Sweetened Condensed Oat Milk

Name: Sweetened Condensed Oat Milk
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 13 min
Ingredients: ½ cup rolled oats (see Note 1); 2 cups ice cold water; ½ cup organic cane sugar (see Note 2); ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract (real or clear/imitation vanilla); pinch of salt; 1 to 2 tablespoons vegan butter, optional (for a richer flavor and mouthfeel)

Homemade condensed oat milk is so easy and more affordable than specialty products! All you need are 3 ingredients and 15 minutes. It's sweet, thick, rich, and perfect for sweetening coffee, tea, milkshakes, and creamy cocktails. It's also great for vegan and dairy-free baking.

Drizzle condensed oat milk on cake, scones, biscotti, and more. It's gluten-free, contains no gums, and can be made with or without oil.

Homemade creamy condensed oat milk being drizzled from a small spoon.

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Ingredient Notes
How to Make Condensed Oat Milk
Equipment Notes
Ways to Use Condensed Oat Milk
FAQs
More Oat Milk Recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

This condensed oat milk recipe is the happy result of some recent kitchen experiments. While figuring out a way to make vegan key lime pie without coconut milk or commercial vegan condensed milks, it occurred to me to take advantage of the extra creamy nature of oat milk.

Truth be told, oats are OFTEN the secret ingredient I turn to during recipe creation. It's sort of my thing.

From blending oats into ice cream, to using oats as an egg replacer in pecan pie, oats and oat milk can do so many surprising things. Side note: Oat milk makes the most delicious vegan eggnog!

As far as I know, Nature's Charm condensed oat milk is the only brand of commercially available oat condensed milk. There are also a few brands of vegan condensed milk that are made from coconut milk.

But those specialty products are pricey and not always easy to find. So it's nice to have options! Plus, this homemade condensed oat milk is a fat-free option. How wild is that?

And I think you'll be surprised by how easy it is to make.

Ingredient Notes

A labeled photo of the ingredients needed to make condensed oat milk.

rolled oats - to make oat milk look for regular old fashioned rolled oats. Choose certified gluten-free oats, if needed.
sugar - in the U.S., selecting organic cane sugar is the easiest way to make sure your sugar is vegan and has not been processed with bone char.
vanilla - adds sweet aroma and flavor
water and a pinch of salt

See the recipe card below for quantities and full instructions.

How to Make Condensed Oat Milk

Two photos showing oat milk in a blender and being strained through a nut milk bag.

Place oats in a strainer and rinse briefly under cold water. Combine the oats and cold water in a blender. Turn on the blender, and quickly increase to high speed. If using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, blend for exactly 30 seconds. In a regular blender, you may need to blend longer, about 1 minute.
Strain through a nut milk bag. I like to use two bags, one inside the other. Otherwise, strain once, rinse out the bag, and strain again.

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Two photos showing how to combine the ingredients in a pan then cook until creamy and thickened.

In a medium-large saucepan, whisk together the oat milk and sugar. Turn on the burner to medium heat, and slowly heat the mixture while whisking frequently.
Once it's steamy and hot, slightly thickened, and just about to bubble, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 3 minutes (but not longer). It should look glossy and thickened but still somewhat thin. Turn off the heat, and whisk in the vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool.

Tip! It's important to NOT cook the oat milk too long. If over-cooked it will be very thick (almost gelatinous) once chilled.

A small spoon floating on top of thick, homemade condensed oat milk.

Equipment Notes

blender - any full size blender should work
nut milk bag(s) - I use basic nylon nut milk bags; to strain oat milk I like to place one bag inside another for double filtering.
medium-large saucepan
whisk and silicone spatula - these are very helpful while heating the oat milk

Ways to Use Condensed Oat Milk

Stir it into hot or iced coffee and tea.
Make creamy non-dairy cocktails.
Add a spoonful to smoothies and vegan milkshakes.
Drizzle it on muffins, fresh fruit, cake, and cupcakes.
Incorporate into creamy pie fillings like this vegan key lime pie.
And use it in your favorite baked goods like brownies and blondies!

Two ramekins side by side showing the difference in the recipe when made with homemade versus store-bought oat milk.

FAQs

Can I use store-bought oat milk?

Commercial oat milk is produced in a way that breaks down the starches into sugars. Because of this process, store-bought milks (and even this homemade oat milk), don't thicken when heated. See the photos above for a comparison. To use commercial oat milk for this recipe, you'll need to add a teaspoon of arrowroot or corn starch per cup of oat milk, and simmer it longer, until creamy and reduced.

Can I make it without sugar?

Maple syrup may be used instead of cane sugar, similar to this cashew condensed milk recipe. However, I'm not sure if non-caloric sugar substitutes will create similar results.

Will this work for any recipe that calls for sweetened condensed milk?

Unfortunately, that's impossible to know or test. It will likely depend on the purpose condensed milk serves in the recipe. But I do think it will work in most cases.

I hope you enjoy this dairy-free condensed oat milk. If you try the recipe I would love to hear from you! Comment below and let us know how you like to use it.

More Oat Milk Recipes

Recipe

A small spoon filled with condensed oat milk resting on top of a jar to show the thick consistency.

Sweetened Condensed Oat Milk

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

Sweetened condensed oat milk is inexpensive and easy to make at home. It's thick, rich, and can be used in coffee, tea, milkshakes, and creamy cocktails. It's also great for vegan and dairy-free baking. Gluten-free, vegan, contains no gums or stabilizers, and can be made with or without oil.

Yield: makes about 1 ¾ cups (14 fl oz)

5 from 9 votes

Servings: servings

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 8

Total Time: 13

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Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup rolled oats - see Note 1
2 cups ice cold water
½ cup organic cane sugar - see Note 2
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract - real or clear/imitation vanilla
pinch of salt

Optional addition:

1 to 2 tablespoons vegan butter, optional - for a richer flavor and mouthfeel

Instructions

Place oats in a strainer and rinse briefly under cold water. Combine the oats and 2 cups cold water in a blender. Start on low speed and quickly increase to high. If using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, blend for just 30 seconds. In a regular blender, you may need to blend longer, closer to 1 minute. Strain the oat milk twice. I like to use two nut milk bags, one inside the other, and strain it once through the double layer.
In a medium-large saucepan, whisk together the oat milk and sugar. Turn on the burner to medium heat, and slowly heat the mixture while whisking frequently. It should take about 5 minutes for the milk to get steamy and hot. Reduce the heat as needed so it doesn't reach a full boil.
Once the milk is hot, slightly thickened, and close to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 2 ½ to 3 minutes (not longer). It should look glossy and thickened yet still somewhat thin. Turn off the heat, and whisk in the vanilla and salt. Set aside to cool.
Option: if you prefer a richer condensed milk, whisk in the vegan butter now. (The batch in the photos did not include vegan butter.)
Pour the condensed oat milk into a lidded jar or container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 days or freezer for up to 2 months.

Notes

Note 1 - Commercial oat milks are produced in a way that converts the oat starch into sugars. So they don't thicken the same as homemade. If you need to use store-bought oat milk, per 1 cup of oat milk, whisk in 1 teaspoon of corn starch or arrowroot starch (in Step 2, before heating). Then gently simmer until it's condensed and creamy, about 10 minutes. Keep the heat low so it doesn't burn.

Note 2 - Maple syrup may be used instead of cane sugar, similar to this cashew condensed milk recipe. However, I'm not sure if non-caloric sugar substitutes will create similar results.