How to Make Oat Milk- Sprouted/ Cooked and Raw Oat Milk
Oat Milk is all the rage right now, and for good reasons! It is delicious and nutritious and makes for a great alternative to dairy. It is also super easy to make! I personally enjoy making Sprouted Oat Milk as I feel like it is flavorful and easier to assimilate the nutrients from the oats. Sprouting is known to drastically increase the enzymes and vitamin content of foods, while making grains, nuts and seeds more easily digestible. Paul Pitchford, author of Healing with Whole Foods states “ Sprouts represent the point of greatest vitality in the life cycle of a plant (And) one clearly experiences this vitality when eating sprouts consistently.”
If you are a person that runs cold often or knows you have a cold type constitution, I have also added in a cooked Oat milk variation at the bottom of this article, which might be better for you!
From a Chinese Medicine Dietary perspective, Oats are warm in nature, sweet, slightly bitter and soothing. They are known to help regulate and restore the reproductive and nervous systems, strengthen the Earth elements of the digestive system (Spleen/ Stomach), and boost Qi. From a Western nutritional perspective Oats are known to help with cholesterol levels, are good from the bones and connective tissues of the body and help strengthen cardiac muscles. Oats are very high in antioxidants, fiber silicon and phosphorus.
Sprouted Oat Milk
Ingredients
1 Cup Organic Oats
5 Cups water
Instructions
Sprout oats for 2-3 days. To do this place the 1 cup of oats and at least 3 cups of water. I like to use wide mouth mason jars when sprouting grains, nuts or seeds. Place oats into the jar with water. Then cover the jar with a sprouting screen ( I like to use stainless steel rather than plastic but both will work) or piece of cheesecloth secured with a rubber band. (You can cover it with a cloth or bag too.)Place the jar in a warm and dark space. Soak oats overnight, then place the oats into a sprouting environment- begin to rinse/drain the oats, twice a day for 1-2 more days. Watch them and see how they sprout, for the environment will change sprouting conditions. For ideal drainage have the jar tilted with the mouth down.
Do one last rinse and drain excess water off the sprouted oats.
Blend with 3 cups of fresh water. You can add a date for some sweetness or a vanilla bean to add flavor!
squeeze all liquid out. Use a cloth to strain the liquid from the pulp, Nut milk bags can be used but I find that it or even a fine mesh strainer often allows too much pulp to pass through, making the milk thicker and “goopy” so I suggest to use a piece of fabric such a cotton flour bag or clean t-shirt fabric.
The oat milk can be stored in an airtight container for a few days in the refrigerator. Use the pulp for bread, soups, veg burgers, cookies, etc.
This recipe can also be easily modified to
Cooked Oat Milk
To do this use 1 cup rolled oats and 7-10 cups of water.
Bring water and oats to a boil, Lower heat, Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Let cool and strain through a cloth.
For vanilla oat milk, cook a vanilla bean with the oats or you can even add a small about of rice syrup or barley malt to sweeten/ enhance the flavor.
And for a final and super easy and quick option-
Raw Oat Milk
Add 1 cup oats and 5 cups of water into a high speed blender for about 45 seconds. Then strain through a clean t-shirt or cotton flour towel, or nut milk bag.
To make flavored milk you can add dates, sea salt, vanilla, cacao, adaptogen powders or berries!
