Easy 5-Minute Homemade Oat Milk Recipe
A plant-based diet is one of the easiest ways in which we can reduce our negative impact on the environment. I know many people who aren’t vegan or don’t follow a plant-based diet but have swapped their regular milk for plant-based milk–the most popular choice being oat milk. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the global plant-based milk market size was valued at $2.8 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach $7.3 billion by 2032. Americans drink 37 percent less milk today than they did in 1970, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The dairy industry has been dropping in popularity for a while, as consumers become concerned about animal welfare, the environmental impact of animal products, as well as wary of the long-claimed benefits of cow’s milk, which are starting to be dismantled, as fear for hormones, allergens, lactose intolerance, and digestive concerns are brought to the surface.
Regarding animal welfare, plant-based milk is a more ethical alternative to cow’s milk. To produce dairy, cows are forcefully impregnated through artificial insemination because cows won’t produce milk unless they get pregnant. Soon after birth, calves are separated from their mothers, and thus, the milk that should have been taken by the calf is diverted for human consumption. Sometimes, opioids are administered to calm distressed cows after they take their newborn away. If the calves are male, they are killed, as the dairy industry is separate from the beef industry. In the UK, around 95,000 male calves are killed on-farm every year, because they don’t produce milk, most are shot within hours of being born. As for female calves, some replace older cows in the farm, who are killed when milk production drops, usually at around 5 years old. Furthermore, around 30-50% of cows in the UK dairy industry develop mastitis – a painful bacterial infection which causes the cow's udder to become inflamed. The cow then creates pus to fight the infection, which results in a much higher somatic cell count. When mastitis happens in cows, more than 90% of the somatic cells in her milk are neutrophils, aka the inflammatory immune cells that form pus. Because of the mastitis epidemic in the U.S. dairy herd (according to the USDA, 1 in 6 dairy cows in the U.S. suffers from clinical mastitis, which is responsible for 1 in 6 dairy cow deaths on U.S. dairy farms), the dairy industry continues to demand that American milk retain the highest allowable “somatic cell” concentration in the world. The average somatic cell count in U.S. milk per spoonful is 1,120,000, meaning that the average cup of milk in the United States would have around 1 drop of pus.
Soy and almond have been popular plant-based milk alternatives for years and are still as strong as ever. However, oat milk has risen in popularity because it usually has a neutral flavor–that many drinkers have found tastes similar to regular milk–and because of its lower environmental impact, particularly in comparison to almond milk. To produce one pound of oats, it takes one-sixth the amount of water and resources needed to produce one pound of almonds. Furthermore, oats also use 80% less land to grow than dairy milk. In fact, a glass of oat milk is responsible for less greenhouse gas emissions than soy milk or dairy milk.
Whether it’s for the animals, the environment, health, or personal reasons, oat milk has become a staple on our grocery list.
Nonetheless, not all oat milks are created equal. A debate that has arisen in unison with the higher demand for oat milk, is how healthy it really is. Oat milk is, in fact, a super healthy alternative to cow’s milk. The problem is there are lots of plant-based milks in the market that have some ingredients that we want to avoid consuming, like seed oils, gums, or cane syrup, to mention a few. Fortunately, there are healthier alternatives at the grocery store made from oats and water only (sometimes a pinch of salt). If you are trying to be more sustainable, but also live a healthier life, simple-ingredient oat milks are one of the best choices you can make.
In addition to the healthy alternatives you can buy at the supermarket, the other option you have is to make your own oat milk at home! This way, you can control whatever goes in it, with the extra perks of being able to make it and drink it in the moment (especially if you have a morning emergency: you run out of oat milk and you can’t make your must-have morning latte), and saving a few bucks.
Oatmeal has several health perks. It’s a great source of fiber, phosphorus, thiamine, magnesium, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, copper, biotine, and bioactive compounds like phenolic acids, tocols, sterols, avenacosides, and avenanthramides. Oats are linked to heart health benefits, prevention in sharp rises in blood sugar and insulin levels (antidiabetic effects because of beta-glucan fiber), gut and digestive health, and they serve as an aid in weight control. Moreover, it has cholesterol-lowering effects, promotes immunomodulation, improves gut microbiota, prevents diseases such as atherosclerosis, dermatitis, and some forms of cancer.
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY OAT MILK AT HOME: NO UGLY INGREDIENTS
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE HOMEADE OAT MILK
For this recipe you will need 2 ingredients (yes, just two!): oats and water. As I’m a celiac, I use gluten-free oats. If you also want to make gluten-free oat milk, I recommend Bob’s Red Mill GF Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats. Rolled oats are considered a slightly healthier alternative to instant oats, as they provide more nutritional value in terms of fiber and protein. This happens because instant oatmeal is the most processed (in comparison to steel-cut and rolled), as oat groats are cut into smaller pieces, steamed, and rolled into thin flakes. Instant oats also have a higher glycemic index, which translates into more rapid spikes in blood sugar.
Besides these two main characters in the recipe, some people like to add a sweetener to their homemade oat milk. To make it a healthy affair, choose between dates, agave or maple syrup, or organic monk fruit, and just add it to the blend. Others prefer to add a pinch of salt. These are optional. Personally, I believe oat milk will taste just as good without them.
Healthy Oat Milk
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**Plant-Based Milk **
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: No Cooking
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Servings: About 1 liter | About 34 oz
Ingredients:
- 1 cup oats (Gluten-Free oats if making GF oat milk)
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon agave syrup or 1 date (optional)
Instructions:
- Put 1 cup oats and 4 cups water in a blender.
- Blend for 30-60 seconds.
- Grab a nut bag or a thin towel, and place it on a bigger bowl.
- Strain the oats and water, and squeeze it good.
- Transfer to a glass bottle and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Make sure to shake the bottle before drinking it.
Important: To make it a sustainable habit (because food waste is not a concept we relate to), make sure to save the oat pulp left to make overnight oats, bread, pancakes, or your recipe of choice.
You can check the step-by-step video below or here:
And that’s it! A super easy oat milk recipe for you to drink straight from the glass, add to your smoothies, cook your oats, bake, pour into your coffee, or whatever you want to use it for. Healthy, eco-friendly, and ethical.
If you’d like to see more plant-based recipes, please don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter!
Hi, I’m Melina
I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.
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