Why This Recipe Works

Making your own oat milk is super simple and also inexpensive. We love keeping oat milk on hand to add to smoothies, to bake with, or to just drink straight from the fridge. Oat milk is great if you have sensitivities to soy or nuts, or if you're just trying to avoid animal products. While it may sound intimidating, the entire process of making oat milk is as easy as blending everything together and then straining. To make this recipe customizable, the sugar is optional, so you can have your milk as sweet or neutral as you like. The addition of vegetable oil was crucial to this recipe because it added desired fat and provided a thick and smooth texture. It also helped reduce the amount of foam that forms while processing; do not omit it.

Before You Begin

Avoid squeezing the oat pulp too firmly; it will cause the milk to be starchy. We found that sugar and vanilla helped round out the flavor for drinking; however, if you're cooking with this milk, we recommend omitting them.

Instructions

Line fine-mesh strainer with triple layer of cheesecloth overhanging edges; set aside. Process water, oats, sugar (if using), oil, vanilla (if using), and salt in blender until coarsely ground, about 10 seconds, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Strain blended oat mixture through prepared strainer into 4-cup liquid measuring cup or large bowl, stirring occasionally, until liquid no longer runs freely, about 5 minutes. Pull edges of cheesecloth together and firmly squeeze pulp until liquid no longer runs freely; discard pulp. Transfer milk to airtight container and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour. Serve. (Oat milk can be refrigerated for up to 4 days; stir to recombine before serving.)