Times are definitely changing when you can walk past a cafe and see a sign in the window saying “yes we have almond milk”. There’s a huge range of non-dairy milks out there but I wish they didn’t come in tetrapaks as they are still not widely recycled in New Zealand.
To reduce waste I make my own almond milk. It’s great to feel really connected to my food and know exactly what’s in it, plus it’s super-affordable (about $1 per litre), creamy and delicious. Getting a nutmilk bag is a good move, it’s much easier than a strainer and gives a smoother result. (I hear a clean stocking works well too).
After lots of practice and research I have two tips to avoid slimy oatmilk. Buy steel-cut oats (cracked whole oat grains), and soak them for 30 minutes, then rinse before using. Jumbo oats are the next best choice.
Oat milk
2 cups oats (steel cut are best, or use jumbo)
6 cups water
¼-½ tsp himalayan salt, to taste
1 Tbsp unrefined sugar (coconut is good)
1 tsp vanilla essence or almond essence (optional)
Step 1: Soak the oats in water for 30 minutes. Drain, then rinse and drain again.
Step 2:
Put rinsed oats and water into a blender. Blend for 30 seconds until very smooth.
Step 3: Strain through a nutmilk bag or stocking into a bowl, squeezing out as much liquid as possible. Add salt, sugar and vanilla essence, then transfer to a jar and store in the fridge.
Step 4:
The leftover pulp can be used in muffins — just think of it as wet oatbran and reduce the amount of liquid used in the recipe.
Use your freshly made oat milk in Aaron's Asian salted caramel smoothie recipe
