Homemade beats store bought every time
Making Oat Milk at home is quick and easy. The only thing that is not commonly found in the kitchen for this recipe is a nut milk bag. I cannot emphasis enough the importance of this item. Blended oats and water require a fine mesh bag to create the best oat milk. My preference is a bag that has at least a 75 micron mesh. A little smaller would catch even more of the fine particles that result from the blending process. As a matter of perspective, a coffee filter used in a coffee press is typically 30 to 40 microns.
Some people find that unfiltered oak milk is preferable to filtering it through a nut milk bag. The unfiltered oat milk will be much thicker and will thicken even more in cooked recipes. My preference is for the filtered version for both as a beverage and for replacing dairy milk in recipes.
To Soak or Not To Soak
There is a school of thought that oats should always be soaked overnight. The idea is that soaking allows the neutralization of phytic acid which can cause some people to not fully absorb nutritional elements from the oats. It appears that this is only an issue for a small number of people but if it does apply to you then by all means do soak your oats over night at room temperature.
My routine is to soak the oats for 20 minutes in three cups of filtered water and then to drain off the liquid before putting them into the blender. I have compared soaking oats overnight and soaking oats for 20 minutes and noticed no difference in flavor or the quality of the oat milk.
After soaking the oats they are placed in a blender with four cups of filtered water and blended on high speed for 60 seconds. The filtered water ensures a neutral taste for the milk.
Milking Oats
The messy part of making oat milk comes next and there’s not really a good way around it. Make sure that you have washed your hands before handling the oat milk. Place the oat milk mixture in the nut milk bag that you have placed in a large kitchen bowl. Then twist the nut milk bag and squeeze out the milk. Once you have extracted the oat milk you will be left with a reasonable amount of oat pulp which you can either discard or use in other recipes.
Transfer the Oat Milk to the storage container of your choice. I prefer large Mason jars. You will need at least a 32 ounce jar for the milk. If you want to make a double batch then it would be best to use a 64 ounce container. The Oat Milk will keep in the refrigerator for four or five days and should be stirred before using as Oat Milk separates.
A homemade non-dairy milk alternative that can be easily used in any recipe that calls for cow’s milk.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of rolled oats (soaked and rinsed)
- 4 cups of filtered water
Instructions
- Soak 1 cup of oats in 3 cups of filtered water for 20 minutes
- Drain
- Add soaked oats to blender
- Add 4 cups of filtered cold water
- Blend for 60 seconds on high
- Pour mixture into a nut bag
- Milk the oats
- Transfer oat milk into a Mason Jar or other storage container with a lid
- Keep in the refrigerator for up to four days
- Stir before using for best results as homemade oat milk will separate
Equipment Used
Ball Mason Jar-32 oz. Clear Glass Ball Wide Mouth-Set of 2