How to make homemade oat milk in minutes

Budget friendly, creamy, vegan milk that requires no soaking!

Oat milk is a delicious, plant-based, milk alternative for people with allergies or intolerances. It’s naturally free of lactose, nuts, soy, and gluten if made from certified gluten-free oats. With the Vibe Blender System, oat milk is incredibly easy to make at home. And, making your own allows you to choose the ingredients and avoid sugar and additives that may be found in store bought dairy-free milk.

Unlike other plant-based milks, such as almond, there is no waiting around for nuts or seeds to soak. Oat milk can be made, start to finish, in less than 3 minutes. Simply blend the oats in water and then strain to separate the milk from the oat pulp. Voila, the resulting milk is slightly sweet, smooth, creamy, and boasts a fuller texture than other plant-based milks. Best of all, oat milk is super-budget friendly!

Many oat milk methods available online recommend soaking the oats for 15 minutes and then rinsing them, prior to blending - but this is problematic. When oats are left to soak, they start to swell and become slimy. Not a good quality in milk!

After experimenting, we found that the most milk-like texture was achieved with no soaking. In fact, the quicker the oats are blended and then strained the better. A high-speed blender generates heat. As soon as oats warm, they begin to become slimy but a quick 25 second burst in the Vibe Blender System creams the oats perfectly without risking any temperature increase.

The Vibe Blender System reduces the oats to a delicious milky texture, good enough for most baking needs but to get the ultimate silkiness, it’s best to strain the milk. Your homemade oat milk can be left to slowly drip into a bowl or be squeezed out with your hands. Producing oat milk is a far easier job on the hands than homemade nut milk. Be warned though, there is no avoiding a bit of oat slime at this stage of the milk making process.

CONTROL THE CREAMINESS

Rolled oats are the best type of oats to use. Steel cut oats take longer to blend, and quick oats become too slimy. Stay in control of the texture. You can make your oat milk thicker or thinner by adjusting the volume of water. For a delicious, full tasting milk, we like to add a pinch of salt and a large, soft Medjool date or a tablespoon of maple syrup for a touch of sweetness. For a healthy, next-level, milky treat, try adding vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa or berries. So good!

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INGREDIENTS

1 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if GF) – do not use quick oats
4 cups water (use less water for thicker, creamier milk)
1 pinch salt
1 Medjool date, pitted or 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey

OPTIONAL FLAVOUR ADD-INS

½  - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
2 tablespoons of cacao powder
¼ cup fresh or frozen berries
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

METHOD

1.   Add the oats, water, salt and date or maple syrup into the clear Vibe blender jug and secure the lid.
2.   Blend on ‘smoothie’ mode for 25 – 30 seconds.
3.   Open the lid and taste test. For a sweeter milk another half a date or more maple syrup.
4.   Strain the milk though a nut milk bag or piece of muslin cloth over a sieve.
5.   Gather the edges of the cloth and squeeze out the milk until only oat pulp remains.

6.   Transfer the oat milk to a sealable jar and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
7.   Oat milk is best served chilled. Fresh homemade oat milk may separate during storage in the fridge. Simply stir or shake before using.

Note: Homemade oat milk may be added to hot drinks, but it does not heat well. Heating may cause homemade oat milk to go thick and gelatinous. We are working on a plant-based nut and oat milk combo that can be heated, will froth for heavenly vegan lattes and can be made into yogurt. Stay tuned!

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