The most common alternative to dairy milk is soya milk. But non-dairy milk shouldn’t stop with soya. I personally try to consume less soya for a number of reasons but the bottom line is that I feel better when my consumption of soya is relatively low in general.
There are quite a few other delicious alternative to dairy available out there like rice milk, almond milk, quinoa milk and oat milk. All can be purchased in stores or health shops. But some of these are quite pricey when you think that you may be consuming them on a daily basis.
One easy recipe to make at home at a fraction of the price of store bought ones is oat milk. There are already a lot of recipes online for oat milk. Some people make it with cooked oats but I have tried the raw oats recipe and this one works better for me. The cooked version results in a slightly slimey consistency which is not great in beverages. It would be fine in cakes, scones or cookies though.
Anyway, the raw oats recipe is much less time consuming and very delicious!
The byproduct of oat milk is the oat pulp that remains in the sieve or fabric after you’ve strained the milk. Even though, you’ve squeeze out the liquid from it, it is still quite nutritious. So, you can use it in a number of ways like eating it as porridge or adding it into cakes batters, cookie or scone dough as I do. They even make a great facial mask mixed with mashed avocado and fresh turmeric.
Now, here goes the basic oat milk recipe. This is such an easy recipe that I wondered why I haven’t been doing this before!
Oat Milk Recipe
Ingredients (makes 1 litre of oat milk)
1/2 cup (50g) rolled oats (or any other types will do)
1 litre water (at room temperature)
- Soak the oats in the water for about 20 minutes but not more or it will start becoming slimey. (You can do the soaking directly in a blender. If you are short of time, you can actually omit the soaking, especially if you are using fine oats).
- Pour in a blender.
- Blend for one minute (until oats are very fine and well mixed).
- Strain through a fine mesh fabric (like cheesecloth).
- Squeeze out all liquid from the oat residue (but not too much or you’ll get the slime).
- Pour in a fridge jug or bottle and consume within 2 days.
Shake well each time before using.
Edit (June 27, 2014): I have now uploaded a video on my Youtube Channel. There is a slight modification in the recipe which I find has improved the taste and holds the milk better together is using a tablespoon of coconut flakes with the oats.
Edit (November 22, 2014): I have had a lot of questions about how to use the leftover oat pulp. So, here is a cookie recipe where I use the oat pulp. And the video below.
As I said before, oat milk can be used just as any non-dairy milk to substitute in recipes. I have made scones, cakes, frosting, curry sauce, white sauce (for lasagna) and they all turned out great so far.
I like oat milk in my tea but from time to time I like to make the classic Mauritian favourite cold beverage which is Alouda. Alouda is the Mauritian version of the South Asian Falooda. It is originally made with cow’s milk but here’s a delicious oat milk version.
Alouda requires jelly (which should be made in advanced) and soaked basil seeds (also known as tukmaria). Instead of jelly, you can also used cooked transparent vermicelli. The milk can be flavoured with almond extract, amaretto syrup, vanilla, rose syrup, any flavour you like. I’ve made an amaretto flavoured one and a blueberry one (blending the blueberries with the milk before adding the jelly and seeds).
Oat Milk Alouda Recipe
Ingredients (for 2 pint-size glasses)
1 inch agar agar strands
500ml water
1 teaspoon basil seeds
1/2 cup (100ml) water
700ml oatmilk (preferably cold)
Flavour of your choice (amaretto, almond extract, vanilla essence, rose syrup)
Sugar or other sweetener to taste
Ice
- Place 1 inch of agar agar strands with 500ml water in a pan and bring to boil until all has dissolved. (I usually find it easier to cut through the agar agar strands with a pair of scissors. One inch is usually how much I would use to get a firm consistency with 500ml water.)
- Pour in a bowl and allow to cool in a place where it won’t be disturbed or moved. Then transfer to the fridge until firm. (about 2 hours)
- Place basil seeds in 1/2 cup water and allow to soak.
- The seeds will become swollen and coated with a film. They are ready to be used as such.
- When jelly is firm, grate it. You can also chop to pieces if you prefer.
- Flavour the oatmilk. Add sugar to taste. Pour into two pint-glasses. Place some jelly and one tablespoon of soaked basil seeds. Add ice if desired and it’s ready.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION on FACEBOOK
Enjoy on a hot day!
AikoVenus says
Mmm, that looks tasty – and easy to make as well!
PearCloud says
just made this milk and used it for a delicious smoothie! easy, healthy, yummy! thanks!
Kelly says
Cool! What a great post. Thanks for sharing your method!
Millie says
great recipe…thank you vegan lovlie.
yoga mat says
Wow, it is yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Veganosaurus says
Oh my!! I love your version of Falooda!! We call the basil seeds 'Isambusa' and the soaked ones are one of my faviorites. They are extremely good for health too!<br /><br />Thanks for the oat milk recipe too (that's what I was searching for when I found your blog). Incidentally, tea is exactly what I want to use it for. 🙂
Lovlie says
Veganosaurus, thanks for you comment. I love the basil seeds a lot too, very nice! I sometimes make this milk a little bit thicker but just adding more oats to the water. You have to experiment and see what consistency works best for you. 🙂
Anonymous says
Veganosaurus, my 18 month old boy is currently taking store bought oat milk formula. Can I replace this with the home made oat milk instead?
