Can You Freeze Oat Milk?

Yes, you can easily freeze oat milk for 3 to 5 months in an airtight container while maintaining decent quality. One thing to note is that the texture tends to be grainy when defrosting.

How to Freeze Oat Milk

Oat milk is a great dairy, soy and gluten-free alternative to the other milk. It has similar properties to cow's milk and can be used as a substitute in recipes or and in like cereal.

Oat milk is what it sounds like, it is the moisture that has been removed from oats. It has a sort of oatmeal type flavor which is rather pleasant.

Whether you've decided to make your own oat milk or bought some oat milk from the store, you may want to know if you can store it for later. The fact is, you can very easily freeze your oat milk to extend its shelf life as long as you keep it in an airtight container.

You should be aware that when The oat milk defrosts it's texture changes slightly and will almost separate a little bit and become grainy. But it's still good to drink or use in recipes.

The methods used are very similar to those used when freezing orange juice, freezing almond milk and freezing half and half.

Freezing in the carton

If you purchase your oat milk from the store and you know that you'll use it pretty quickly once it's defrosted, you may be tempted to just freeze it straight in the carton. And, all this method is feasible it's not the best way to go. However, it may be the fastest and easiest so you might want to try it.

To freeze it in the carton, literally all you have to do is take the carton and pop it into your freezer.

A few notes about this method:

• Liquids expand when they freeze. So, there is a possibilities that the carton can crack or bust when Frozen. To solve for this, you could always open the oat milk and pour an inch or so out before putting it in the freezer.
• Cartons aren't made to be extremely air tight in freezer safe, so this can lead to degradation in the quality of the oat milk.

Freezing in a container or freezer bag

• Portion it: Before you start, decide what size portions you will typically be using your oat milk in. You'll want to portion the oat milk out in these serving sizes so you can just defrost as you need it.
• Pack it: Then, grab your airtight container or freezer bag and pour your serving size of oat milk into it. Make sure to leave an inch or two of headroom so that the oat milk has room to expand as it freezes.
• Seal it: Go ahead and place the lid on your container or zip your bag shut. If you are using a freezer bag, make sure that you have squeezed any excess air out of the bag before zipping it fully shut.
• Label and freeze it: Grab a pin or marker and label your container or freezer bag with the date. Then, go ahead and pop it into the freezer. If you're using a freezer bag, it's best to freeze the milk laying flat for maximum storage space.

Freezing in ice cube trays

If you'll be using your oat milk in smaller portion sizes then freezing it in ice cube trays is optimal. To do this:

• Pour it: Pour your oat milk into the compartments of an ice cube tray. Make sure to leave a small amount of space at the top of each compartment so that the oat milk can expand out of the freezes.

• Freeze it: place your ice cube tray into the freezer for a couple of hours until the oatmeal has fully frozen.
• Package it: remove the ice cube tray and pop your frozen cubes of oat milk out of the tray. Place your frozen cubes into a freezer bag or air tight container. If using a freezer bag, make sure to squeeze out any excess air.
• Seal it up: fully zip your freezer bag shut or put the lid on your container.
• Label and Refreeze: label your container or freezer bag with the date and then toss it into the freezer.

Supplies/Equipment Needed:

• Ziploc Bags
• Plastic Wrap
• Aluminum Foil
• Marker or Pen
• Airtight Freezer Container
• Ice Cube Tray

How to Defrost Oat Milk

Defrosting oat milk is super simple. Simply remove it from the freezer and place it into the refrigerator and allow it to thaw overnight. If you have frozen it as ice cubes it should only take a few hours while larger amounts need several hours to fall.

Once it has defrosted, you will notice that it is slightly separated. Grab a whisk and vigorously whisk it back together. After doing that, there isn't too much of a taste or texture difference from fresh oat milk other than it will be a little grainier.

How to Use Thawed Oat Milk

Due to the fact that thawed oat milk has a more grainy texture than fresh oat milk, you may or may not want to just drink it plain. However, there are still tons of uses for thawed oat milk where the grainy texture won't affect its use like:

• adding to your coffee
• in your cereal
• In smoothies
• for baking and baked goods

Freezing Oat Milk FAQ

Can you make oat milk ice cubes?

Yes, you can easily make oat milk ice cubes by freezing oat milk in an ice cube tray.

How long can oat milk stay frozen?

Oatmeal can stay frozen for 3 to 5 months while maintaining a decent quality. However, it can be frozen longer and still be safe to use, the texture and quality will just degrade over time.

How long does it take to freeze oat milk?

It takes just two to three hours to freeze oat milk and something like an ice cube tray while it takes several more hours if you are freezing in bulk in a freezer bag or airtight container.

How long can oat milk stay good in the fridge?

Unopened oat milk is good for around 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge. Opened oat milk is good for around 5 to 7 days in the fridge.