Move over, almond milk – there’s a new dairy-free milk alternative on the block. Oat milk’s popularity has skyrocketed and has quickly overtaken other non-dairy options at grocery stores and coffee shops. Oat milk is sweet, tasty and versatile. If you haven’t tried it yet, there are many ways to use it in recipes and you can even make it yourself.
Why Is Oat Milk Popular?
Global oat milk sales reached $360 million in 2019. By 2026–27, forecasters predict the oat milk market may reach anywhere from $995 million to $2.2 billion. That’s a lot of oats!
Oat milk is in demand for a number of reasons.
It Has a Neutral Flavour
Oat milk has a sweet, slightly nutty flavour that melds well in recipes, especially for coffee and elixirs. It definitely tastes like oats, which many find comforting and familiar.
It Has a ‘Frothable’ Texture
Its starchy, sturdy texture makes oat milk easier to whip up and froth for foam or latte art (again, it’s very much associated with coffee lovers).
Oat milk is free of many common allergens: it’s soy-free, nut-free, seed-free and dairy-free, making it a good school-safe option or work-friendly choice.
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Homemade Oat Milk Recipe
We have an entire post dedicated to making nut/seed milk, so why create a new post with an oat milk recipe? Here’s the reason: the process for making milk with oats is a little different than traditional nut and seed milks. Homemade oat milk can turn sticky, gloopy and slimy, but we have a few key tips and tricks to prevent that from happening.
Don’t Soak Your Oats in Advance
With almost all other dairy-free milks (nuts, seeds, coconut, or rice), we recommend soaking the ingredients in water first. This helps soften them up for blending, especially with larger and hardier nuts. Do not soak your oats first.
If you’ve ever cooked a pot of oatmeal, you know how thick and sticky it can get (again, this is due to the beta-glucan content). Warm or hot water will make your oat milk gluey.
Don’t Overblend Your Oat Milk
When making homemade oat milk, you want to use just enough power to break them down (especially if you’re using a high-speed blender). We blitz ours for about 30 seconds using a high-speed blender. Excessive blending will create heat, which in turn activates that soluble fibre component and you’ll end up with slimy oat milk.
When straining your milk, let gravity do the work. Pressing your blended oats through a strainer, or wringing it out with a nut milk bag, will force more of that gooey soluble fibre into the final product. We like to use a fine mesh strainer over a bowl, and let the milk separate naturally from the solids (we will often leave the bowl for 10–15 minutes while it strains). If needed, you can gently press the pulp with a back of a spoon – but don’t overdo it.
Best Types of Oats to Use
We like to use gluten-free rolled oats for oat milk. Opt for oat with a thinner texture: rolled/old fashioned oats or quick oats. Beefier oat types, like steel-cut oats or whole oat groats, don’t break down easily when dry and that can mean longer blending times (and slimier oat milk).
Blend for about 30 seconds, until the oats are broken down. Don’t overblend.
Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the milk through the strainer. Wait 10 minutes for the liquid to strain through. The leftover pulp will be very sticky.
Add in a pinch of salt.
Seal in a container in the fridge and use within 3-4 days. Shake before using, as the milk will separate.
Oat milk is an all-purpose dairy-free alternative you can incorporate into multiple recipes, and it can be swapped in 1:1 for other nut or seed milks. You are also welcome to try mixing and matching with half oat milk and half of another milk alternative.
Smoothies
Toss your milk into your blender to use as the base liquid in your favourite smoothie recipe (or use it in a smoothie bowl).
Pour your milk into ice cube trays, then pop them into a large bag, jar or container. Use the cubes for smoothies, or defrost a few when you’re making an elixir or a recipe that calls for only a small amount.
Milk for Cereal and Granola
You won’t regret pouring oat milk over your bowl.
Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce
Oat milk offers a thick, creamy texture to dairy-free, cheese sauces. Hello, vegan mac and cheese!
Well sealed in the refrigerator, oat milk should last about 5 days. You'll know it's gone bad when it smells funny. Why did my oat milk separate? Separation is totally normal with oat milk and many other dairy-free milks.
Oat milk contains a good quantity of fatty acids, protein, minerals, vitamins, dietary fiber, and a variety of micronutrients and provides several health benefits, as it reduces blood sugar, lowers cholesterol, and prevents cancer (Jeske et al., 2018). Therefore, oats are a promising alternative to traditional milk.
Steel cut oats will not break down as quickly as rolled oats or quick oats. To make a creamier milk with them, soak the steel cut oats for at least 1 hour before blending and straining.
That said, because the abundance of nutrients in plant milk supplies microorganisms with a feast fit for a king, once oat milk has been opened and bacteria are reintroduced, spoilage still tends to occur within a week or so.
To store your oat milk, simply keep it somewhere cool and dry like a pantry, cupboard or dry storage area. Once it's opened and the seal is broken, oat milk is perishable. It should then be put straight in the fridge and resealed tightly after every time it's opened – just like milk.
Nutrition-wise, problems with oat milk can arise for three main reasons, she says: the fibre; the amount of sugar/fast-releasing carbohydrates; and the additives, emulsifiers, sugars and flavourings that some commercial brands add.
Low in carbs and calories: Almond milk has fewer calories and carbs compared to oat milk. This makes it especially useful for those looking to shed weight or control sugar intake. Contains healthy fats: The almonds in the milk supply healthy fats. These fats are kind to your heart and help keep your blood sugar steady.
Ultimately, cow's milk is the healthiest to drink if you can tolerate it. It has the most nutritional value. Cow's milk has many health benefits, such as helping to improve muscle mass and bone health. For regular milk drinkers, three cups per day is the standard.
Making your own oat milk can cost as little as $0.70 for the same amount. Of course, this is dependent upon which oats you're using, and which brands you'd typically buy. But it can be much cheaper to make your own oat milk, if you're interested in saving some money!
Store your homemade oat milk in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Before each use, give it a good shake to ensure the oats are evenly distributed. If you notice that your oat milk has become too thin, don't worry—simply blend it again to restore that creamy texture.
To fortify homemade oat milk, you can blend supplements or vitamin powder (like vitamin D, B2, B12) into the milk. Alternatively, you can purchase the vitamin/s as drops (which will impact the flavor less but cost more).
The oat milk you make at home will be good for 2 to 4 days in the fridge. Store-bought oat milk has stabilizers that give it a longer shelf life. Like dairy milk, oat milk should be stored in the coldest part of the fridge, not on the door. Be sure it's covered, and shake before using.
Used in smoothies or splashed on cereal, oat milk is a favourite dairy-free drink to add to coffee or tea as well, because it doesn't curdle like most other nut milks. Some oat milk fans say it's even nice (albeit a little thick) consumed straight.
Homemade oat milk has a wonderful fresh oat flavor. But the biggest difference between the homemade stuff and Oatly Original Oat Milk—our favorite brand for drinking straight—is in the texture. The homemade version is thick, extra-rich, and creamy, while Oatly's original blend is more milky and clean.
To ensure that these drinks last up to 3 to 5 days, it's necessary to keep them in the fridge between 2 to 5ºC. Cold temperatures slow biochemical reactions taking place in the drink so they help keep milks for longer.
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