Elixr, a really cool coffee house, is just five minutes from my home, and that alone is very good news. Odd, don’t you think that it took my kids visiting from Bucks County recently to let me know about this terrific place. My first time there, I wanted a matcha latte and asked if they served Oatly, the oat milk sensation from Sweden. Indeed they do, and I enjoyed a delicious matcha Oatly oat milk latte! More recently I’ve had an iced matcha latte as well—on one of the (too) rare warm days so far in Philadelphia.
Today, after two workouts—Yes, I did!—I came home wanting a matcha latte, but the rain was pouring down, and I didn’t want to go outside again. Then, I remembered I’ve made oat milk a couple of times and really liked how quickly it is to make, and how creamy the resulting milk.. I decided to start with 1/2 cup instead of a full cup of oats, because instead of using rolled oats, as usual, I used steel cut oats. Why steel cut? Well, that’s what was in my pantry. “Use what you have if possible,” is my motto.
Homemade Oat Milk
I have updated the ratio for the oats to water in this recipe to 1:6 now after making oat milk many times. I have seen the formula for oats to water range from 1:4 to 1:8 and after many batches, I settled on this one. You can add less water and whisk in, don’t blender it in, more water. With the oat milk in this orginal post, I I tasted no difference in the resulting creamy oat milk between the batches I’d made with the rolled oat and today’s steel cut oat milk. The difference was in the prep, or as we say at the Rouxbe Cooking School in all of the courses (Plant Based Professional, Essential Vegan Desserts, Culinary RX), the mise en place. I had not soaked rolled oats, ( I do now for 10 minutes and then strain and use fresh water) but I did soak the steel cut for 20 minutes in just boiled water. Next, I strained the oat milk through a fine mesh strainer, and added the resulting oat cream to add to my morning oatmeal. I expected the oat milk to be bland, so I added, as I normally do, some vanilla extract and maple syrup. Delicious. You can add any sweeter or flavoring you like.
I made what I consider to be a half recipe, as I was not sure of the final result. Scroll to the recipe and increase it to make a larger amount. You can certainly soak the steel cut oats longer in room temperature water and I am sure you make oat milk from oat groats. Those will need a much longer soak. Per my usual, I started the blender on low and quickly increased the speed to high. Boom. Creamy oat milk.
Oat Milk Matcha Latte
The baristas at Exlir have nothing to worry about, but I saved money and didn’t have to go out in the rain. My frother is on the fritz so all I could do was heat and aerate the milk. The milk aerated a lot less than almond milk and soymilk, but still, it made a fine oat milk latte. Oat milk is a good plant to use in baked goods too I learned this in Italy during my Vegano Italiano Tours, where I first found oat milk in markets.
Oats are very healthy, as is matcha, so this is a win-win! According to Mother Jones, oat milk has three times the protein of its almond-based rival and at least twice the fiber.
Some of the health benefits of oats include:
- Oats are rich in antioxidants
- They contain a powerful soluble fiber called beta-glucan.
- Oats can lower cholesterol levels and protect LDL cholesterol from damage.
- They can improve blood sugar control.
Homemade Oat Milk- Updated
Yield: about 2 1/2 cups creamy oat milk
Ingredients
- ½ cup steel cup oats with enough just boiled water to cover by 3 inches or more
- 3 cups filtered water room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, or to taste darkest maple
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
Place the oats and enough boiled water to cover the oats by 3-4 inches in a container and allow to soak for 20 minutes. If you’d prefer to use room temperature water, allow the oats to soak for an hour.
Drain and rinse the oats in a strainer. Spoon into a high-speed blender. Add 3 cups of filtered water. Start the blender on low and quickly increase the speed to high. Blend only until the oats are creamed, not longer. Try to keep the blending to 2 minutes.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag. Save the oat cream that is strained out to add to your cereal.
- Add the vanilla extract, maple syrup, and salt. Taste and add more sweetener, or spice- like cinnamon, if you like. If you want to add more milk, whisk it in, do not reblend. You can whisk in date paste too.
Oat milk, like other homemade plant milks will separate, so just shake it. It lasts 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Well oat milk seems easy enough. As you say, it’s probably very “creamy” in texture and would make a great hot chocolate drink.
Thanks!
Mac McCloskey
Mac, oat milk is very creamy– I’m seeing you making some and enjoying White Russians with your beautiful bride.
Hi Fran,
You say not to over blend lest the milk will be gummy. About how long with a standard blender?
Hi Susan,
Blend just until you see a creamy mixture with no visible oats and then strain.
Do you use the soak water/boiled water when blending the oats or do you toss it and use fresh water to blend?
I cover the oats in the blender with room temp filtered water. Unlike soaking nuts, the soaking water is used to make the milk.
Hi Fran, your recipe says ‘boiling water’ but here you say room temp. Can you clarify which? I want a milk that i can heat for hot chocolate and not be slimy. All the recipes online are the same apart from yours which says boiling water, and the others say it can’t be heated. Can yours? thanks!
Thanks for asking. The recipe says soak the oats in boiling water for a quicker soak, or use room temperature and soak longer. You certainly can heat the resulting milk to make hot chocolate. If your oat milk has thickened substantially, thin it with more water before heating and heat gently, stirring frequently.
Hello Fran,
I noticed that Barista Oat Milk has a higher fat content than regular oat milk, & therefore tastes better in coffee after steaming it.
Any suggestions on how to make a Barista style homemade oat milk?
Barista style plant milks have oil added which accounts for the higher fat content and often thickeners such as guar gum too.
You can DIY this style non-dairy milk too. Let us know how it goes.
Will you suggest which products to use along with the recommended quantities to achieve a Barista style oat milk?
Hi Shane,
I do not make this style milk. Oatmilk is already creamy, thanks to its slightly higher fat content than almond milk, it acts more like dairy when mixed into coffee and other drinks but to me, soy is the best for frothing. I suggest check the label of a couple of the barista blends you like. You will see, oil (Oatly uses rapeseed which is canola) and maybe some guar or locust bean gum. Guar is easy to find. Make the milk, then add small quantities of the fat and thickener (the gum) to a cup, blend and taste and otherwise test. Add more until you are satisfied. Remember that the milk will likely thicken when chilled so take that into account. I hope this helps.
You wrote “My frother is on the fritz so all I could do was heat and aerate the milk”. How do you aerate? Your matcha latte picture does indeed look very foamy.
Hi Rhonda,
I use a Nespresso frothed but a blender works beautifully!
Recipe looks good! I’m just curious as to how you managed to heat your oat milk for a latte without it turning out slimy?
Shannon,
I hear you on the potential for oatmilk to get ‘slimy’ when it is heated. This is why I use rolled oats to make creamed soups. The Nespresso frother I have is amazing. And interesting to see the different thicknesses of foam from a variety of plant milks. Frothed soy is like a thick cream. Oatmilk next, then almond. Rice= pretty much nothing. This is what I have.https://amzn.to/2xrWJUP I’ve also heated oatmilk gently and then buzzed it in a blender. I hope this helps.
Fran