I often hear many people tell me they want to switch to a non-dairy milk but find the price prohibitive. Here in Jamaica, non dairy milks can be 5-7x more expensive than cow’s milk (this doesn’t include soy milk FYI- and some people also don’t want to go down that road).
Here’s a great alternative you can make at home in no time using an everyday staple on this island: oats! Oats are so widely available on the island- so just grab a pack and make your own milk 🙂
You’ll also get health benefits oats bring: namely, B vitamins (for energy) and important minerals such as magnesium, zinc, phosphorus (good for your brain!)- to state a few.
Recipe for Oat Milk
You’ll need:
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled outs (NOT the instant ones- please!)
- 3 cups water
- 2 dates (optional)
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- Drop of vanilla (optional)
The process:
Place 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats into a bowl. Add 3 cups water + 2 dates. Let it soak for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Transfer this mixture to a blender, add a pinch of salt, vanilla & blend. Strain the oat milk through a very fine sieve or a cheese cloth. Be sure to press the milk well to get every drop out of there. Transfer to a container/bottle and store in fridge. Holds well for 2-3 days.
If you pass the milk through a cheese cloth, you’ll get a much silkier end result FYI. Some small “clumps” could pass through a sieve.
