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How to Milk an Oat

First, position yourself so that you’re under the oat. Next, pull really hard. Really hard.
Ok, backtrack. Milking an oat is nothing like milking a cow!
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So many of you were interested in the Raw Cashew Milk the other day that I figured it’s high time to post another “milk” recipe onto which I’ve been holding: Liquid Oatmeal, also known as oatmeal milk.

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Oh look, it’s yet another oatmeal recipe to add to my “oatmeal recipes” tab.

Goodness knows it’s getting crowded over there.
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Liquid Oatmeal (i.e. “Oatmeal Milk”)
Makes a little over 2 cups

  • 1 serving oats, or spelt flakes, kamut flakes, oat bran, etc. (40g uncooked)
  • 1 and 3/4 cup water
  • 1 cup more water (or a non-dairy milk)
  • salt
  • optional: fruit, sweetener, extracts

Cook the oats, with 1 and 3/4 cup liquid and a little salt (I use just under 1/4 tsp) for 4 minutes, watching so it doesn’t boil over. Fridge, uncovered (It looks soupy, but that’ll evaporate). The next day, transfer to your blending gadget (such as a Magic Bullet short cup) with more liquid, depending on how thick you want the final result. (I use 1 and 1/8 cup water.) Also, add any optional ingredients and a tiny sprinkle of salt. Blend.

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This milk is great as a smoothie base. Imagine: drinking an oatmeal smoothie!! It’s also a terrific dairy-milk substitute for recipes, or you can drink it plain. And, thanks to the oats, the recipe offers fiber, protein, and numerous vitamins. But I eat so much oatmeal as it is, that when I make this particular recipe, I often stick to spelt flakes or kamut for variety. I’ve even tried it with oat bran, which is really yummy. (When I make it with oat bran, I add fruit and eat it in a bowl; it’s kinda like a whipped Cream of Wheat pudding.)

Try it with cookies…

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Above, three little Raw Chocolate Chip cookies.

They’re awaiting an oatmeal-milk bath!

Have you ever tried oatmilk? And what’s your favorite milk substitute?

I tried commercial oatmilk once, a long time ago. But it was way too sweet for me. Why on earth do they feel a need to stick 20 grams of sugar into a serving of non-dairy milk to make it taste good? Is that really necessary?  (Yes, I’m aware that the above recipe isn’t raw. Here’s my Raw Oatmilk recipe.)

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Published on September 2, 2010

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60 Comments

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  1. britchickruns says

    That’s a great recipe!
    I’ve had commercially produced oatmilk, which was real nice 🙂
    soya is probably my favourite, but I don’t drink it cosI get enough soy as it is :s I like almond milk but that’s waaaay exspensive so I stick to my pressed cocnut milk 🙂

  2. abby says

    i’ve always been annoyed by that too! ALL the commercial no-dairy milks have like 20 grams of sugar, unless they’re unsweetened. i wish there were some middle ground. your “liquid oatmeal” sound amazing.

    i especially like your idea to use it as a smoothie base. i’m thinking liquid chocolate-strawberry oatmeal!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

  3. Justine says

    I have had the commercial oat milk also, and while it was tasty, it was rather sweet. I am eager to try this though! It sure beats spending $4 on almond milk that is sweetened and lacking iin the protien department! It would go great with some raw dessert, I should think….

    🙂

  4. Jessica says

    I’m all about almond milk. I’ve tried oat milk, commercial and homemade, and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I think you reeeally have to love oatmeal, lol!

  5. Jo says

    Yummy! This is funny because today I posted a recipe for making coconut milk out of shredded coconut! I couldn’t believe how great it turned out. Gonna try your oat milk recipe next for sure! I’ve never tried commercial oat milk and can rarely afford anything other than soy. Although sometimes I splurge on almond milk or rice milk, which tastes just like rice pudding to me!

