Homemade oat milk is incredibly easy to make, super affordable and it can easily become a zero waste ordeal. I get my oats from my local bulk store, bringing them home in my fabric bag I made myself from fabrics scraps, and this is the first step in the zero waste campaign for this recipe. Once I have my oats, I take 1 cup of oats and soak them for 24 hours in 3 cups of water, this is done so they become more digestible, help your system soak in more nutrients and also, to remove any starch from the milk, this way it won't feel "gummy".

The next day, strain the oats, instead of getting rid of the soaking water I actually feed it to my plants, more nutrients for them, less waste for us. Add the soaked oats to a blender and add 3 to 4 cups of water, depending on the thickness you prefer, I like my milk quite creamy so I tend to go with 3, but you can always add more as you go. At this point, you can also add a few pitted dates or maple syrup for sweetness, but I prefer not to, I like to add it when I drink it instead of when I make it, instead I add a few teaspoons of cinnamon. Blend it until it seems well combined but not until it's absolutely pulverized, as this will spoil the texture. 

Pour the mixture over a large bowl covered with a thin towel, clean t-shirt or, if you already have it, a nut milk bag* and let it sit for a while, to make sure every last drop is in the bowl. Squeeze everything once more before setting the leftover oats aside and adding the milk to a sealed glass bottle. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to five days, so unless you have a big family, don't make too much at a time, we wouldn't want it to spoil. Make sure to shake well before drinking and enjoy. (Some people feel as though if you heat the milk it goes quite "gummy" but I find that only happens when you don't soak the oats, so if you want to go the fast way and not soak them, just bear this in mind.)

And now, what to do with the leftover oats? The possibilities are endless, you can let them dry at a low temperature in the oven and then blitz them up until they become a flour, which then you can use in many recipes; you can roast them in the oven with honey, nuts, whole oats and seeds to make a quick granola, or you can make cookies with the pulp itself, no need to wait.

If you'd rather wait and freeze your pulp, a great idea if you're making oat milk regularly, simply place the pulp in a sealed container and freeze it. You can keep adding fresh pulp into the frozen one until you have enough to make whatever you want, whether that is making your own oat flour to use in banana bread or some delicious pancakes. Nut, seed or oat pulp are also a great source of natural fibre so they make a great alternative to flaxseeds or chia in your smoothies, while also making them super creamy.