You Can Make Your Own Oat Milk... But Should You?

This is about cooking... but it's also not just about cooking. 

Some might, in an effort to avoid certain processed ingredients, or perhaps in an effort to preserve cash in this inflation economy, be tempted to make their own oat milk. You might have had this thought on occasion as well. After all, isn't oat milk just oats and water? 

I (preview: mistakenly) hypothesized that homemade oat milk would involve a trade-off of a reasonable amount of time and effort for the benefit of a delicious, healthy, and frugal homemade oat milk. 

Methodology:

Recipe resource:  https://downshiftology.com/recipes/how-to-make-oat-milk/

Procedures: With a minimal ingredient list, the author does provide several thoughtful tips for optimal results. 

First, you blend up your simple ingredients. Per the author's suggestion, I substituted one cup of water with one cup of ice. I did not add any additional flavoring like vanilla, because I thought this might be multi-purpose. 

Then comes the straining. I did not have a nut bag. The author advises against using a cheesecloth because it is actually too porous; rather, you want something with smaller holes so that it does not let the small particles of oat through. Therefore, instead, I lined a fine mesh strainer with a clean dishcloth. 

Not pictured: the unholy mess that ensued. Granted, I probably should have used a larger dishtowel, because what happened with I gently tried to "milk" the dishcloth was that it overflowed. 

I did this process a second time with a clean dishcloth. While my technique improved, it was still incredibly messy.

Results: 

After a lot of mess and 5 cups of oats, here is how much oat milk I was left with: 

I also tried to save the leftover "pulp." 

Texture: I put the oat milk in a blender container so that I could reblend as needed. It actually did not need it- to enjoy, all I had to do was shake the bottle up a bit. Not pictured was how much it separated while stored in the fridge. It was about an inch of thickness on the bottom, with mostly really thin and almost transparent liquid at the top. 

Taste: I enjoyed this oat milk with cereal and appreciated it's cool and clean taste. Per the author's caution, I did not try the oat milk in any hot beverages. 

Conclusions:

Though we successfully demonstrated that even without special equipment, we can make our own oat milk. The recipe's author provided several helpful tips to ensure positive texture and taste, with simple and cost-effective ingredients. 

Contrary to hypotheses, the effort to result ratio was not personally optimal. I concluded that I will not be likely to attempt a replication trial. The author of the original recipe also acknowledged that this was not her preferred homemade plant based milk beverage substitution. 

So, should you make your own oat milk? 

Everyone has different ratios of effort to results when it comes to baking and cooking for themselves and their families. Depending on your values and goals, you might be willing, and even interested, in going through this process, and even perfecting it through practice, to enjoy your own homemade oat milk. Personally, I might try this again if I were in a real pinch, or if my or someone I know's dietary needs demanded it, but probably not under most circumstances. 

Sometimes, it is important to acknowledge that reality did not match your dreams and expectations. That does not necessarily mean it was wrong to try, and it does not mean that you did not gain from the experience. You can take your knowledge and wisdom and expand your perspective on what success means to you. That might mean sticking it out and trying again, or trying something new. 

This is about cooking, but it's also not about cooking. Here, we're on to new ventures! We've got croissants and pie dough coming up next on the blog, but what are you dreaming about? Please let me know here or on Instagram @dairyfreewithemily.