Creamy and delicious oat milk! This homemade oat milk recipe is 5 easy ingredients, ready in minutes, and delicious in tea or coffee or poured over cereal.
It’s so easy to make your own homemade oat milk!
All you need is some rolled oats in your cupboard and you’re good to go.
Add some maple syrup, or other syrup of your choice, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt for some optional extra flavoring, blend it all up and strain it through a nut milk bag!
It has a lovely neutral oaty taste that is delicious to drink as is or to use in smoothies or over cereal or in your coffee and tea.
To soak or not to soak?
A lot of recipes for how to make oat milk recommend soaking the rolled oats first and then rinsing them very well to remove any sliminess before blending. Yes, oats get slimy. It’s weird.
But I actually found in experimenting that the best results came about from not soaking the oats at all. It’s also quicker this way.
When I soaked them first and then rinsed them, the result was really slimy. But when I just blended them without soaking, there was minimal slime. Okay I know that still sounds gross, minimal slime? So there’s still slime? Haha yes, a little, not in the end result, but when you’re straining them through that nut milk bag, it’s going to feel a little slimy.
I have heard that over-blending can cause sliminess as well, though I did not experience this at all, but just beware of this as a possibility. Blend only as much as needed, which tends to be around a minute to get everything nicely blended in.
Straining your oat milk
If you’re straining through a nut milk bag, (often also called a nut mylk bag), then it’s super quick and easy to do. If you don’t have a nut milk bag you can strain it through cheesecloth placed over a strainer.
However, if homemade milks are something you plan to make regularly, then investing in a nut mylk bag is very worthwhile.
This is the nut mylk bag I have and am very happy with.
Delicious in tea, coffee or over cereal
This homemade oat milk is great in tea or coffee or over cereal. However, it’s not great heated as it tends to get quite thick and clumpy when you heat it.
So you can add it to hot drinks and that’s fine, but don’t heat it up before adding it to hot drinks. 
What do you do with the leftover oat pulp?
A reader commented that they add it to pancake batter to create a nuttier tasting version (awesome idea, thanks Susan!).
You can also use the pulp to make cookies. I found a great recipe for Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pulp Cookies that does exactly this.
This recipe doesn’t result in a huge amount of leftover pulp so you’re also fine to just throw it away unless that is something that goes against the grain for you. If that’s the case then bake some cookies or throw it into some pancakes!
You will love this oat milk recipe, it is:
- Creamy
- Delicious
- Great in coffee or tea or over cereal
- So easy to make
Keep it in the fridge where it will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Shake it up before use as it tends to separate in the fridge, don’t worry this is normal, give it a good shake and enjoy.
More vegan recipes
What do you think of this homemade oat milk recipe? Let us know in the comments and rate the recipe too please. Thanks so much!
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Homemade Oat Milk
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 mins
- Yield: 4 cups
Description
Creamy and delicious oat milk! This homemade oat milk recipe is 5 easy ingredients, ready in minutes, and delicious in tea or coffee or poured over cereal.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (90g) Rolled Oats
- 4 cups (960ml) Water
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to your blender and blend until well blended. About a minute.*
- Strain through a nut mylk bag or place cheesecloth over a strainer and strain it through that.
- Store the milk in the fridge where it will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Shake it well before use.
- Use in your tea or coffee or pour over cereal.
Notes
*Don’t soak your oats first, I found this caused sliminess, no matter how much they were rinsed.
*Don’t overblend as apparently it can also cause the oats to become slimy though I have not personally experienced this. About a minute of blending is usually sufficient.
*Don’t heat the milk as it causes it to get very thick. It can be added to hot drinks like tea and coffee though.
*This recipe is gluten-free as long as you use gluten-free rolled oats.
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 114
- Sugar: 6.3g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 1.4g
- Saturated Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 21.9g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 2.9g
Keywords: oat milk
It’s certainly a lot cheaper than oat milk from the supermarket. I am very happy with the end result. Will sure make more. Thank you!
★★★★★
So glad it turned out well! Thanks for the great review Heather!
I’ve made this with and without the syrup and vanilla and it’s yummy either way over cereal etc, but it always sinks to the bottom of my coffee š I’ve tried putting the milk in first and last and I’ve tried adding it reeeaaaally slowly, I’ve tried soaking and not soaking but it still does it, any ideas for how to fix it? Thanks š I use instant coffee by the way and I use a nut milk bag to strain.
★★★★★
Hi Katie, you can also try letting your coffee cool a little before adding the milk. This can be a common issue with plant milks, as the acid in the coffee can interact with them causing them to separate from the coffee. Letting it cool a little before adding the milk can help.
Any hints on how I’ve ended up with a bitter after taste? Is that normal for oat milk or something I may have done? Many thanks!
Hi Virginia, sorry no I have no idea why that would be. Did you soak your oats first? I’m just taking a guess at a possible cause, we don’t soak the oats first as it’s our preference for taste and texture.
Can you use honey instead of maple syrup?
Sure!
Hi great recipe! I was wondering how long could I expect it to last? I keep it in a resealable bottle in the fridge if that makes a difference.
