Easy Homemade Oat Milk

Ingredients

1 cup steel cut oats

4 cups water (plus more for soaking)

pinch of salt


Directions

Step 1:  Put oats in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water.  Let them soak anywhere from an hour to overnight.  I find the milk has a slightly better flavor when I let the oats soak longer, but if you're in a pinch, an hour will be fine.

Step 2:  Rinse the oats well.  Very well.  If they aren't rinsed enough the milk will be a bit slimy, and the leftover oat pulp will be as well.  I usually run them under the tap for a good minute and a half and then run them under a bit of clean water to get the icky tap water off.

Step 3:  Put the oats and pinch of salt in a blender with the four cups of water.  Blend, gradually increasing the speed, and leave it on high for about 10 seconds.

Step 4:  Pour the oats through a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or a nut milk bag into a bowl with a spout.  If you're using a strainer (like me) then you may want to pour the oats back and forth between the bowl and blender a few times to really get all the pulp out.

The milk should last one to two weeks in the refrigerator, and remember to shake well before using!  Store bought non-dairy milk is filled with harmful additives that make it so it won't separate.  Even "all natural" or organic brands are guilty of this!  The absence of these ingredients make our homemade oat milk so much healthier, but it will separate, so shake it up.

Be creative!  I use my milk for both sweet and savory dishes, so I stick to the basic recipe, but if you're looking for a full-flavored beverage to drink by the glass, feel free to try a variety of things.  You can mix in a little cinnamon and maple syrup at the end, or even add a little fruit to the blender, use you're imagination!

SK