How To Make Oat Milk (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

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Want to make silk smooth and creamy oat milk at home? With just 2 ingredients, a blender, and only 5 minutes, this DIY oat milk is guaranteed to satisfy your expectations!

How do you make oat milk? Combine a 1 cup of rolled oats with 4 cups of water in a high speed blender. Set to high speed, and blend for 30 seconds, then filter the liquid through a fine strainer to be left with homemade oat milk.

Milk is playing an essential role in our daily life to maintain our health. But nowadays, normal milk is not enough. There are so many kinds of milk available in the grocery store that it’s hard to keep track of. 

In recent times, dairy free milk alternatives like almond milk and soy milk have gained popularity. In the non-dairy world of milk variations, milk-making from oats is one of the latest and most popular options. 

Many people opt for oat milk who prefer nut free, lactose-free and dairy-free alternatives. Apart from this, if you are going to judge oat milk basics then, you should know that oat milk is not only a growing trend, but also beneficial for our health.

This guide is going to discuss the basics of making oat milk and tips for making the best DIY oat milk. Additionally, this article will cover the benefits of oat milk and oat milk dangers that you should be aware of.

What is oat milk?

Oat milk is nut free, dairy free and lactose-free milk. The vegan milk serves as a perfect alternative to the cow’s milk.

Oat milk is made by blending rolled oats with water, then straining the pulp resulting in an easy, creamy, and delicious DIY oat milk!

Many commercial oat milk brands use minerals and vitamins to fortify the beverage, as well as flavoring and sweeteners to make an attractive taste. You can make an entire batch of flavored oat milk, or add a particular type of taste to a single serving. 

You will get a high amount of fiber as well as plant based protein from oat milk. The creamy texture of the beverage is very healthy and provides a number of beneficial properties we will discuss in further detail in the sections below.

How healthy is oat milk?

Our body requires essential vitamins and minerals for optimal performance, and oat milk contains nutritional benefits as such. 

Oat milk contains B-vitamins, magnesium, folate, phosphorus, manganese, zinc and calcium. It also has a higher percentage of dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates compared to other kinds of milk. 

You are probably familiar with the health benefits of oats that make it one of the desirable food staples eaten for many reasons. Oats are 100% whole grain and are enriched with plant-based protein, essential nutrients, dietary fiber, and healthy fats.

The nutritional value of homemade oat milk varies from commercially manufactured brands. The main difference being the add oil content, enriched nutrients and emulsifying stabilizers.

One cup of packaged oat milk can provide about 130 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbohydrate and 4 grams of protein. 

Here are some oat milk benefits that you will get:

1. Provide fullness: In oat milk, you will find protein and fiber. It will provide you with satisfaction and sufficiency as well. This beverage will fill you up so rapidly and keep you full for a longer time, which is very helpful for weight loss and helping to control your appetite.

2. Gives iron: For vegans, oat milk is a good source of iron. Your body requires an adequate supply of iron to efficiently operate. It helps to promote red blood cells and protect you from anaemia.

3. Check the cholesterol level: Because of the presence of beta-glucan, oat milk can help to regulate cholesterol levels for improved health.

Does oat milk taste good?

Oat milk tastes like a creamy beverage with a slight thickness and natural sweetness from the whole grain oats. You can add this milky beverage in all things from your morning cup of coffee to baked items and hot porridges. 

If you love drinking a creamy textured coffee, then you should know that oat milk is thick and creamy and will give you the perfect balance of taste and texture. 

It is one of the best creamers for coffee and tea because of its incredible taste. Oat milk can go well with many hot and cold beverages.

DIY Oat Milk

To make oat milk from scratch, add 1 cup rolled oats and 4 cups water to a high-speed blender.

Blend on high for 30 seconds, then strain the liquid through a fine cloth, clean t-shirt or kitchen towel for best results. 

A nut milk bag and fine mesh strainers let too much pulp through, so they are not recommended for filtering the fine flour that results from the mash.

