Ever since I have switched from dairy to plant-milk almost completely almond milk has been my steady companion. This was still affordable while I was living in the United States, however, after returning to Germany, three euros for just one liter was certainly too much for my student wallet. While homemade almond milk is definitely cheaper than store-bought, nothing beats oat milk in terms of price. Oats are pretty affordable in every country, and one liter of homemade oat milk costs as little as 10 cents – what a big price difference! Oat milk is not only cheaper than almond milk, it also requires very little prep-time as the oats need to soak only for 30 minutes (compared to 6 hours for almonds). I even made it the other morning after I realized that I was out of every kind of milk.
Oats are also some of the healthiest grains out there. Only amaranth and quinoa can top them. Not only do they contain more than twice as much iron as meat, they are also a real „beauty“ food due to their high biotin content. Biotin is responsible for healthy, glowing hair, skin and nails. Another great vitamin found in oats is vitamin B6, which is important for a healthy psyche. If you suffer from fatique or sleep deprivation, then try adding some oats or oat meal to your breakfast.
Ingredients:
– 1 cup (125g) rolled oats, use certified gluten-free if allergic
– 3 cups (750ml) fresh water
– agave or honey (optional)
– cinnamon, cardamon or vanilla bean (optional)
Notes:
– You will also need a jelly bag* to strain the milk.
Place the oats into a bowl, cover them completely with water and let them soak for at least 30 minutes.
Then drain the water and put the oats into a blender. Add the 3 cups of fresh water and blend everything for at least 1 minute until you have a nicely smooth milk.
Now place your jelly bag over a large bowl and pour the oat milk through the bag. Finally drain the rest of the water with your hands. Oat milk can taste a bit strange in the beginning, so you might want to add some sweetener such as agave and maybe even some cinnamon or the inside of a vanilla bean to make it more tasty.
Store the milk in an airtight bottle in the fridge and it should last for about a week or so.
If you do not know where to get a jelly bag from, this one* works perfectly.
Enjoy!
Hi Lynn!
I wish there were enough hours in the day to make everything in your blog, plus be a mom, wife, and most recently an MBA student. I love all your recipes! After we met in St Peter-Ording I made the toasted almond butter. YUMMY! My husband and I have a juicer and I make almond milk every 3 days or so. Yes, almonds are very expensive here in Germany but it’s way cool to make my own almond milk! I do save about 0,50€ per Liter. I am excited to try the oat milk! Thanks for an awesome blog!! 🙂
Susan – you always make me laugh and blush! Thank you so much for your lovely words! It is so amazing to get such positive feedback like this one. I completely agree with the homemade almond milk. It’s so cool to make your own. But oat milk is so much easier and faster. When I didn’t have almond milk the other morning my boyfriend woke up a little after me and you should have seen his face when he saw me. His comment was just: “Of course you’re making oat milk at 7 am – like any normal person would”. 😀
Making healthy staples is so much fun and I’ll try to come up with more soon.
Have a wonderful day,
xx Lynn 🙂
This is such a great alternative to almond milk, easy and cheaper and none of those additives they put in! I don’t know why I haven’t tried it before, thanks for sharing Lynn 🙂
Hi Natalie, isn’t it just the easiest way to make plant-based milk?
It’s also so much cheaper than nut milk – win win.
xx Lynn