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Oat milk is the one plant milk people give up on after a single batch, because the first batch is often a glass of wallpaper paste. The fix is understanding what oats are.
It’s starch
Oats are mostly starch, in granules that stay closed while they are cold and dry. Warm them in water and the granules swell and burst, releasing long starch molecules that thicken whatever they are in. That is what makes porridge porridge. Blend oats in warm water, or blend them long enough for the friction to warm them, and you have made thin porridge and called it milk. Squeezing the bag forces the burst starch through the mesh; soaking the oats first gives the granules a head start.
The cold-and-quick method
- Rolled oats, not steel-cut and not instant. One cup to four cups of water straight from the fridge, with a few ice cubes if the blender runs hot.
- No soak.
- Blend for 20 to 30 seconds, no more.
- Pour through a bag or a fine strainer and let it drain. Don’t squeeze; the last ounce is the slimy ounce.
- Strain a second time if you want it clean. Chill. Shake before pouring.
Some people add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of oil for body. A spoon of oats left in the bag is the price of smooth milk.
On a machine
A heated maker with only hot programs will cook the oats and make the thick version every time. What you want is a room-temperature, raw or cold cycle, where the blade runs but the plate stays off. The IAGREEA makers run hot or cold on each program; the Olayks 20 oz lists its oat program at 122 °F and its nut milk at room temperature; the Kidisle multi-cookers have a juice mode, which is the cold one, and the cards say so.
Heated multi-cooker, 35 oz, hot and cold programs
IAGREEA 8-in-1 Nut Milk Maker, 35 oz
IAGREEA 8-in-1 Nut Milk Maker, 35 oz, white
One of the few budget heated makers with a maker's page behind it. Eight programs (juice, soy milk, almond milk, milk shake, boil water, oat milk, rice paste, self-clean), hot and cold cycles, a 12-hour delay and a two-hour heat preservation, with a small lid for adding seasoning mid-run. IAGREEA says fresh soy milk takes 36 minutes and the self-clean 8 to 11.
- Batch
- 35 oz / 1 L
- Cycle
- Soy milk in 36 minutes; self-clean 8 to 11 minutes (maker)
- Programs
- Juice, soy milk, almond milk, milk shake, boil water, oat milk, rice paste, self-clean; hot and cold; 12 h delay; 2 h heat preservation
- Heats
- Yes, with cold programs too
- Touches the milk
- 304 stainless chamber and lid (white 8-in-1 page); the 35 oz page says nonstick interior
- Power
- 750 W, 120 V
- Size
- 5 × 6 × 10.3 in; about 4 lb
- In the box
- Cleaning brush, measuring cup, scrub sponge
Suits: Oat milk and smoothies on the cold cycle in the morning, soy or rice paste on the hot ones at night, for a household of two or three.
Weigh: No filter in the machine: IAGREEA's own how-to says to strain for a smoother texture. The maker's pages disagree with each other on interior (304 stainless on one, nonstick on another) and on weight. Dishwasher and warranty not published.
Heated maker, 20 oz, room-temperature and hot programs
Olayks Nut Milk Maker, 20 oz
Olayks 8-in-1 Nut Milk Maker Machine, 20 oz, 12 blades
The Kidisle 20 oz's near twin with one useful difference the listing spells out: which programs heat and which don't. Soy milk and rice paste run to 212 °F, oat milk to 122 °F, nut milk and milk shake at room temperature, plus boil water, an 18-hour delay and a self-clean at 176 °F. Twelve stainless blades.
- Batch
- 20 oz / 600 ml (listing)
- Programs
- Soy milk (212 °F), rice paste (212 °F), oat milk (122 °F), nut milk (room temp), milk shake (room temp), boil water, self-clean (176 °F); 18 h delay (listing)
- Heats
- Yes, to boiling on soy and rice; room-temperature nut milk
- Touches the milk
- 12 stainless blades; body not published
- Power
- Not published
Suits: A cup of cold almond or cashew milk, or a warm oat milk, without cooking it; soy on the hot program.
Weigh: No maker site; everything is from the listing and the manual, which warns the lid must align with the handle or the run stops with an error. Size and weight not published.
No-strain machines like the Almond Cow and Nama M1 spin cold and briefly, which is exactly right for oats; the makers list oat milk among their recipes. The texture is thinner than carton oat milk because there are no gums in it.
Cold no-strain maker, blend-and-spin, pulp pouch
Nama M1 Plant Milk Maker
Nama M1 Plant Milk Maker
Nama's milk maker from the people behind the J2 juicer: a filter basket in a Tritan chamber, a knob for blend time (creaminess), then a spin cycle that wrings the liquid out of the pulp on its own, and a spout to decant. Nama calls it Blend + Strain; the pulp lands in a fold-to-seal pouch, so there is nothing to scrape. Nama says no soaking is needed; there is no bag and nothing heats.
- Batch
- Not published by Nama; about 32 oz / 0.9 L (reviews)
- Cycle
- Blend time set by the knob, then an automatic spin cycle; about two minutes (reviews)
- Programs
- Adjustable blend, auto spin, spout to decant; no heating
- Touches the milk
- Tritan chamber, stainless strainer mesh, glass-filled nylon and stainless blade cage
- Motor
- 600 W; blend 10,000 rpm, spin 2,500 rpm
- Size
- 8.7 × 7.3 × 16.3 in; 11.9 lb with chamber set
- Warranty
- 15 years on all parts
Suits: Anyone who wants control over texture (the knob sets how long it blends) and a machine built to last: Nama publishes a 15-year warranty on all parts.
Weigh: Nama publishes no batch size or cycle time; reviewers report about 32 oz and about two minutes. The chamber is Tritan, a plastic, if that matters to you. No heating element, so soybeans must be fully cooked before they go in (Nama's support page says so). Hand wash with the included brush.
If you like it thick
Then the hot programs are a feature: a cooked oat milk is a drink in itself, close to a thin congee, and the Kidisle and Joyoung “cereal” or “grain” programs make it on purpose. Just don’t expect it to pour into coffee.
The heated makers compared, with their cold cycles marked, are on the heated page.
