DIY Oat Milk

Recently I decided to start making my own plantbased milks to eliminate the packaging waste from purchasing store bought milks. I still occasionally purchase store bought, but I try to make own when possible. I hope this post will show you how easy it is to make your own and inspire you to make the switch yourselves!

As you probably already know I am a low waste vegan. I was a vegetarian for 10 years before someone opened my eyes to veganism in 2014. Veganism then led me to discover the zero waste lifestyle. I made small swaps here and there for a few years, but didn’t start making any major changes until recently. Over the past 1 – 2 years I have been much more conscious of my waste. We compost our food waste, we garden, we cloth diaper, use our own reusable produce and grocery bags, we bring our own water bottles, cups, straws with us and so much more. (I will write a post on zero waste tips for anyone interested in seeing more information on what you can do to lower your impact on the environment.)

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Switching even a few of your daily habits can make a huge impact. Zero waste/low waste is about doing your best to eliminate unnecessary waste. You don’t have to be perfect to make a difference. It’s all about living with the mindset to do as little harm and leave as little trace behind us as possible. Recently I heard someone talking about how you should be treating the earth as your host. This has stuck with me ever since I heard it. You wouldn’t walk into someone’s living room, put your feet up on their coffee table, leave trash everywhere and then leave without a thank you. Therefore, we should be treating the Mother Earth as if we are a guest in her home. This small mindset shift has had a huge impact on how I go through each day. One decision at a time I am reducing my footprint and I hope to inspire you to do the same!

“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly. ”

Anne-Marie Bonneau

In addition to the environmental impact, making your own plant based milks at home can even be more affordable than store bought. (Double-win!) There are many different plant based milk options to choose from. Oat milk is one of the most inexpensive to make yourself and it’s so quick and easy! Oats can be bought in bulk to avoid even more packaging waste and it’s very inexpensive this way! All you needs is a few simple ingredients, a blender or food processor, and something to strain the milk through. You could use a nut milk bag, cheesecloth or a sifter/strainer, you could even use an old t-shirt or dish rag.

Recipe:

1 Cup oats
4 Cups filtered Water
Pinch of Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 Pitted Dates (Optional, substitute with maple syrup)
Dash of Cinnamon (Optional)

Blend all ingredients thoroughly. Strain liquid into a air tight container. Store in the fridge. It’s THAT easy!

Notes:

  • Some recipes require you to soak the oats first. I don’t do this because I find that it makes the milk goopy. Gross. I find its better to skip this step and add it right to the blender as is.
  • This milk will separate when it is left to sit. This is completely normal! Just shake well before using.
  • When you strain the milk there will be oats left over. This can be composted, used in baked goods or you could eat them as a cream of wheat by adding a few ingredients.

If you make this recipe I would love to hear about it! Tag me on my Instagram page so I can see how you use it. Some of my favorite ways to use this recipe are smoothies, oatmeal and baked goods! Thanks for stopping by and make sure to check out my other posts!

6 thoughts on “DIY Oat Milk

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