Learn how to make oat milk at home! With this easy recipe, it always comes out smooth & creamy - perfect for adding to coffee, baking recipes & more!
Have you tried oat milk yet? Lately, it seems to be popping up everywhere. You can add it to your coffee at Starbucks, buy a carton of it at the store, or even pick up a pint of oat milk ice cream! I had to see what all the fuss was about, so I tried making my own homemade oat milk. I have to say, I’m hooked! It’s super easy to make, it’s smooth and creamy, and it has a yummy oat-y flavor that tastes great in coffee or tea.
Unlike other non-dairy milk recipes, this one doesn’t require any special equipment (looking at you, nut milk bags). And because you don’t need to soak the oats beforehand, it takes minutes to make. All you need is 5 minutes, a handful of whole rolled oats, filtered water, a fine mesh strainer, and a powerful blender! What are you waiting for?
How to Make Oat Milk
Making delicious oat milk is easy! But if you have made other plant-based milks in the past, a word to the wise: it is NOT like making almond milk, where you wring as much liquid as you can out of a nut milk bag. In this recipe, your goal is to squeeze and press the mixture as little as possible. Otherwise, it will end up slimy and grainy. Here’s my method:
- Blend. First, I add the oats and filtered water to a powerful blender (I use a Vitamix) and blend for 30 seconds, until the water looks creamy and white. For the best texture, be careful not to over-blend!
- Strain. Next, place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and pour the oat milk through it. Some liquid may pool at the bottom of the strainer. That’s ok! Discard this liquid and any oat pulp below it. DO NOT try to press the pulp to get more liquid through the strainer, as it will make the milk slimy and gritty.
- Strain again (optional). For extra-smooth oat milk, strain the liquid twice, discarding the leftover pulp both times. This step is optional, but it will yield the smoothest final texture.
- Chill, and enjoy! I like my oat milk best when it’s cold from the fridge. Unlike other dairy-free milks, don’t shake it when you go to use it. Instead, allow any leftover oat pulp to settle at the bottom of the container, and pour the creamy milk off the top.
How to Use Oat Milk
Once you’ve made oat milk, use it as you would dairy milk, cashew milk, or any other type of milk you like. I like to chill it and drink it with ice, add it to coffee, or use it to make a matcha latte. It would also be great in breakfast/brunch oat-y recipes like oatmeal, baked oatmeal, overnight oats, or no bake cookies. Alternatively, use it in any brunch baking recipe that calls for milk, like my vegan chocolate cake, blueberry muffins, banana bread, or cinnamon rolls.
Because it has a strong oat-y flavor, I don’t recommend using it in savory recipes. You’ll find my favorite way to enjoy it in the recipe below. I like to add a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla and maple syrup to sweeten it up!
Next, try these plant based basics: tofu, tempeh, quinoa, chickpeas, or lentils.
How to Make Oat Milk
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole rolled oats
- 3 cups water
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Combine the oats, water, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in a blender and blend for 30 seconds.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the milk without pushing any excess pulp through the strainer. This will create a creamier texture that’s not gritty or gummy.
- Add more maple syrup, to taste, if desired. Chill overnight. If you want to drink your oat milk right away, I recommend adding ice - it's flavor is best when well chilled.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Detoxinista’s method
Oh thank goodness for Love&Lemons and this recipe! I just discovered a possible nut allergy and needed an alternative milk but was getting so discouraged with the added sugars, ingredients, gums etc. in store oat milks, not to mention the price for an organic version week after week. This is so good as is and yet still fully customizable, I can use organic oats without breaking the bank for organic oat milk, and it looks so pretty in the IKEA glass bottles I had stashed away! Thank you so so much 🙏
Hello. I’m inspired just reading all the positive comments! Using the Vitamix blender, which power level do you recommend? Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks!
Hi Cristina, I start slow and go up to the highest power level as I blend. Hope you enjoy!
Is this US cup or Metric cup (250ml)?
Hi Trish, it’s US cups.
Can you use this oat milk as a smoothie base? I’ve made your homemade almond milk and want to try this one now
Yes, definitely!
