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What Is Oat Milk?

Dairy milk isn't for everyone. Some people are allergic; others are lactose intolerant and drinking cow milk makes them feel feel gassy, bloated and uncomfortable. Some people simply refuse to drink it. Oat milk is one alternative. Although it is sold at some grocers and health food retailers, you can also make the drink at home. Use oat milk for sipping, dipping or cooking.

  1. Description

    • Oat milk is made from hulled grain broken into several fragments, called groats. Oat groats are soaked and strained; the result is oat milk. According to Soy-Milk-Quick.com, oat milk has a light, sweet flavor, and is frequently used as a lactose-free substitute for skim milk. Go-Dairy-Free.com reports that some people choose to add additional bean and grains to their oat milk mixture, such as soybeans, barley and brown rice. You can drink oat milk in place of cow, rice, almond or soy milk; you can also use it in your breakfast cereal or use it to cook curry, soups, sauces and baked treats.

    Benefits

    • There are several benefits associated with drinking oat milk, including prevention of cancer, stroke and heart disease. Oat milk has no lactose or cholesterol, and is full of vitamin E, fiber and folate. Unlike other dairy alternatives, oat milk can be made easily (and cheaply) at home. Oat milk also contains thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese.

    Preparation

    • To make oat milk, soak oat groats in water for about seven hours. Filter the milk from the oats and store the milk in your refrigerator. According to Go-Dairy-Free.com, oat milk will remain fresh in the fridge for up to 10 days. Add ingredients to taste if you'd like to sweeten the milk, for example, vanilla extract, sugar, or agave syrup.

    Variations

    • There are a few different ways to prepare oat milk. Go-Dairy-Free.org lists a recipe that calls for a banana, cooked oatmeal (rather than soaked, uncooked oats), salt, vanilla extract and sweetener. Blend the contents and allow them to cool in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Another recipe calls for boiling oats with water and vanilla extract, allowing the combination to simmer for an hour, straining the milk and then storing it in the fridge. Deciding whether to soak and strain uncooked oats, or boil and strain cooked oats is up to you; play around with different suggestions to determine which one you like best.

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