Up to 5 days in the fridge. š
I’m planning on making this today but I had a question before I start. Is it necessary to add the sweetener? I really prefer a non-sweetened milk.
Thanks! Nancy
★★★★★
Hi Nancy, you can definitely leave it out if you prefer! š
Hi Alison, just want some clarification please – you say strain in “a nut mylk bag” – is this a typo or is there a specific nut mylk bag made for this purpose? (serious question)
I made the oat milk today because I don’t like soya milk and used the strained oats in a crumpet recipe Was pleased with the outcome and, once again, the non vegans thoroughly enjoyed the crumpets!
★★★★
EDIT to my above comment. I used the oat milk to make the crumpets. No problems experienced, although you mentioned elsewhere that the milk could cause clumping.
Hi Lesley, it’s just the way that people used to sometimes refer to nut milks as ‘mylks’ but maybe no-one does that anymore. š It is a regular nut milk bag and we do have a link to one we use in the blog post. So glad it worked out well for your crumpets!
This came out super watery for me. I don’t have a nut bag/cheese cloth though, just used a fine sieve, maybe this is the reason? Or maybe the oats I’m using? The blender is very strong, so this won’t be the problem.
I was about to make hummus in the same blender after making this, threw the oat pulp in, tastes great š
Hi Rich, I’m not sure why that might’ve happened. You can also reduce the amount of water if you make it again. All the best! š
Glad to see this recipe.Going to make it, but only have coffee filters to strain thru. Not sure what else to use. Thanks for this, sounds good
Hi! That was my first time to make milk and I’m very happy how it turned out, hehe:) I used sugar and I didn’t have vanilla, but it still came out well. Until lately, I was always drinking cow milk, but then some weeks ago I decided to cut dairy from my diet and then I started buying plant-milks. I’d say often these are more delicious than cow milk actually… And now I’m not going out anymore and I needed milk so I just made some! So much cheaper too…I’ll never buy it anymore.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing Kaari!
Mine turned out a little salty but it is also my first time making my own milk, is this something that is typical with homemade milk? š
But I loved how easy the recipe was to follow and carry out!
Hi Kerri! Glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s likely just the added salt that might be coming off as too salty for you. You could just leave out the added salt next time and that will likely solve that issue. š
Great! Thanks for replying to me so quickly š I didn’t know if the salt was necessary to the recipe because I’ve seen a lot of recipes with salt added!
You’re welcome! š
I’m excited to make and use this! One reader commented on using it in a cake recipe. I’m really curious about that!! Does it work well in cakes?? Any tips?
Hi Tami, to be honest I’m not sure about that because my experience in heating homemade oat milk isn’t that good as it tends to clump.
Thanks for answering! I guess I’ll experiment with it on an unimportant occasion and see!
Hi there, Tami! So when I make my oat milk, I tend to add a tbsp of Canola oil to it! It makes the milk much more stable when it comes to heating and baking, and it makes the texture much more like milk, nice and extra creamy! The oil also seems to increase the storage time from 5 days to 7, or even 8 depending on how you store it! Hope this helps!
Thank you for this recipe! Very simple and intuitive. One thing you can do with the leftover oats is make dog treats! I have done this before with spent grains from the brewing process, and dogs love them!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Anna! š
any tips on how to make the dog treats please?
★★★★★
Thanks for this Alison.
A GREAT tip not to soak. Changed my oat milk texture completely.
Not only great for vegans but also terrific for people trying to reduce their reliance on single use packaging (the commercial oat milk containers are plastic lined)
Another couple of, slightly different, uses for the left over pulp…
1. If you have backyard chickens they love it! Put it in a bowl with a little more mater and they will slurp it up
2. It makes a fantastic face wash. Either rub it directly on to the skin, scrub lightly then rinse it off or pop it in an old stocking, wet the stocking and rub gently over your skin. Leaves your face soft and so clean.
Sorry… add more water to the oats when giving to chickens
Thanks for the great tips! š
Thank you so much for these ideas!!! I can put both of them to use š
I found it just slightly too watery, but it was super easy to make, worked well in my cake. Loved it, thank you!
★★★★
What if I soaked the oats overnight then blended without straining?
Hi Anastasia, you can definitely try that, but as I mentioned in the post I found that soaking the oats first caused the oat milk to be more slimy in consistency.
Perfect….I use natural date instead of maple syrup. With nothing handy to strain it with, I don’t strain it – just leave it in the jug. The oats sink to the bottom and aren’t a bother. I will eventually get or sew a strainer, but no hurry. thanks!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Evelyn. š
Can I use it in smoothies? with berries and nuts?
Sure! š
Absolutely fab, so easy to make too. It takes longer to measure out the ingredients and wash the blender than it does to make! I wasn’t sure I’d like it but I LOVE it. So much better than the soya milk (Alpro) I was buying before and way cheaper…..win win This is the 2nd litre since last monday š Thanks so much for the recipe Alison.
★★★★★
Awesome! So glad you love it, thanks Jane! š
I have to say this is the best that I’ve ever made and I added even a little bit of brown sugar to it*
It’s really nice and smooth āš¤
★★★★★
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing Susan! š