  6. mckella says

    I’ll have to try that. I usually use almond milk, but I really want to try cashew milk. I hate soy milk and I’ve only had rice milk in Orchata. I’m still exploring the world of plant-based milk.

  7. Kelsey says

    HAHAHAHAHAHA

    lol excuse me while i go milk some of my oats.
    okay okay. laughter aside. oat milk is amazing.. as a kid i would soak my oats in water and drink the liquid.. little did i know that eventually id be grinding them in a blender and creating an actually oat milk 😉

    xoxo

  8. Danielle says

    haha the first few sentences made me laugh! Once, a guy [stranger to me] was going through our fridge and he came across my almond milk and was like “How…do you milk…an almond?!” I thought it was hilarious.

    And I’ve never tried oat milk but I need to get on that!

  9. Kiki says

    My favorite non-dairy milk is hemp milk. But it’s super expensive so I’ve been looking for a recipe for another type, and your oatmilk one looks great!

  10. Mary @ Bites and Bliss says

    I’ve never tried oatmilk but have wanted to..but I can’t imagine there’d be any protein in it. My favorite milk sub for a long time was soy until I realize I *may* have a slight intolerance to it. So right now I’m drinking Lactaid. I know it’s not a milk substitute but it seems to not hurt my tummy 😛

  11. Katelyn says

    I’ve never tried oatmilk, but I do love my oats! I’ll have to try this soon 🙂

    Oats and other hot cereals are some of my favorite sources of protein – but recently I job-shadowed a dietitian who said that grains “are not considered a protein” (gasp!). I was shocked to say the least!

        • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

          “Eat more oatmeal” haha the cure for everything. I have no idea how she could say that something proven to have protein really doesn’t. But I guess we’re all entitled to our own opinions! I’ve never had a problem getting enough protein, even though I hardly eat any tofu/soy/meat analogs… so the grains must be doing their job for me ;).

  12. Stylish1 says

    I’m soooo going to have to make this!! I just ordered a magic bullet and it should be arriving early next week 🙂 I can’t wait! I have to look on your recipe tabs for the cashew milk recipe also 😉

  13. Jenny says

    Never tried oat milk! But the way you put it, it sounds kind of appealing now… I’d love to try an oat-smoothie! Bet that would make for a filling and convenient breakfast. 🙂 With cookies on the side, of course. (Milk and cookies, whee~) And it’d still be healthy… Awesome! Heheh.

  14. Bianca- Vegan Crunk says

    Yum! I love the packaged oat milks, but I haven’t them in forever…and since I’ve switched to unsweetened soymilk, I bet the sweet oat milk would be too sweet for me. I’ll have to try makin’ my own. I wish I had a Magic Bullet…

  15. Stefanie says

    I have tried commercial oatmilk but it is too sweet for me. I’ll have to give your oatmeal milk a try. It sounds like a great base for a smoothie. 🙂

  16. Kiersten says

    I’ve never had oat milk before. I usually stick to rice milk. I used to drink soy milk all the time, but then woke up one day and decided I didn’t like it anymore.

  17. Rachael says

    Cool idea. I’m trying to find a good local substitute for all the milk alternatives out there, and this might do the trick.
    Great visual, by the way, milking an oat. Wasn’t there some movie a few years back that proclaimed you could milk anything, really 🙂

  18. Meghan says

    YAY for this idea. I am trying to stretch my budget and buying milk substitutes are definitely not helping, especially since I use them primarily for baking….this is a great economical solution-cant wait to try it.

  19. Erika @ Health and Happiness in LA says

    I’ve made oat milk with uncooked oats before, it’s so easy.

    I like all kinds of non-dairy milk as long as they aren’t watery, but almond is my fave, specifically unsweetened vanilla. My Whole Foods just started carrying refrigerated 64 oz boxes of their 365 brand almond milk for only $3, which is extra awesome!

