Homemade Oat Cream
So there’s an oat cream that’s been widely available in Europe for years now, and recently in North America, but it has palm oil in it (which is a big no). Even organic palm oil – imported from long distances, leads to greater deforestation, and least importantly in this conversation, also bad for you. This is like a cheaper, more environmentally friendly homemade oatly.
The four ingredients in this vegan oat cream, on the other hand, are cheap and widely available in NA and the EU. Oats, a little oil (grape seed, sunflower, even olive), water, and a tiny bit of salt. I tried coconut oil in the first test to see if it’d replicate palm oil but it gets too hard when refrigerated.
It’s a quick and easy recipe, with just a little bit of soaking time, about half an hour. Blend, and you’re done. I don’t even have a real blender – just a stick blender – and you definitely don’t need a high-powered expensive mixer for this.
Why do I need to add oil?
Oats contain virtually no fat. Compare to dairy cream, for example, or even cashew cream, which both contain a lot more natural fat. The oil makes things creamier, it’s emulsified (the molecules are so tiny, it’s like the water and oil combine) and results in an overall better end product.
I use any oil I have on hand here. A very light tasting oil like grape seed, which is what I’ve used in the recipe below, will be virtually imperceptible in the cream. You can also use olive oil if you know you’re making a savoury dish, or sunflower, or even organic canola oil. Don’t use an oil that solidifies at room temperature. You want a pourable cream, not margarine.
How can I use oat cream?
Use it like any other plant based cream, or even like dairy cream. In coffee (I don’t drink coffee, but it should be fine!) or tea, added to sauces and soups, over fresh berries, on top of porridge, or mixed with some vegan pesto for an easy pesto cream sauce.
Try subbing your homemade oat cream for some recipes that call for full fat coconut milk. Not whipped cream, but a creamy soup, or a light curry, or to make a pudding. It has a very subtle flavour and generally blends in to any dish, sweet or savoury.
It’ll keep for at least a week in the jar in the fridge, maybe longer. It doesn’t make a huge batch so you shouldn’t have to worry about the cream spoiling before you can use it. And if you run out of milk, you can thin it out with water to make a quick oat milk!
Let’s connect! If you liked this recipe, make sure to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you! Tag me on instagram @occasionallyeggs and #occasionallyeggs so I can see what you’re making, and stay in touch via email, facebook, and pinterest.
Oat Cream
Description
Ingredients
- 130 grams (1 ½ cup) rolled oats
- 500 ml (2 cup) water
- 2 tablespoons grape seed oil*
- Tiny pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Place the oats in a bowl and cover with hot water for at least 30 minutes, or up to two hours. Longer and you risk the dreaded slime.
- Drain and rinse the soaked oats in a fine sieve. Add to a tall container or blender along with the water, oil, and salt. Blend, using a hand blender or regular, for 3-5 minutes or until very smooth.
- Pour the cream back through the fine mesh sieve and use a spoon to gently scrape until only oat goop remains. You can add the remaining oat mixture to bread, or compost it. It is possible to use a nut milk bag but this can contribute to an undesirable texture.
- Pour the cream into a jar or container and seal. Keep refrigerated for up to one week. It might last longer, but I haven't tried keeping it over a week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Fantastic way to make this, and the money you’ve gonna save, by not buying at your local grocery.
This looks wonderful, with so many uses! I’m trying to go refined-oil-free, so I’m going to experiment with soaking and blending some walnuts right along with the oats. Soaked walnuts are soft enough and have a good amount of healthy fat in them to (hopefully) emulsify… fingers crossed!😀
Hi Jeanette. How did it turn out using walnuts instead of oil? Can you share the amount used and results ?! Thank you.
Hello, do you think this could go with scones, like a sub for clotted cream? I’m looking for vegan alternatives. Thank you so much for your recipe!
Hi Wen, this cream is much runnier than clotted cream and I don’t think it would be comparable. There are recipes for vegan ‘clotted cream’ made with vegan butter or coconut oil that might be better, but I’ve never tried one.
is this a weck jar?
It is!
I just love oat cream, breakfast i have chopped up strawberries and banana with oat cream poured on top, it absolutely delicious
Funny that you should eschew palm oil but try coconut oil which is at least as bad as palm oil (very high in saturated fats). Whatever. At least you came out with a very healthy way to make oat cream as a result.
Thx!
Hi Dave, the reason I don’t use palm oil isn’t about health reasons, but rather environmental ones. (Coconut oil is also not used in this recipe, so not sure where that’s coming from.) So happy you like the recipe. Enjoy!
What a wonderful idea! I am going to use this as base for making flavored coffee creamer and I’m going to try it in soups and any of my vegan recipes that call for cream. Thank you so much for sharing.
This is a great and simple recipe. For anyone wondering if it freezes well – I split it into batches and froze it for several weeks and it was fine. It did separate a little but as I used it for a dessert recipe that was eventually blended up it didn’t matter.
Works perfectly ! Thank you 🙂
Would fractionated coconut oil be ok since it does not solidify?
It probably would then!
Wow this looks amazing. Definitely trying it soon! Thanks for sharing!
I’m making this today, it looks delicious!
I made this today from gluten free oats and followed the recipe to a T. It turned out perfect! Creamy, and delicious. I followed a commenter’s tip and made a “cream of wheat” style porridge from the oat slurry with some extra water and cinnamon on the stove for about 5min, then topped with my fresh oat cream and brown sugar. It was so nice. Thanks for this great recipe, very easy to follow and loved the video so I could make sure the consistency of mine was similar. 🧡
Thanks for the comment. I did the same thing with my slurry.
This is very unclear
When you say “Drain and rinse the soaked oats in a fine sieve. Add to a tall container or blender along with the water, oil, and salt. “
Are we adding the water we just soaked the oats in or fresh water ?
Hi Cara, the water from draining and rinsing has gone down the drain. You should use the water amount listed in the recipe card for blending.
Great looking recipe! Where’d you get the bottle/jar thing in the video?
Thanks Rachel! It’s from Weck, they still sell it.
This looks fantastic. I’d like to ferment the final product. Anyone who has tried this, please share. Adding some date paste or coconut sugar is required to give the probiotic starter something to feed on. Not sure how the oil would affect the fermenting process. Love the glass vessel.
Hiya. I tried this to make a creamy sauce to bake vegan meatballs in. I think I got confused with the gloop part. I used the NutriBullet because that was the tallest jar I had and used the cream under the sieve. It seems to be bubbling like a sourdough starter which makes me excited. Anyway I have a lot left to make some little oat pancakes for brekky tomorrow and who knows beyond that! I’ll keep you posted 😍 thanks a bunch for the recipe 😘
Have you ever used the oat cream to make frosting for a cake? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Gabriella, I haven’t tried that, and I don’t think it would work very well. It doesn’t whip up at all like coconut cream does, and I don’t imagine it would make a good frosting.
Great recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Can this be made oil-free?
Sorry, no.