I am sure you have heard of oat milk, right? It has become so *trendy* in the past year or two.
I, of course, had to hop on this trend like everyone else—being dairy sensitive myself—but also mainly for the hype. Lately, I had come across so many Instagram reels of people making oat milk. Turns out, it’s super easy to make!
So why is oat milk so amazing?
First, oat milk is nut-free, dairy-free, and vegan if your diet requires that. Also, it is a much creamier, thicker alternative milk. And if you aren’t intrigued yet, it is also SO CHEAP to make. As a college student, I always want to find the cheapest way to do things.
You can follow a recipe similar to make a nut-milk, but nuts are very expensive. It only takes 1/2 of oats to make a decent amount of servings. You can buy those giant canisters of oats for a few dollars, whereas a small bag of nuts costs at least a few dollars.
I found my recipe from Kristin Johns, the woman behind Kristin Made Inc. If you haven’t already checked her out, you absolutely need to. She has an amazing homemaker community on Instagram and YouTube that is full of great ideas and recipes.
The ingredients list is small for this recipe: rolled oats, vanilla extract, maple syrup, salt, water, and a cheesecloth.
First, combine 1/2 cup of rolled oats and 3-4 cups of cold water in your blender and let it soak for 5-10 minutes. I find it blends better the longer they soak, and the cold water keeps it from becoming too thick.
Next, add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup, and a pinch of salt into the blender. This recipe calls for vanilla and maple syrup for a sweetener, but I have also seen honey and dates be used as well.
You will then blend for anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, knowing that the longer you blend it the thicker your milk will turn out.
Finally, you will lay the cheesecloth over a container and strain the milk through it.
You can enjoy this amazing milk in anything from cereals to smoothies to coffee for up to 5 days!