go to basket

Homemade Oat Milk

Oat my goodness!
difficulty:
yield:

1 quart

time:

At least 4 hours to soak the oats and about 15 minutes to make the milk

introduction

Anson Mills stone cut oats are toasted, so they have nutty, caramel-y notes and an unmistakable richness. We wondered if, with so much character, they’d be suitable for making oat milk. One try and we were sold! Subtly sweet, sublimely flavorful, and velvety in consistency, this oat milk is light years better than anything sold in stores. Use it in your coffee, pour it over your granola, or make it into chai on the rocks.

Cooking Remarks

A high-capacity, high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, is ideal for making nut and grain milks. If your blender is small, you may have to work in two batches. And for straining the very fine, silt-like solids from the oat milk, a doubled-up nylon nut-milk bag—one placed in the other—works best.

You’ll find that the liquid you extract from the puréed oats will become more and more viscous as you go, and when you’re wringing with force to get the last of the milk, its consistency will be very thick and slippery—slimy, even. Don’t be alarmed. The finished milk, once stirred, will be rich and full-bodied, and not at all slick or slippy.

Without any additives to stabilize and emulsify, oat milk quickly separates upon standing, so make sure to stir it well before using. A pitcher or jar with a secure, tight-fitting lid allows you to shake the vessel for quick and easy recombining. Oh, and since oats contain starch, milk made from them contains starch, too. If the milk is brought to a simmer, it will thicken.

equipment mise en place

For this recipe, you will need a medium bowl, a large fine-mesh strainer, a high-speed blender, two nylon nut-milk bags, and a pitcher or 1-quart jar for storing the milk.

  1.  

    Place the oats in a medium bowl and add water to cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

  2.  

    Drain the oats in a large fine-mesh strainer and rinse briefly under running cool water. Turn the oats into a high-speed blender and pour in 4 cups water. Add the salt and blend on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute.

  3.  

    Set a colander or large fine-mesh strainer in or over a deep bowl and place a doubled-up nylon nut-milk bag inside; open the bags and pour in the purée. Lift the bag and pull the drawstring, and then squeeze the milk into the bowl (once you have poured the purée into the bag you can simply remove the strainer), wringing the bag until you have 4 cups strained oat milk. The liquid that’s squeezed out toward the end will be viscous and slippery; this is normal. Pour the oat milk into pitcher or 1-quart jar, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days; it will separately upon standing and must be stirred well or whisked to recombine before use.

recipe developed by Dawn Yanagihara