When done properly, this technique yields smooth and creamy oat milk that is perfect for adding to coffee, tea, overnight oats, oatmeal, baked goods, granola, pancakes and more!

How to Make Flavored Oat Milk

Adding flavor to oat milk ensures that you never get bored of the same plain taste. You can also optionally add sea salt, dates, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cacao powder, or berries when blending, but the flavor options are truly endless!

Whether you’re looking for a smooth and creamy beverage, or the liquid for you bowl of cereal, here are some tasty combinations for you to try.

To make flavored oat milk, add the mix-in during the blending process. The ingredients should be fully blended in order to expel the maximum amount of flavor.

When you strain the oat pulp from the liquid, you will also capture any additional additions as well. As a result, you wont end up with chunks of dates or coconut flakes that settles to the bottom of your drink.

• Sweetened: add 2-4 pitted dates
• Chocolate: add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• Vanilla: add 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Apple Pie: add ¼ cup apple butter and 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
• Banana: add 1 ripe banana
• Blueberry: add ½ cup blueberries
• Butterscotch-brandy: add 2 tablespoons butterscotch and 1 oz brandy
• Caramel-apple: add 2 tablespoons caramel sauce and ¼ cup applesauce
• Coffee: replace 1 cup of water with 1 cup of cold brew coffee
• Orange: add 1 tablespoon orange zest and ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• Pumpkin spice: add ¼ cup pumpkin puree and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• Strawberry: add ½ cup strawberries
• Toasted coconut: add ¼ cup unsweetened shredded toasted coconut
• Turmeric ginger: add 1 tablespoon grated fresh turmeric and 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Is it cheaper to make oat milk?

Considering the fact that prepackaged oat milk is between $3 per quart, it is fair to say that DIY oat milk is much cheaper. In the end, you are paying for packaging, processing, distribution and sales. 

Buy oats in bulk and it’ll cost you less that $1 to make a batch of homemade oat milk. The entire process only takes 5 minutes, there will be zero preservatives and the oat milk will taste much fresher than any store-bought brand. 

How do you make oat milk not slimy?

• Over-blending the oat milk can make the texture slimy, that is why we recommend to only blend for 30-45 seconds.
• Soaking the oats can make the oat milk susceptible to sliminess. Combine the oats and water, then blend!
• Heating oat milk can make it become slimy, so it’s not recommended. Good news: We have an oat milk recipe inspired by Oatly Barista Edition that is perfect for frothing and heating!
• Strain twice to remove the excess starch, the extra plant tissue adds to the slimy texture.
• We recommend straining with clean cloth, a kitchen towel or tee shirt work better than nut milk bags and fine mesh strainers.

Is oat milk gluten-free?

Whole grain oats really are gluten free, however we always recommend to purchase certified oats that are processed in wheat free facilities.

When oats are harvested and packaged with machinery that does not come in contact with wheat, then there is minimal risk of cross contamination that can affect gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. 

Can you use steel cut or quick oats to make oat milk?

Rolled oats are the best oats for making oat milk. Old fashioned oats have been steamed and flattened with large rollers, leaving them as relatively whole flakes. 

Steel cut oats are oat groats that have been cut in half, but without any further processing. The resulting product is extremely hard and not suitable for blending.

Quick oats are similar to rolled oats, however the pieces are fragments into smaller bits. When oat milk is made with quick oats, it tends to get slimier, almost identical to reasoning why we don’t recommend making oat milk with ground oats or oat flour.

Why did my oat milk separate?

Gums and starches are used as binding agents in commercially manufactured oat milk beverages. When making DIY oat milk, it is rare to add these ingredients as most recipes stick to the basics. 

Separation is quite normal when making dairy free milks without using emulsifiers, stabilizers or thickeners. Give a good shake before use and the liquid will combine once again!

