Dairy Free – Nut Free – and naturally Gluten Free* (though do check the label on your oats in case they are processed in the same factory as gluten containing products as cross contamination may occur).
If you’re looking for a delicious and nutritious alternative for your breakfast cereal then Oat Milk could be just what you’re looking for! Yes, you can buy the pasteurised stuff for a price but think of the health benefits of making your own especially using organic porridge oats and spring or dechlorinated tap water. All of that goodness without the additives or heat treatment to kill off the nutrients and no processed sugar! Best of all, take a guess how much a litre of plain organic oat milk will cost you to make…. a mere 16p, yes that’s not a typo, 16p per litre (based on the cost of your organic oats).
You’ll need a blender, a sieve covered with a straining cloth such as cheesecloth or clean cotton tea towel, if you’ve got a jam strainer, that will do nicely and a sterilised bottle or jar to keep it in. Oh and you’ll probably need a little patience too but it’ll be worth it. The finished oat milk will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. I don’t take milk in hot drinks so I can’t comment on how it will taste as a milk replacement but it is lovely to drink on its own or on the Chocolate Granola Recipe, you can view that here.
Ingredients:
100g rolled Oats (don’t use instant porridge)
1 litre cold water, preferably Spring or dechlorinated tap water plus extra water for soaking.
Some pitted dates if you like a sweeter tasting milk
A small pinch of salt (optional). Make without first and add later if required. Use a good quality salt such as sea salt, not a table salt.
Method:
- Place the oats into a bowl and cover them with water (I use tap water for this part) Soak your rolled oats in water for anything between 30 minutes to overnight. Once soaked, put them into a sieve and rinse well under the cold tap. Drain.
- Put the rinsed and drained oats and 1 litre of spring water into a blender and blend for around 20 -30 seconds. Resist the temptation to over process as the blades can produce heat and we don’t want any of those lovely nutrients destroyed. Over processing can also cause the oats to become ‘slimy’ in consistency.
Before blending… 
After blending…
3. Strain the liquid into a bowl using a sieve with cheesecloth or a jam strainer.
4. At first it will run through quickly then slow down as the blended oats begin to block the material. Resist the urge to push down on the oats as you may push them through. I use a spatula to scrape the oats back and forth gently when it slows to a drip.
5. Once finished, bottle the milk and rinse out the cloth under running water then wash as usual. The oat milk will last up to 5 days in the fridge.
6. If you like a sweeter tasting milk, take 2 or 3 pitted dates (Medjool dates are gorgeous, organic ones even better) put in your blender and add a little of the oat milk, just enough to cover the blades, and blend until smooth. Stir it into the remaining milk.
You can even flavour your milk, the kids will love it… shhhh…. it’s health by stealth 😉 Add any extra flavours at step number 6.
Vanilla Oat Milk
Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract (not essence)
2 pitted dates
Chocolate Oat Milk
Add 1 – 2 tbsp organic cocoa powder
2 pitted dates
Cinnamon Oat Milk
Add ½ tsp cinnamon
2 pitted dates
Or have fun creating your own flavours.
Ann x