  20. BroccoliHut says

    Shockingly, I’ve never had oatmilk–sounds great though! I would say that almond and soy are my favorite non-dairy milks, although hemp milk is up there too:)

  21. Namaste Gurl says

    Sounds good…once again. What hasn’t been good of your amazing, creative recipes? Nadaaa. 🙂

    I must try and let you know my verdict! Have you made your own almond or soy milk yet?

  22. Caitlin says

    Cream of Wheat was my FAVORITE childhood breakfast, so I might have to try this for the nostalgia alone! I usually stick to unsweetened almond milk. I’m a little nervous to venture out!

      • Caitlin says

        I just googled it and feel like I’ve been missing something so special!!!!! I stocked up on some whole grain ricey cerealy stuff from Arrowhead Mills when I realized Cream of Wheat covered in sugar was inappropriate for a 22 year old.

  23. GabyE says

    I pulled and pulled, and no milk came out! what am I doing wrong? lol

    Thanks for the recipe, I’ve been wasting money and packaging buying alternative milks for too long, will definitely make some oat milk this weekend.

  24. Anne @ Food Loving Polar Bear says

    It’s really rare that I drink milk, but I don’t actually have any substitute for it either 🙂

  25. Marianne says

    Almond milk is my favourite non-dairy milk, although I haven’t tried oat milk or other nut milks. I think rice milk is repulsive, and don’t mind soy or hemp. My big beef with almond milk though is that the only ones that are fortified with Vitamin D here are also sweetened. All the unsweetened varieties are not fortified. Fortunately, they only have about 6 – 8 g of sugar per serving, so in my mind, it’s worth the added sweetener to get that ever important Vitamin D.

  26. misssmouse says

    I am glad I read on from the beginning, I was just about to milk my oats! This is a great recipe, and it looks like a delicious smoothie base, probably a little thicker than just plain “milk”.

  27. Mara says

    That liquid oatmeal looks delicious!! I drown my oats in almond milk so much so it looks like it is just thick oat milk, anyway. =]

    I don’t think rolled oats are raw so technically, that’s not raw oat milk you linked to.

  28. Kim says

    Just made my first batch of oat milk and am I ever impressed! For one thing, I can use barley syrup to sweeten my coffee and the milk doesn’t curdle like soy does! Definitely going to make more of this:)

  29. Foodie Gets Fit says

    The image in my head for milking an oat is similar to the one of Tom Hanks eating a “cob” of baby corn in the movie “Big” (showing my age :o)) ) – too funny!

    The concept of non-dairy milks other than soy are fairly new to me.
    And because a) I’m not too big on soy and b) I live in a land where one litre of almond milk costs close to US$9, and one litre of oat milk around $4.50, the homemade stuff could be just the ticket!
    Plus the store bought organic ones all seem to have added yucky oils as well as silly sugars. Why do they do that? Is it necessary for some reason?

    How smooth does the magic bullet get the milk? I’m kinda surprised you don’t strain the mix… and I’m now in the market for a blender!

  30. Jess says

    Just stumbled across your blog looking for an oat milk recipe. I was wondering if you used regular old fashioned oats or if your used groats? I want to make some myself, but have heard of using groats and haven’t found any at the store.

    • Chocolate-Covered Katie says

      Hey Jess!
      I actually do use just the rolled oats. They don’t get completely pulverized, which I love. But some people have made this and say that you can grind the oats in a coffee grinder first if you want a super-smooth texture :).

  31. Christina says

    Thanks for this! I made it with 1/2 cup of quick cooking oats, 1/2 cup of puffed amaranth and 2 cups of boiling water. I added the oats and amaranth to the blender and then poured in the boiling water… I let that soak for about 5 or 10 minutes, then blended away. Oh, also added some honey (I know, not vegan) and a dash of salt… It came out like a smoothie… (or as they call it in Mexico, Atole)… If you ever come across fresh guava fruits o frozen pulp and a piece of cinnamon bark- omg it will be the best thing you’ve ever tasted – just blend all together. You can drink hot or cold.

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