Can You Freeze Oat Milk - The Best Way

Oat milk is a versatile dairy milk alternative that is quickly becoming a favorite among alternative milk consumers. It’s perfectly creamy to add to your morning coffee and contains a natural sweetness that reduces the need for added sugar. Oat milk is a pleasant-tasting drink that will impress any regular milk consumer.

You can also use oat milk to replace other types of milk in products with a lot of cream, such as ice cream without milk.

So can oat milk be frozen? Yes, you can freeze oat milk. However, it will be a bit grainy after thawing, so there are some tips and tricks to help, like straining the thawed oat milk through cheesecloth.

Read on to learn the best way to freeze oat milk and how to thaw it without affecting its texture too much. We’ll also answer some questions that you may have after learning everything there is to know about freezing oat milk.

The Complete Guide to Freezing Oat Milk

Before getting into the freezing process, it’s important to know how oat milk is made so you understand why it freezes and thaws the way it does.

First, we’ll talk about how oat milk is made and the best uses for it, and then we’ll show you step-by-step instructions for freezing and thawing oat milk, so you can enjoy it anytime.

How oat milk is made

Oat milk was first created in Sweden by university researchers when it was discovered that oats could provide similar nutrition to cow’s milk.

The first oat milk to hit shelves and coffee shops was Oatly, created, not surprisingly, by the founder of the research group in Sweden.

Oats are naturally free of dairy, soy, nuts, and gluten , making oat milk a perfect choice for most people with allergies or food sensitivities.

Oat milk is made by extracting the moisture from the oats. It’s surprisingly easy to make your own oat milk at home.

We love Minimalist Baker ‘s Oat Milk Recipe . For the sake of simplicity, we are only going to list the basic ingredients that she includes for the most basic oat milk. If you’re curious what else he adds to his oat milk for extra flavor, you can check out his article here .

Basic Oat Milk Recipe

• 1 cup oat flakes
• 4 cups of water
• 1 pinch of salt

This basic recipe is great because you can use it in sweet or savory dishes. If you want your oat milk to be sweeter, you can add a date or a tablespoon of maple syrup and a dash of vanilla extract.

Instructions:

• Beat in a mixer until well blended, about 30-45 seconds. T Be careful not to over-beat, as this will give the milk a slimy texture.
• Pass it to cheesecloth and strain it into a container.
• Cover the container with a lid and put the fresh oat milk in the fridge. Consume it within 5 days.

Simple, easy and delicious. As we’ve said before, the minimalist baker has more detailed instructions on her blog, but the recipe above will give you similar, more basic results.

The best uses of oat milk

Oat milk is traditionally made as a substitute for cow’s milk, so you can use it in any recipe that calls for cow’s milk.

Of course, there are other alternative milks that may work better for some dishes (such as using coconut milk in curries), but oat milk will substitute cow’s milk very well in most situations.

Here are the best uses for oat milk:

• Replacing cow’s milk in cereals and granola
• As cream in coffee and/or in a latte
• As a base for a smoothie (try it with frozen bananas, nut butter, and your favorite protein powder)
• Add a dash to your morning rolled oats for an extra oatmeal

Here are just a few suggestions and our personal favorite ways to use oat milk. Do not hesitate to experiment in the kitchen with oat milk. You can’t go wrong with this versatile drink.

How to freeze oat milk

Now, the answer you were waiting for. How do you freeze oat milk?

First of all, it’s important to note that freezing oat milk will change its consistency. It will become slightly grainy after thawing, so make sure you really need to freeze the oat milk before putting it in the freezer.

Here’s how to freeze oat milk:

• On the carton:
  • Place all of the cardboard in the freezer. If the oat milk has been unopened, it will last up to 6 months in the freezer.

• In an airtight, freezer-safe bottle :

  • Pour the oat milk into a freezer-safe bottle, leaving at least 2.5cm of headspace. Liquid expands when it freezes, so it’s very important to leave enough room at the top so the glass doesn’t crack under pressure.
  • It will also last up to 6 months in the freezer. Be sure to label the initial freeze date. Refreezing oat milk is not recommended , so make sure you plan to use whatever you decide to thaw after freezing.

And there you have it! Two easy ways to freeze oat milk.

So what should you do once you want to use oat milk? Read on to find out the proper way to thaw oat milk so that it retains most of its consistency and flavor.

How to thaw oat milk

Once you are ready to use the oat milk, you can thaw it in the fridge.

Oat milk should always be refrigerated before use , so it is important that you allow enough time for it to fully thaw in the fridge before using it. This means you don’t have to thaw it on the counter like you would some frozen foods.

Here’s how to thaw oat milk:

• In a carton:
  • Take the carton of oat milk out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. Leave the oat milk in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight to thaw completely.  You can then use it as you normally would.
  • Once the oat milk is thawed, you should consume it within 10 days.

• In freezer-safe bottles:

  • Again, place the bottle (or bottles) in the fridge and leave it there for 8 hours. It’s best to thaw oat milk in the fridge overnight if you plan to consume it in the morning.
  • Consume it within 10 days.

Remember that the oat milk will be slightly grainy after it has been frozen and thawed. Here are some tips to reduce the graininess of your thawed oat milk:

• The best idea to reduce the grainy texture is to contain it using cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. This will remove those little oat granules if you are concerned that it will affect the enjoyment of your oat milk.
• If you are adding thawed oat milk to cereal, it is not recommended to contain the oat milk, because chances are you won’t even notice the grainy texture when you are chewing on the cereal, granola, or oatmeal, which already have a grainy texture. granulated.

Freezing and thawing oat milk is a simple process that requires minimal effort and is easily done directly in the carton or by transferring it into freezer-safe bottles that are perfect for an individual serving.

heating oat milk

Oat milk thickens when heated. That’s why it’s such a great alternative to coffee creamer, as it gives an equally creamy texture to your morning drink.

However, it is not as good in other recipes, such as soups and stews. It is better to use other alternatives that heat well, such as coconut milk .

Related questions

We hope this article has been useful. Read the next section to learn even more about oat milk.

How long does oat milk last in the fridge?

Most store-bought oat milk should be consumed within 10 days of opening, as long as it has been chilled in the fridge. The expiration date is usually listed somewhere on the box.

Homemade oat milk only lasts 5 days in the fridge because it lacks the preservatives often added to store-bought oat milk products. Be sure to label the date you made the oat milk so you know when to consume it.

Is oat milk as healthy as other oat products?

Even if you make oat milk at home, it is still considered processed. The reason oat milk is a processed food is because it has been altered from its original state: a whole oat grain.

Eating whole oats, especially steel cut, will provide you with much more fiber and additional nutrients that are lost during the milking process.

This is not to say that oat milk is unhealthy, it certainly is! But you miss out on some of the benefits of whole oats.

If you want to use oats in another way that keeps the fiber intact, you might consider making oat flour to use in your baking recipes. Lucky for you, we have written an article about ground oats .