Manufacturers use buffering agents like dipotassium phosphate to prevent oat milk separating. This stabilized ph levels to maintain a homogenous liquid when the cold oat milk comes in contact with hot drinks. 

What do you do with oats after making oat milk?

The remaining oat pulp will contain the fiber and protein leftover from the pulverized oats. We recommend using it as a filler in baked goods, meatloaf or pancake batter. 

Spread the remnants in a thin layer directly into a dehydrator or onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place into a preheated oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit and dry for about 20 – 30 minutes or until the moisture has completely evaporated. 

The dried pulp can then be kept in an airtight container and added sparingly to any recipes that you find well suited. 

Oat Milk FAQs

Now let’s answer some frequently asked questions about making homemade oat milk.

How long does oat milk last?

When stored in an airtight container inside the refrigerator, oat milk will last for about 5 days. While the oat milk may be ok to drink for 7 – 10 days, the only difference being that it may not taste as fresh.

You’ll know it has gone bad. There will be a funky and off-putting smell that will die you a hint to not proceed any further.

Do you have to refrigerate oat milk?

Oat milk has a short life span and is not shelf stable unless it is properly canned or jarred. Therefore, you should cool it down and put it into the refrigerator immediately after preparing a batch. 

When properly sealed and kept in the refrigerator, oat milk can last up to 5 days or so.On occasion oat milk can last up to 7 to 10 days, but no matter what oat milk should be kept in the fridge.

Is it OK to boil oat milk?

Yes, you can boil or heat the oat milk. However, oat milk does not behave just like any other kinds of non-dairy milk as it will thicken due to the high starch content.

If you follow the ordinary heating up method then, the oat milk will start thickening. So, you will have you will have to put some a teaspoon of oil into it in order to prevent from thickening too much. 

You can use this milk as the base for a gravy and sauce. The thick milk will give you the perfect taste and sauce like consistency.

Can oat milk be frothed?

Oat milk can be frothed, but it will take a few extra ingredients. The obstacle with this basic oat milk recipe is that it does not have enough fat and oat milk emulsifiers. 

How do you get oat milk to froth? 

I recommend adding cashews and coconut to the mixture before blending to make oat milk without oil. The nuts will add fatty flavor lacking the potential of experiencing a floating oil slick on top.

Otherwise, you can make oat milk like Oatly by adding two tablespoons of avocado, coconut or walnut oil to the oat milk before blending. The oil will stay emulsified for a short period of time, but tends to eventually rise to the top.

The creamy texture of the oat milk helps you to achieve the perfect froth, and you can even make the milk frothy without a blender. 

Simply put the oat milk into a jar with a tight and secure lid. Shake the jar vigorously, and after a few seconds you will get a creamy and frothy oat milk that will double volume. 

For this particular reason, oat milk is perfect for coffee or other hot and cold beverages. This version will give you perfect froth with an outstanding creamy texture.

Can you substitute oat milk for milk?

Yes, you can substitute oat milk for milk in many recipes. Cooking with oat milk is similar to cooking with regular milk, however the liquid will be slightly thicker and it is dairy-free. 

In general, you can maintain a 1:1 ratio of equal parts oat milk for milk. Confidently replace regular milk for oat milk in your favorite recipes.

Can you put oat milk in tea?

Yes, you can definitely put oat milk in tea. You will want to use a barista blend style of oat milk that is better equipped to handle high heat without separating. 

So, if you want to add oat milk to a perfect cup of hot tea, you can easily go with the dairy free alternative. It will not overwhelm the taste of tea as this beverage is a perfect complement for tea lovers.

Is oat milk the same as oat creamer?

No, oat creamer is thicker and fattier than regular oat milk. Just as heavy cream is different than whole milk, oat cream is richer and heavier than regular oat milk.

When you make oat creamer, the recipe uses more than 4 times the amount of coconut oil. The end result is a rich, creamy, delicious creamer that you will love in coffee or other hot drinks.

Oat milk creamer can also be added to soups, sauces and drizzled on desserts.

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