RECIPE

Making your own plant-based milk is simple, easy, and much cheaper than buying store-bought brands (which also come in packaging and often contain additives, preservatives, and sweeteners). Buy your oats from bulk bins or in compostable packaging and make it zero-waste!

INGREDIENTS

Regular unsweetened 

• 100g oats (I like to use thick rolled oats from the bulk bin at my local health food shop – you can also use quick, GF, or steel cut oats)
• 750 ml cold water
• Pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt

Optional flavour variations

For different flavour milks, add the following suggestions during stage 2:

• Sweet: 1 pitted date or 1 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Chai: 1 pitted date or 1 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger powder, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Chocolate: 2 Tbsp (10 g) cacao powder and 1 pitted Medjool date
• Strawberry: 100g fresh strawberries

METHOD

1. Add the oats to a bowl and cover with the water, stir to make sure there are no dry pockets and leave to soak (preferably overnight, or for at least 30 minutes).
2. Once the oats have soaked, add the mixture to a blender with any additional flavourings of your choice. Blend for about a minute until creamy.
3. Strain the mixture into a large mixing bowl using a sieve, cheesecloth, nut milk bag, upcycled cotton fabric, or a tea towel, whatever you have to hand. Store the milk in the fridge and add the remaining pulp to smoothies, use it to make granola or cookies, or create your own zero-waste facemask.

This recipe yields approximately 1 litre of creamy homemade oat milk that can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.