Running low on milk during these quarantine days? Not to worry! You can make your own vegan/non-dairy milk using what you probably have in your pantry already: OATS!
If you're new to the game and don't know exactly what oat milk is, it's oats blended with water and then strained to remove the pulp. What you're left with is the oat milk! But we have a few more tips and tricks to make your oat milk taste even more delicious...
1. Using the right method so that your oat milk doesn't come out slimy
Homemade oat milk can sometimes turn out slimy due to the starch in the oats, but with a few tweaks you can avoid that and achieve a smooth, creamy, just-like-dairy-milk texture!
Use rolled oats (not quick oats or steel-cut oats). It will create the best consistency!
Use ice-cold water. This will greatly affect whether your oat milk comes out slimy or not. If it's not cold enough the oats will release starch.
Blend your ingredients for no more than 20 seconds. Any longer and that can start to make the oat milk slimy.
Add your ingredients and blend right away. If the oats soak in the water, they will start to release starch and cause the sliminess.
Strain using a clean tea towel or other tightly-knit cloth like a clean t-shirt. Mesh strainers, nut milk bags, and cheesecloths will let too much of the starchiness through.
Strain your mixture 2 times to remove as much starch and sediment as possible.
2. Adding other ingredients to give the oat milk some extra flavor
In this recipe, we add in dates (or maple syrup) for a touch more sweetness, some vanilla, and a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor. Feel free to add cocoa powder if you'd like to make chocolate milk, frozen fruit, or any other flavorful ingredient!
Some other things to know...
* Store the oat milk in an airtight container. It will last up to a week in the fridge.
* Because we don't use any stabilizers or emulsifiers, the milk will separate in the fridge. This is normal. Just give it a little shake before serving!
* The leftover pulp doesn't have to go to waste! You can use it in your baking, oatmeal, smoothies, or even in the bath as a skincare treatment. Get creative with it!
RECIPE
Yields about 32 oz/1 liter
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
4 cups ice-cold water
2 pitted dates or 1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
good pinch of salt
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a high-powered blender. Blend for no more than 20 seconds or else it may become slimy (refer to my tips from earlier in the blog post!).
Line a large bowl with a clean tea towel or other tightly-knit cloth like a clean t-shirt and pour the mixture through. Mesh strainers, nut milk bags, and cheesecloths will let too much of the starchiness through and lead to a slimy texture, so I don't recommend using those while making oat milk.
Let the milk drip through, and help it out by wrapping up the pulp in the cloth and lightly squeezing to ring it out. Double strain the mixture to make sure all the sediment and excess starch is removed.
Pour the oat milk in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to a week.
Enjoy!
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