Did you know making your own plant-based milk is simple, satisfying, and takes less than five minutes? The recipe I am sharing with you is an easy two-ingredient milk that you can use for cereals, coffee, tea, baking, soups, etc. DIY oat milk is a cheap, healthy alternative to purchasing brand milks at the store and will provide you with a thick, frothy, milky texture minus the dairy and added preservatives. Added bonus is you’re helping consume less single waste packaging — (vegan) brownie points!
Ingredients:
- ½ cup of oats
- 3 cups filtered water
Directions:
- Add oats and water to a blender, NutriBullet or food processor
- Blend 30 seconds to 1 minute
- Strain
- Store in fridge for up to 5 days
Given your freshly made milk contains zero preservatives, you can see it has a short shelf life. Take this into account when making your oat milk batches as you will need to consume your beverage within a week as to not spoil. The recipe is basic and widely versatile for sweet or salty usage.
Ways you can up this recipe:
- Adding a pinch of sea salt
- Adding 1tsp. of vanilla extract
- Adding 1 tbsp. of maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- Adding 1 medjool date
- Turn it into chocolate milk by adding 2 tbs. of cacao powder
Now to take this recipe up a notch on the sustainable scale you can reuse the oat pulp you have left over from the straining step. Although oat pulp just looks like the gooey mess that is left over from the production process, it is chock full of potential uses! The oat pulp itself is loaded with nutrients and fiber that can make any recipe healthier. If you can’t find a way to incorporate it in your food, oat pulp can also be a lovely additive to your self-care routine.
Ways to use strained oats from oat milk:
- Use a base for cookies
- Brownies
- Muffins
- Banana bread
- Throw into smoothies
- Overnight oats
- Pancakes
- Homemade hummus
Use Oat Pulp in self-care practices:
- Oat pulp face mask (mix with one tsp. honey for a moisturizing mask)
- Body scrub (exfoliating and gentle, scrub pulp on your body while in the shower)
- Foot soak (add to warm foot bath to relieve calluses, inflammation, irritation)
- Hair mask (mix with any of the following: avocado, banana, coconut oil, olive oil, honey)
If you have no further use for leftover oat pulp make sure it is returned back to nature by composting it or throwing it on top of some plants. This recipe is it’s own mini cycle of life; providing yummy milk, reusing pulp for recipes or self care, and even giving the plants a kick of nutrients. Isn’t it incredible how this money saving method, homemade oat milk, couldn’t be easier?
Taylor Goggin is tropical gardener in Florida who gained her skills in cooperative agriculture while work-trading with a World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) program on the Hawaiian Islands. She now grows papaya, banana, avocado, fig, tomatoes, and medicinal herbs to make into inventive plant-based recipes. Connect with Taylor on Instagram, and read all of her MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
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