How to Make Oat Milk in 3 Easy Steps

Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner

Follow this 3-ingredient recipe!

<p>Tatiana Bralnina/Getty Images</p>

Tatiana Bralnina/Getty Images

Once a specialty supermarket exclusive, oat milk is now widely available at the supermarket. And it’s full of health benefits! But before Oatly, Califia, and Willa’s, oat milk was typically a homemade item—a quick and cheap non-dairy substitute for milk in homes around the world. And making oat milk from scratch is super easy, quick, and customizable. Unlike with homemade nut milk, oat milk doesn’t require any pre-soaking (in fact, it’s discouraged, because it can cause an oatmeal-like sliminess in the finished product), so you can whip some up within minutes if you’re in a milk pinch at home.

Related: Wait a Minute, Is Milk More Hydrating Than Water? Here's the Best Time to Swap Water for Milk

All you really need to make homemade oat milk is rolled oats (save the steel cut oats for oatmeal, they won’t work here) and cold or room temperature water (filtered or tap water both work). Of course, homemade oat milk can also be sweetened to your liking, with sugar, honey, agave, or whatever you prefer, or flavored with cocoa powder, cinnamon, dates, or dehydrated strawberries – the base is so neutral that the options are seemingly endless. The recipe can also be doubled or halved, depending on your rate and enthusiasm of oat milk consumption. Here’s how to make oat milk completely from scratch.

How to Make Oat Milk

Follow the steps below to whip up homemade oat milk in just five minutes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup oats

  • 3 cups water

  • Pinch of salt (optional)

Method:

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a blender. Add any sweeteners, if desired. Blend on high for 30 seconds, or until the oats are completely incorporated.

  2. Place a cheese cloth or mesh strainer lined with a paper coffee filter on top of a bowl large enough to hold the oat milk. Strain the blended oat milk into a bowl.

  3. Transfer the oat milk into jars and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If the milk starts to separate, just give it a shake before opening the jar.

Related: The Major Mistake You're Making When Storing Milk in the Fridge

Is Oat Milk Gluten Free?

Yes, oat milk is gluten free. Oats are naturally gluten free, meaning oatmeal and oat milk are also gluten free, assuming they haven't been cross-contaminated.

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