DIY Oat Milk

Many of you may be stunned right now: not only is oat milk a thing that exists, but you can make it yourself!

I bought oat milk one time from my grocery store of choice (Mr. Kiwi’s!) during my former Bed-Stuy life. It has a distinctly thicker texture than most nondairy milks, almost like a creamer.

I’ve wanted to make my own nut/grain/seed milk for a long time, but I kept procrastinating buying a cheesecloth. I finally bought one, and it just made sense to start with oat milk. 😉

What can you do with oat milk? I must say that it is not quite as versatile as soy, almond, or rice milk (there’s a reason those three are so popular!). Here are some tips for how to use it!

1. Do NOT use it to make oatmeal. Trust me. It will turn into a gummy, slimey clump. Not pleasant.
2. DO use it in smoothies. I like adding oats to smoothies anyway because it cuts the sweetness a bit, and I found the same was true for adding some oat milk. OH! And you can also use the leftover pulp from the oat milk process in your smoothies!
3. With the vanilla extract and touch of maple syrup, this oat milk is actually pretty pleasant straight from the glass. Because it’s fresh and homemade, it has a much more pleasant flavor than the milks you would buy from the store.
4. Add it to your coffee! I packed some in a mason jar (with a little extra maple syrup and vanilla extract) and brought it to work. After labeling it with my name, I stored it in the workroom fridge for the week and used it to mix in my coffee.
5. As an experiment, I left some of my oat milk unsweetened and unflavored. I used it in some savory dishes, like my beloved Happy Herbivore mac and cheese. It worked well in this particular recipe because it naturally thickened when heated, so I didn’t even need the cornstarch!

>>To learn how to make your own oat milk, head on over to SheKnows.com and follow the instructions.<<

Notes: I used cheesecloth instead of a fine mesh sieve.

I divided my milk in half and left one half unflavored/unsweetened for savory dishes. I then labeled each and stored them separately. I saved the pulp for overnight oatmeal and smoothies.