How do I make oat milk?

Question

How do I make oat milk? I have oats and a blender, but what else do I need? I'd rather buy bulk oats rather than buying a packaged product.

Answer 1

It's straightforward to make oat milk and you only need oats, water, a blender, and a means of straining the mixture finely, such as a muslin sheet (cheesecloth) or nut milk bag, or even a fine coffee strainer. Because oats are mild tasting, it's important to use good tasting water (filter your source as needed if possible).

I like to add about half a teaspoon of rice or date syrup per cup (250ml) of oat milk I make, but unsweetened milk is more versatile.

For 1/2 cup of oats, I use a total of 2 cups water. I like to use quick cooking oats and soak them in the fridge over night.

• 1/2 cup rolled oats or quick cooking oats
• 2-3 cups filtered water
• 1-2 teaspoons rice or date syrup or 1 chopped date (optional - if you want to slightly sweeten the milk)

1. Soak the oats in 3/4 cup of the water for at least 30 minutes, perhaps in the fridge over night. If you want a less viscous texture, you can rinse the oats after soaking, but I prefer the more viscous texture so I do not rinse.
2. Transfer the soaked oats to a blender (with the sweetener if using - you can also add other flavourings such as vanilla, cinnamon etc if you like) and grind very well. Add the remaining water and grind again.
3. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth, a nut milk bag or fine coffee strainer, squeezing or pressing to get as much liquid out as possible.

The residue can be used in baked goods such as bread, brownies, crackers, biscuits etc. If I am not planning to bake anything, I just grind almonds or walnuts or dry roasted sunflower seeds along with the oat residue and add salt, chilli and herbs OR sugar/dried fruit and sweet spices, and roll the mixture into balls for snacking.

If you want to make oat cream, you can follow the same procedure using half the amount of water, and adding 1-2 tbsp neutral oil. Instead of fine-straining the mixture, you can strain it though a tea strainer or sieve.

Answer 2

To add to the accepted answer, there are multiple types of kit for sale that help make this process way easier. I've been making a lot more oat milk since we got this. To use it I just shake some unsoaked, regular rolled oats into the inner container (after sliding it into the right container), add water and go to town with a blender.
After that you use the weird stamper thing on the left in the picture to squeeze as much fluid as you can (muster the patience to bother with) out of the oat mush in the bottom of the container.

As for the accepted recipe, that looks about right for a base but don't be scared to experiment with it a bit.
I've found that tossing in a few hazelnuts or a pinch of salt can help bring out a more complex flavour.

Answer 3

I aggree with @RollingCompass, that enzymes are used to make oat milk. They are used to prevent slime. You can buy them here: nectarbar The process is well described on the homepage and the enzymes are made without modifiying genetics and are certified organic.

preparation of oat milk:

1. mix oat flakes (100g) with water (1liter) and heat up to 70°C
2. put about 3 drops of enzyme N1 (alpha-amylase) to the mixture and wait for 20 minutes, mix for 2 seconds
3. put about 3 drops of enzyme N2 () to the mixture and wait another 20-40 minutes
4. filter the mixture in linen cloth or similar the durability is 3-4 days (5. to extend durability you can boil the drink for a few minutes)

I didn't try it but it seems working.

Answer 4

You will not be able to exactly replicate the taste and consistency of commercial oat milk in a home kitchen. This is because commercial oat milk uses an enzymatic process to break down some of starches into sugars, giving the oat milk sweetness without adding sugars.

If you don't mind that the taste is different, blending and straining oats in water will give you a milk-similar drink.