Milk Coffee Creamer as an alternative recipe. Just note that you can’t use it in electric milk frother that heats or steams the milk but a hand held frother works great.
• With hot or cold cereal or granola.This is my favourite way to use it. I love it with a bowl of granola or cold cereal. It’s so yummy! It can also be drizzled over hot oatmeal.
• In baking. You can use homemade oat milk in vegan recipes such as pancakes, muffins or cookies that call for nut or seed-based milk. You could also use it to make myEasy Banana Baked Oatmeal.

What to do with the Oat Pulp

The leftover pulp from making oat milk can be discarded with organics or used in one of the ideas below. One batch of oat milk doesn’t really leave much leftover pulp, so I usually just discard it but it’s also great in any of these uses.

• Make Porridge.Try replacing the oats in mySimple Creamy Banana Oatmeal for extra creamy porridge or just mix the oat pulp into any porridge or overnight oats.
• Add to Smoothies.Add any leftover oat pulp to smoothies for a creamy texture and a boost of fiber. Try it in myChocolate Banana Smoothie orLemon Blueberry Smoothie.
• Make Cookies. You can add the oat pulp to recipes like myFlourless Banana Oatmeal Cookies.
• Add to No-Bake Energy Balls.You could replace some of the oats in my Cinnamon Energy Balls with oat pulp.
• Make Quick Apple Crisp.Mix the oat pulp with 1 tbsp of maple syrup or coconut sugar or chopped dates, a couple tablespoons of shredded coconut, cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt. Crumble over a chopped apple and bake in the oven for 15 minutes for a quick and healthy “crumble”.
• Make Granola.You could replace some of the oats in my Easy Peanut Butter Granola with Oat Pulp.

Recipe FAQs

Oat Milk Nutrition and Benefits

If you make this recipe with 3 cups of water, a 1/2 cup serving will contain approximately:

• Calories: 26
• Fat: 0.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 4.4 g
• Protein: 1g

This does not include any add-ins but does account for removing the oat pulp. If you use more water, the macronutrients in each serving will be even less. It’s very low in calories since you’re removing much of the oats when you strain it.

Homemade oat milk varies from commercial varieties in that they’re often fortified with calcium and vitamin D, A and B12. I like store-bought milks for that reason but usually choose unsweetened cashew or almond milk from the store and make simple and inexpensive oat milk at home. Oat milk is so easy and cheap to make at home I don’t think it’s worth buying.

• Oat milk is allergen-free. Oat milk is a great choice for those with dietary restrictions since it’s vegan, lactose, soy and nut-free. It can also be gluten-free if made with gluten-free certified oats.
• May Lower Cholesterol. Oat milk contains beta-glucans, a soluble fiber with heart health benefits. Beta-glucans form a gel inside the gut which binds to cholesterol, reducing absorption. Enjoying oats often may help lower total blood cholesterol, especially LDL, or “bad” cholesterol.
• Anti-Inflammatory. Oats contain avenanthramides, an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties that’s also thought to help lower blood pressure.
• B vitamins and magnesium. Even with out being fortified, oats are a source of B vitamins, iron, zinc and magnesium.

How to Prevent Slimy Oat Milk

I have never had a problem with slimy oat milk but just you’re aware, it is an issue that comes up. To prevent any sliminess from occurring:

1. Don’t over blend.Blending for too long will heat the oats and may cause some sliminess. I’ve found 20 seconds on medium to high speed in my Vitamix to be just right. I would suggest keeping it to under 1 minute to prevent the oats from heating at all. Over blending will definitely make them goopy and slimy, so err on the side of caution here.
2. Soak and rinse first? I’ve actually found best results withoutsoaking the oats first but many other recipes suggest soaking first. If you do want to try soaking them, follow the steps listed in the FAQ section below. Personally, I don’t soak the oats first!
3. Do not heat.Oat milk can’t be heated up. If you want to test this, microwave it for 30 seconds! Yuck. You’ll get a slimy, goopy, unusable mess. Oat milk can be added to hot beverages or drizzle over a hot bowl of oat milk but do not heat it stovetop or in the microwave.