In my efforts to reduce my carbon footprint and produce less plastic waste, I try to make some of my favorite staples at home. Attempts to make hummus, almond milk, cashew cream, almond cheese and other vegan staples have all been successful and delicious! With one major exception…
Meet my arch nemesis: oat milk. Oatly makes the most creamy and delicious oat milk – perfect for whipping into matcha latte or adding to earl grey tea. Oat milk was oats + water so, I figured, how hard could it be to make at home?
Every month or so I fill a cloth reusable bag with oats from the bulk section at the grocery store and, in addition to making oatmeal and granola for breakfast, attempt to make oat milk. Is my homemade oat milk tasty? No! What different iterations have I tried? Let me count the ways:
- Water + whole oats in a blender for 30 seconds
- Water + whole oats in a blender for 60 seconds
- Strain the mixture in a nut milk bag
- Strain the solution in a mesh strainer
- Soak the oats for 1 hour before blending
Every time, my oat milk is gritty from oat remnants, slimy, or both. Yuck!
After some research, I discovered the classic Oatly is not *only* oats + water. It is 98% water + oats but also includes 2% other ingredients like rapeseed oil, sea salt, and added vitamins and minerals (B12, D2, A).
Future iterations of my oat milk aspirations will definitely have to include neutral oil (like rapeseed) and sea salt. But thus far I’ve been thoroughly defeated by the humble oat milk.
Have you tried (successfully or unsuccessfully) to make oat milk or any of your other favorite plant-based staples? Leave your experience in the comments below!
Leave a Reply