Lovlie says
I don't think you can replace it with homemade oat milk. I haven't seen oat milk formula for babies here but I would think it will contain added vitamins, minerals and added nutrients etc and be made suitable for babies. <br /><br />Homemade oat milk is pure juice extracted from the oats with nothing added. While it's very nutritious, I don't think it's complete for 18 month
Jade says
Hi!<br /><br />I'm new to your blog (and quite a rookie at vegan food), and I love it :)<br /><br />Do you think this could be done using a hand-blender instead of a "real" one?<br /><br />I'm on a strictly-student budget :)<br /><br />Thank you and keep posting!
Lovlie says
Hey Jade, absolutely you can use a hand blender. You know that's what I use. I don't have a normal blender. I only have a hand blender (that also has some attachments for a mini food processor). But yes it will be fine if you blend for a about 1 minute. You can pause for about 30 seconds halfway through to give the blender a rest because hand blenders can become hot if run on a prolonged
Jade says
Thanks so much for your response, Lovlie!<br /><br />I made it this morning before heading off to study, and when I came back I had yummy oat milk to use for my tea! <br /><br />Definitely having this with my breakfast cereal tomorrow – and this recipe is definitely a keeper! You rock! 🙂
Anonymous says
this looks great! iv been looking for a super easy non dairy milk recipe for a while. i do have one question thou. how many calories do you think this has per serving?
Anonymous says
how many calories does this have per serving?
Lovlie says
The oats I've used contains 179 calories per 50g. Since we're squeezing out from the pulp and adding nothing else but water, I would think it would probably be just a bit less than 179 calories per litre (some calories, I assume, are lost in the pulp).<br /><br />I cannot say for sure how many calories still remain when the pulp is taken out.<br /><br />I would say, probably go by the
Anonymous says
Where can I buy basil seeds? Never heard of them before. I live in Ireland
Lovlie says
I get them in Asian or Indian stores in Dublin, in the city centre. There's one on Mary Street and an Asian store on Drury lane. It's also commonly labelled as 'tukmaria' on the packet. I think some health stores might have them too.
Anonymous says
Is it okay to consume raw oats? I have been making this oat milk and really like it – inexpensive, convenient and serves my purposes perfectly! But I recently heard that one should not consume raw grains due to anti nutrients or something, that will mess up your guts. I've been having trouble finding more info on this, but in the meantime, will continue to make this oat milk because I
Lovlie says
From a bit of research I've found that raw oats are actually safe. On the other hand grains like chickpeas, butterbeans, red kidney beans, soy beans etc should not be consumed raw and not even soaked. Some grains can be consumed raw when sprouted. I do sprout grains like mung beans and consume them raw. They are infact better when sprouted because it increases the protein content.<br />From
jai albert says
Wow!! I and my 3 children eat oatmeal for breakfast just about every day except when Daddy is home to cook. I'm a dinner cooker, not a breakfast. 🙂 I was actually researching a rice milk recipe when I saw where someone (maybe you?) had put this link for oat milk. I came to this page and immediately started making it! We use steel cut oats and I went with the quick method so it may not be as
Lovlie says
I don't usually leave links to my recipes on other blogs… so it probably isn't me. But thanks to the person who left the link. 🙂 <br />For creamier consistency, I sometimes increase the ratio of the oats to water, like 3/4 cup oats to 1 litre water… But sometimes it turns a bit on the slimey side when doing this; it's okay for cooking / baking though. <br /><br />You can also try
Anonymous says
I just made this oat milk and it is wonderful! I added a pinch of Himalayan Pink salt and a touch of honey, and it is the closest tasting to cow's milk that I have had. I have made my own hemp and almond milks, and this is my favorite (and cheapest!) so far~ Thank you!
Charlotte Everett says
Hi! Just wondering if you can freeze the oat pulp to use in recipes at a later date?
Lovlie Veganlovlie says
Yes you can. I always do it. I freeze the pulp and use it in cake batters, bread, cookies and sometimes just added to my smoothies. You will only need to defrost it which I usually do a day ahead by transferring it to the refrigerator. If you are going to use the pulp within 2 days then it will keep in the refrigetator for that time, no need to freeze.
Charlotte Everett says
Awesome. Thanxx!
Anonymous says
Hi, thanks for sharing your recipe. I have tried making my own oat milk a couple of times but it always goes really slimey, I always rinse the oats well before blending and don't soak for a long time, is there anything else I should avoid? Thanks, Anna 🙂
Lovlie Veganlovlie says
If you use quick oats, try not to soak them at all and blend straightaway. Or else you can try using oat groats. The groats do need soaking overnight then rinsed thoroughly. After that add water to them again and blend. I get better results with I use oat groats or steel cut oats in this way. Also try adding a couple tablespoons of coconut flakes before blending. The coconut helps reduce the slim slightly.
Lovlie Veganlovlie says
*slime
Jacinta Forde says
I make this for my 14-month old to supplement breastfeeding when my milk supply is a bit down. When blending, I add about a tablespoon of molasses and some coconut oil for extra minerals and fats for her. I'm not sure that it would be good to use in place of formula or breast milk, but giving her a bottle or so a day helps get some good nutrients into her.
Thefranks2009 says
Hello, I was just wondering what the protein content of the resulting milk would be? Also, would there be any fiber content at all since the oats are strained out? Thank you in advance! I can't wait to try this!
Lovlie Veganlovlie says
I couldn't say how much protein the resulting milk would contain. I am not sure how best to calculate or estimate it unless by weighing the oats (once soaked) before and then weighing the pulp to see the difference. And then calculating the protein content proportionally. But I think that might still not be a very good indication. As for fibre, there is still a small amount of fibre in the milk but very little, most of the fibre remains in the pulp. Sorry, I couldn't help much on this. But I do think this milk keeps some of the nutritious aspect of the oats and it's delicious.