How to Make Oat Milk (Without a Cheesecloth)

Being lactose intolerant is now a little simpler owing to all of the milk replacement alternatives available. There’s almond milk, soy milk, and oat milk, which is our particular favorite.

As delightful as these alternatives are, they are, however, somewhat more expensive than ordinary milk. So, what do you do if you don’t want to pay for a milk replacement but still want to enjoy it? You design your own!

Making your own oat milk isn’t as complicated as it seems, and you just need a few materials and equipment to get started. Although most people drain their oats with cheesecloth, you don’t need one to create oat milk.

Making Your Own Oat Milk

Four cups of water and one cup of rolled oats are required to produce oat milk. You may experiment with the quantities and alter them to your preference depending on how thick and creamy you want your oat milk to be.

To create oat milk without a blender, combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process on high speed until the oats are dissolved. After that, sieve any oat particles that didn’t get blended up well using a fine mesh strainer.

Strain the milk a second time for the finest results. If you don’t have a fine mesh strainer, you may use a nut bag instead, albeit nut bags allow through more pulp than strainers. To filter your milk, you may even manufacture your own cheesecloth out of an old t-shirt.

Blend for 30 to 45 seconds at a time to prevent your oat milk from becoming too viscous. Make sure to use rolled oats rather than steel cut or quick oats for the best results.

The nicest thing about creating your own oat milk is that you can make it exactly as you want it. Add a splash of vanilla extract to create flavored oat milk, or use cocoa powder to make chocolate oat milk.

Storing Oat Milk

After you’ve created your oat milk, be sure to store it correctly to keep it as fresh as possible. Simply put it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Oat milk should be good for approximately five days, but you can always smell it to see if it has gone bad. If it smells nasty, it probably is.

Tips When Making Oat Milk

Although the process of creating oat milk is rather straightforward, there are a few tips and tactics to keep in mind.

When purchasing oats, look for organic and gluten-free varieties. This is because non-organic oats are often processed alongside meals containing wheat, barley, or rye. Not to add that non-organic oats have been proven to contain glyphosate, a pesticide.

People often report that their oat milk becomes sticky throughout the cooking process. This may occur as a consequence of excessive mixing. To prevent slimy oat milk, use cold water with the oats, since heat will give your oat milk a sticky texture similar to that of oatmeal.

Make careful to sift your oat milk more than once to remove any particles of oat that have been left behind. The very last thing you want is lumpy oat milk.

How to Use Your Oat Milk

Although oat milk is delicious on its own, it may also be used in cereal, coffee, and smoothies for a creamier texture. Unfortunately, since oat milk has no fat, it does not foam, making it unsuitable for use in lattes.

Because you leave so many oats behind after straining your oat milk, you may utilize the residual pulp in a number of ways. Combine it with cookie dough to create oatmeal cookies or with granola. If you don’t want to consume oat pulp, you may use it as a face mask to acquire smooth skin.

Oat milk may also be used in baked dishes to give them a lovely toasted oat taste. It is a much superior milk substitute than soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, or even cashew milk since its viscosity is most comparable to that of conventional dairy milk.

It also does not add taste to your dishes like coconut milk does. Oat milk may be used to cake mixes, cupcakes, banana bread, and even cornbread. It’s a terrific approach to veganize your baked products.

In fact, oat milk may be used to add creaminess to savory foods. Custards are the one item you won’t want to make with oat milk. This is because oat milk does not set and will not provide the necessary texture to your custard.

Oat milk may be used in place of conventional milk in dishes like butternut squash soup or mashed potatoes. However, oat milk should not be used as a replacement for heavy cream, so if a recipe asks for it, do not use oat milk instead.

Another excellent application for oat milk is to make a lovely roux for spaghetti. Combine oat milk, olive oil, and flour in a mixing bowl and stir everything together. Once finished, add it to your spaghetti to make it creamier.

Benefits of Oat Milk

Aside from being tasty, oat milk offers a slew of additional advantages. It’s high in fiber as well as vitamins and minerals including vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin A, iron, potassium, calcium, and riboflavin.

It’s also fantastic since it works for folks with food allergies who can’t drink ordinary milk but are allergic to nuts or soy. It may also be made gluten-free and vegan.

Because of the many vitamins in oat milk, your skin, hair, and nails will seem much better, and your mood may be significantly enhanced.

Oat milk is also known to decrease blood cholesterol because it contains beta-glucans, a soluble fiber with several heart health advantages. Unlike other dairy substitutes, oat milk contains calcium, so you won’t feel deprived of it if you transition from cow’s milk.

Final Thoughts

Oat milk is a delicious, healthful, and easy alternative to conventional milk. Making oat milk is simple even without a cheesecloth. Simply filter your oat milk through a t-shirt, cloth, or fine mesh strainer to remove as much oat pulp as possible.

For optimal results, filter your oat milk twice!