A cup of organic oats costs about 25 cents and makes a quart of oat milk. A purchased quart is between $2.99 and $3.99. Any questions?
I remembered making “oatmeal water” for a Victorian picnic many years ago. It was delicious, and proved to be both refreshing and popular with everyone. It was thinner than “oat milk” and loaded with citrus fruits, ginger, and cinnamon, and required boiling for ten minutes, then straining, and chilling.
Make your own trend
I haven’t made it since, but it has lingered in the back of my mind. Oat milk is everywhere these days, in many forms from beverages to coffee creamers. It can be pricy, and contain various additives, so I thought that making my own oat milk would be fun.
Great flavor, inexpensive
Homemade oat milk is really inexpensive to make, about a quarter a quart, and tastes great, mildly of oats, but it takes flavors well. When you make your own, you won’t have any additives to think about, and you can control how thick or thin you would like your milk. It is also really fast to make!
Of course, you could always add the citrus and spices to make your own unique oatmeal water, just to be different.
Oat Milk
This is the recipe for basic oat milk. If you like your milk flavored or sweetened, you can add some vanilla, really yummy, a little syrup, or add some dates in the blender along with everything else. This froths nicely for a cafe latte, and tastes delicious on cereals. You might have to vary the length of the blending, or the type of strainer you use to control the thickness of the milk.
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 quart water
Pinch of salt
Place the oats in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for *30 minutes, or not depending on your oats (see note below).
Drain the oats if soaked, then put them in a blender with the water.
Blend until smooth, and adjust the water to the thickness you prefer.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer, kitchen towel, or nut milk bag, but don’t squeeze or push the pulp through, let it drain naturally.
Refrigerate. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, shaking a bit to mix it up when you use it as it will settle.
*Update on soaking:
After a comment from a follower here who was concerned that her oat milk in the past had a slimy texture, I guessed that the soaking might have released too much starch in the brand of oats she used. I made a batch this morning without the soaking, and the milk turned out just as good, perhaps a tad bit thinner but not much.
The good news is that I will make it without soaking when I use these oats, thus saving a step! I made a batch this morning while my cereal was cooking.
I think this must depend a lot on the oats. The gluten-free oats would probably have the smallest chance of being slimy, my guess.
Victorian Oatmeal Water
To one quart of water add two heaping tablespoonfuls of oats, one lemon chopped up, one orange chopped up, a small knob of ginger, and a little cinnamon. Boil for ten minutes. Cover and let steep until cooled. Strain and serve over ice. Sweeten with honey if desired. Very refreshing. ~ Woman’s Favorite Cookbook
Sunflower Seed Milk
Another delicious plant milk you can make easily is sunflower seed milk. I first found this recipe on Sam Eats her Nutrients a health and wellness blog written by Sandra Shields.
It is simple, made with water and raw sunflower seeds. I make it plain, but as with the oat milk, you can add flavorings and sweeteners as you like.
Instructions: https://wordpress.com/read/blogs/67357498/posts/7731
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How very interesting; I’ll try both recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Great! Have fun with it. You’ll be surprised at how fast this is!
Never knew I could make oatmilk at home. My kids love oatmilk, I’ll definitely be trying this at home! Thanks for the recipe. The Victorian oat tea sounds intriguing as well!
They are both good! Have fun with the process!
Great idea! I’m also very intrigued by the Victorian recipe. Will give it a try soon. 🙂
On a hot summer day, it is pretty nice!
I’ve been seeing oat milk mentioned in several places, but I didn’t have a clue what it really was. Thank you not only for the explanation but the recipe. That definitely might come in handy during these times.
Yes, I was stocking up on soy milk and wincing age the prices, and at the same time, I was stocking up on my organic old fashioned oats. Perfect!
A smart economical share Dorothy! Thank you very much!💕☕️☕️
You’re welcome!
Dorothy, I tried making oat milk some weeks past; it wasn’t very successful..
The ‘milk’ became a little ‘slimy’ after a day or two in the fridge… Any suggestions would be helpful.. 🙂
Hmm, I haven’t had that happen, but I would suspect that too much of the solids might have been strained through? There also might be a difference in oats I suspect and the amount of starch. Perhaps if you just rinse your variety of oats rather than soak. Let me know if that works! I do know you have to shake it up before each use as well because it settles, and I’ll go back and add this to the recipe.
Will do, Dorothy – good advice. It all makes a lot of sense. 🙂
After reading your message, I actually made some this morning for breakfast and did not soak it. It came out great, just a bit thinner. I think I’ll skip the soaking step, at least for the bulk oatmeal I use, it wasn’t necessary at all!
Great… I’ll give it a go, for sure.
Love your work, Dorothy!
Thank you so much for your kindness!
such a fabulous idea especially in these troubled times when it is hard to get dairy in the shops!
Yes! The old fashioned oats are stable for ages, so we all can have a stash waiting for transformation.
We’ve got the oats, we have the water– and we’ve got the time. Will try this recipe soon. Thanks.
That’s one of the things I love about making this, simple ingredients and not much time involved! Let me know how you like it, and whether or not you soaked the oatmeal first!
I soaked the oatmeal. It made milk. I’d rather just eat the oatmeal cooked, but I can see how this is a good thing to know about. Thanks.
You’re welcome! It is great in smoothies, too!
Oh, I bet. Good idea.
Hmmm. We are almost out of nut milk. This will come in handy. 🙂 Be well and blessed, Dorothy!
Enjoy this delightful milk! And you too, be well and keep safe.
I am so glad you found my blog, and now I’ve found yours! We have become fans of oat milk in the past 6 months, but I never thought to make my own. Will be giving this a try — thanks!
You will laugh at how easy it is, and how inexpensive!
I never thought of making this, but now seems as good a time as any!
Yes, there’s a few things I’m trying out during this sheltered time!
This is brilliant and so useful at the moment during the pandemic when hard to buy things.
I know I was happy to blend some up a couple of days ago and avoided another attempt at going to the market!
A lovely easy recipe for these troubled times and shortages 🙂
Yes, something easy and quite economical.
What a great idea Dorothy. Our daughter loves oat milk, but I am always worried about the additives, so we will give this a try.
It’s so easy Lillie, and delicious!