Hi- I’ve been wanting to make my own oat milk with oat milk prices going through the roof it seems! How long will this last in the fridge? Thank you 😊
Hi Bridget, it will keep for about a week. I hope you enjoy!
Delicious and creamy! Using ice water also reduces slime! The colder water the better! I add two ice cubes to the blender. Thanks for the flavorful recipe!
Great tip! Thanks, Jill!
I did the recipe and enjoy the flavor but my milk turned out super watery and thin. How can I make it creamier? I did use the pulp and made baked oatmeal in the oven…super tasty!
Hi Katherine, if you add between 2 and 4 more tablespoons oats, it’ll be thicker (but 4 gets pretty thick in the fridge). I hope that helps!
I’m never buying oat milk again lol. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I got turned on to oat milk after I had rebates for it and was able to get it crazy cheap. But I never felt good about all the fillers, and when the rebates ran out, I wasn’t digging the price. I just did the math, and I could make my own oat milk for $2.75, cheaper than the store even with the rebates. Cost wise, this checked out. But then I had to put it to the taste test. Well, I’m typing this as I’m sipping coffee with oat milk, and I am a happy happy little vegan. Thank you so much for sharing this! I will never buy oat milk again!
Hi Jessie, so glad you love it!
Love this oat milk! So easy! Do you think it’s ok to store in plastic or is glass best?
Hi Brandy, glad you love the oat milk! If you can do glass, that’s great, but otherwise, plastic should be fine!
How many cups does this recipe make? I’m looking to cut out going to get oatmilk. I use oatmilk everyday in the overnight oats that my son and me eat for breakfast
Hi Maida, It makes about 3 cups. Hope you enjoy!
Is the maple syrup necessary? I’m looking to cut more sugar out of my diet and want to know if the vanilla extract and salt will be enough to give it flavor (I plan on adding it to my morning coffee)
Hi Jacob, You can skip the maple. We like to add it because plain oat milk can have a pretty oat-y flavor on its own, but it should still taste great in coffee. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
2 teaspoons of Maple Syrup is around 8 grams of carbohydrates. If this recipe makes 24oz, and you’re using around 3oz per coffee, you’re only adding one gram of sugar per coffee, aside from the naturally occurring sugar in the oats itself.
I used 1 pitted date instead. Tasted great and has less sugar.
I also left this comment on Detoxinista’s site as you gave credit to her:
I am hooked on Oat milk and have succumbed to the commercial brands up until now. They are so expensive and this turned out amazing with just the two ingredients! I love innovation so I did my own “experimenting”. I kept the organic rolled oats in the freezer. I also blended the water with ice cubes to make the mixture extra chilled. THEN, I used our French Press for the “straining”, being sure not to press down on the oats all the way. I did this twice. The final step was to strain through a mesh strainer. The milk came out absolutely delicious; so fresh tasting. Thank you for the inspiration! This method did not take very long at all.
A French press is an amazing idea!
I made the oat milk by boiling and straining. And I also will not be paying extra to buy diary-case product, yay! Plus, you can still eat the oats as cereal this way if you like.
How long will this last in the fridge?
Hi Leah, it should keep for about a week in the fridge.
Are the oats still useable for other recipes? Do you think I could still use them for baking?
I would guess the flavor would be a bit different if the oats are lacking some… ‘oat dust?’ would be curious on your thoughts 🙂
Hi–we haven’t tried using the leftover oats for other recipes, so I can’t say for sure. I think they would taste similar, but they might affect the texture of baked goods differently after blending and straining. Hope this helps!
I used the pulp and made a bowl of oatmeal! It was of course a “mushier” texture, along the lines of cream of wheat. Also, it cooks a lot faster than before they were ground up. But why would someone just waste such nutritious food?
Wow, great taste & I only used water & oats with 3 drops of vanilla. So easy & inexpensive! I’ll never again buy the awful, false tasting stuff in the supermarket. I had almost nothing of solids left – maybe a TBsp ..
I’m glad you enjoyed the oat milk!