How to make Oat Milk (that’s NOT slimy! Finally!)

posted by Britt Berlin on Feb 8, 2022 (last updated Mar 3, 2026) 141 comments »

How to make oat milk in under 3 minutes for a creamy and smooth dairy free milk! This oat milk is NOT slimy and is a perfect dairy free nut free milk option!

I won’t lie. I absolutely love buying oat milk. It’s my absolute favorite dairy free milk on the market, and really works for a dairy-free replacement.

But sometimes, I’m in the middle of a recipe, and I run out.

Enter in the best method for how to make oat milk.

After years of experimenting, I finally had cracked the secret tips for how to make non-slimy oat milk. Because if you’ve ever tried to make this before, you’ve probably ended up like me and made some odd and bizarre gooey form that I imagine feels like eating that green slime on Nickelodeon.

So first, let’s go over what you’re doing that’s creating the slimy oat milk recipe, then I’ll walk you through how to make it non-slimy. Just briefly.

Because like my 2 ingredient cashew cream recipe, you’re going to be making this oat milk for everything- coffee creamer, baking cakes, cookies, just drinking on its own…it’s amazing.

Why is my oat milk slimy?

So if you’re like me and have tried to make oat milk before to no avail, you’ve probably encountered: the slimy oat milk.

Ick.

This happens for a few reasons that I’ve noticed others don’t really mention.

You’re soaking your oats when you SHOULD NOT BE: First off, many say to soak your oats. Do not do this. This activates the enzyme in oats that usually makes them bind together (like in overnight oats).

You’re using warm water: The second reason why your oats turn out slimy is because the water you’re using is not ice cold. Think about it. You cook your oats in warm water, right? If you’re using anything but cold water, you’ll start to activate the oats to form that slimy texture we all know as oatmeal!

You’re squeezing the oat milk out: I get it- you want to get all of the water out as much as possible. But it honestly is more of a draining than a squeezing of the water. But I’ll go into how to actually strain the oat milk from the pulp in the next section!

The simplest 2-3 ingredients:

I say 2-3 because you really just need 2, but the third is optional:

Rolled oats: You can actually even use sprouted rolled oats, such as One Degree Organics (what I used here). If you’re gluten-free, please ensure that you’re using gluten-free oats that are certified gluten-free.
Water
Optional: dates, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, (or even maple syrup!)

How cool is that? Each of the optional add-ins add their own flavors to the oat milk. I do recommend adding in the date and the vanilla extract just for a touch of sweetness, especially for sweet baked good or smoothies. One single date does the trick, and just a teaspoon of vanilla.

However, if you’ll be using this non slimy dairy free milk for savory recipes, then omit the date and vanilla and use the sea salt.🙂

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How to make oat milk (that’s actually creamy, not slimy)

For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.

Now let’s go over how easy it is to make oat milk:

Blend.
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend for only 30-40 seconds.

Strain.
Place a cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or thin towel over a large bowl, and strain the oat milk into the bowl, catching the oat pulp in the cheesecloth or bag. If you don’t have any of these options, you can use a super fine-mesh sieve; just be sure to really double strain this oat milk!

Remove the oat pulp.
Once all of the liquid and the leftover oat pulp is into the cheesecloth and bowl, lift the cloth or bag up and gently let the remaining liquid drip into the bowl. You can lightly squeeze but don’t squeeze as you would nut milk, or you’ll get slimy oat milk.
Discard or save the pulp for another recipe, and pour the oat milk back into the blender.

Strain again.
Cover the bowl again with your cheesecloth or nut milk bag, and repeat the process once more, catching any oat pulp in the cheesecloth.

And that’s it! Simply pour your double strained oat milk into a clean glass bottle or container and store in the fridge! Seriously this process takes all of 3 minutes and is great for when you’re in a pinch for something creamy to put in your coffee or a sweet recipe 😉

Britt’s final tips:

I just want to make sure that when learning how to make oat milk, you get all of the best tips so that we can avoid any oobleck messes, like I created while figuring out the best methods for making oat milk!

We solved the 3 main issues above, but here are a few more tips just to ensure perfection every time:

Double strain the oat milk to yield the creamiest and smoothest texture. Just a bit of extra work, but the whole process start to finish really does only take 3 minutes!
Do NOT over blend!! Only blend for maximum 40 seconds, less is even better! Aim for 30-40 seconds, as any more will yield a slimytexture.
Make sure to store your oat milk in a sealed container: I recommend a Weck or Mason jar that seals airtight. This will help keep your oat milk very fresh!
If after a day, you notice some oat sediment on the bottom of your glass, don’t worry: This is natural, since we don’t have any gums or thickeners in this non-dairy milk. Simply shake the glass a few times to get your oat milk creamy again.

What can I use oat milk for?

So many things! Really, anything that you would use regular dairy milk or another dairy free milk for. Smoothies, creamy soups, vegan custards, coffee.. the list goes on! I love using oat milk in herbal coffee because I find it creamier without the coconut milk taste.

Try it in my creamy vegan gnocchi soup or my Marry Me Tofu pasta.

It’s also wonderful in baked goods, like this vegan vanilla cake, or raw desserts, like this easy chocolate cheesecake.

You can even just drink this oat milk straight up! It’s that good, especially if you’re adding in the date and vanilla.

How do I know when my oat milk is bad?

Usually, homemade oat milk lasts for about 5 days in the fridge. However, you’ll notice that it starts to smell a little funky when it goes bad if it’s left there too long.

Yes, this is shorter than store bought dairy-free milks, such as almond milk, but it’s also not filled with preservatives that make their shelf life last longer. And, if you’re like me, you go through oat milk pretty fast so no need to worry about your homemade oat milk going bad!

How do I make chocolate oat milk?

If you’d like to transform this classic oat milk into a chocolate oat milk, simply add in 2 tablespoons of melted vegan chocolate into the blender after you’ve blended and strained your oat milk. Pour your oat milk back into the blender and blend again until smooth!

You’re just going to love making your own oat milk as much as I do! If you give this recipe a go, let me know down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a rating for those who haven’t tried it out yet!

As always, I love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Happy oat-milking!

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If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!