Before I knew about oat milk…
I used a LOT of almond milk. In South Africa, I mainly purchased soy milk because it was cheaper. In the USA almond milk is cheaper. Cray cray right? I’ve been wanting to make my own milk to cut down on plastic bottles/cartons (even though these get recycled) and save some extra $$$.
Types of plant milks
These days one gets so many different types of plant milk. Hemp milk, rice milk, almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, coconut milk, oat milk, pecan milk, hazelnut milk, etc. The choices are endless.
They all come in at different price tags and all store bought milks have some form of preservative not to mention all that packaging.
I love nut milk but making it can be pricy if you don’t buy nuts in bulk. Sometimes it feels like a mission and a half to be making 6 liters of nut milk a week.
Why oat milk?
I decided to try oat milk. Besides being super affordable to make, it is quick to make and tastes good. I will say the consistency and color are slightly different
How to avoid slimy oat milk?
Oat milk can be slimy. YUK! No one want’s to drink slimy milk. I’m 100% there with you. My first few batches were on the slimy side and I couldn’t understand why. I had soaked my oats but that is mistake number 1. Here are my tips to avoid slimy milk.
- Less is more – finding the right ratio
- Don’t soak the oats
- Don’t over blend. I blend for 30 seconds.
- Strain through a mesh strainer and then through cheesecloth or an old clean t-shirt.
- Don’t heat up – I keep 1 liter of almond milk in the house for hot drinks and cooking. So far I’ve had success using oat milk in my pancake recipe.
- Shake bottle before using every time
Tools to make plant milks
I actually considered buying this handy tool until I saw the price tag -$195. While it would be totally worth it in the long run, I’m not willing to commit to that price tag just yet. A simple strainer and cheesecloth or old T-shirt will do for this recipe.
I’m not a fan of nut milk bags as they tend to let pulp through when squeezing and I dislike washing them. However, feel free to use one in combination with cheesecloth.
A blender is essential for making plant milks.
Oat milk flavoring
Oat milk is really easy to flavor. I make plain every week for the house and on
Because there is such a little amount of pulp left, I don’t save this.
Oat milk is:
- Perfect for smoothies, nana ice-cream, iced drinks, cereal
- Cheap and easy to make – I save $6 per week ($24 a month on milk)
- A tasty milk option
My go-to oat milk recipe
Oat milk 3 flavors
A quick and budget friendly plant milk that is perfect for smoothies, nana-ice cream, iced drinks and cereal.
Plain oat milk
- 1/3 cup oats
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 medjool dates
- 3.5 cups water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence (optional)
Chocolate oat milk – same as above
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Strawberry oat milk
- 130 g frozen strawberries
Add all the ingredients to blender and blend on high for 30 seconds.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
Strain a second time through cheesecloth or a T-shirt.
Pour into a clean glass jar and refrigerate for up for 4 days.
Calories are based on 1 cup (250ml) of plain oat milk.
For sweeter milk, add 2 extra Medjool dates.
Medjool dates can be substituted with agave/maple syrup or coconut sugar. Coconut sugar will affect the color of the milk.
For an even creamier milk, one can add a tsp of sunflower oil. Coconut oil will solidify when it gets cold thus is best to avoid.
Use within 4 days.
Always shake before use.
Let me know if you give these a try by rating them below and sharing on instagram. Tag me @the_hungry_herbivore
Until next time, happy cooking 🙂
Xoxo Amy
