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
- ½ 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
Really nice recipe. I like a creamier oat milk, so I added 5 macadamia nuts and three tablespoons of coconut flakes to thicken it up. I’d either use fewer coconut flakes or skip them because in my view too much coconut flavor came through.
Is this the same as barista oatmilk?
No. They add saflower oil and sometimes guar gum.
I just made this and it’s delicious. Of course there’s always a “but”. I’d like it to be less like nonfat milk and have more substance/“thicker”. Any advice on that?
No oils yay! Only one made without that I’ve found but it has sugar. This is delicious just enough sweet for his coffee.
Hi Donnamarie, you can increase the oats by 1/4 cup to make it a bit thicker. Without stabilizers, I don’t think it’s possible to get to the texture of whole milk.
I added a teaspoon of flax seeds and it was THICK!
I made this just now but used honey instead. It’s delicious. I hate all seed oils and they’re in alli on oat milk. Seed oils are poison so I’m glad I came across this. My son likes it! For his coffee just now! Thanku. I used organic oats of course. Next time I’ll add a little extra honey.
Theees is one oat milk without seed oils (yucky) made by elmhurst. We found it at Whole Foods and possibly Bristol farms. I have looked anywhere else. But like you we enjoyed this one. I just wish it was not so thin.
If you add a teaspoon of flax seeds or a few macadamia nuts (5 or 6) and three Tablespoons or so of coconut flakes, it’ll thicken right up. You may want to go easy on the coconut flakes or skip them altogether if you don’t like coconut flavor, because it’ll be discernible. The macadamia nuts don’t come through as much. Flax seeds are probably the most flavorless addition.
How long can I last in the fridge?
Sorry how long can it last. A little typo 🙂
It really turned out very well
I don’t know why but when I heated the oat milk with the barista frother to add to my coffee, it turned thick and viscous. Like of like sticky water from my oatmeal. For some reason, the oat milk from the grocery store is treated with enzymes to prevent the oat milk from thickening when heated. I guess this recipe works better for iced coffee only
I’ve had some luck with soaking the oats overnight in water (add oats and 2-3cups cold water to a jar, shake and put it in the fridge overnight). Before blending, you dump them into a strainer and rinse with more clean water; then follow the recipe as above. It seems to make it a bit less “goopy” with the coffee machine steam wand.