Skip the line at the coffee shop and make your own creamy oat milk cold brew at home. This recipe gives you the smooth, balanced flavor of your favorite café order without the price tag or complicated equipment.
How to Make the Oat Milk Cold Brew
There’s something about the combo of cold brew and oat milk—the taste is just so smooth and the texture is almost luxurious. Getting it right comes down to decent gear, good ingredients, and honestly, not overthinking it.
Equipment
Nothing fancy required here. A big French press or a cold brew maker does the trick, but a simple jar and a mesh strainer work, too.
Grab a glass jar or pitcher for steeping, a spoon for stirring, and a measuring cup if you want to be precise. A kitchen scale is nice, but not essential unless you’re a stickler.
If you want your cold brew super clean, strain it through a paper filter or cheesecloth. And, yeah, make sure everything’s clean before you start—no one wants weird flavors from yesterday’s leftovers.
Ingredients
- 1 cup coarsely ground coffee
- 4 cups cold, filtered water
- 1/2 to 1 cup oat milk (up to you)
- Ice cubes
- Optional: 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar or sweetener
- Optional: Pinch of cinnamon or splash of vanilla extract
Freshly roasted beans really do make a difference. Filtered water helps keep things crisp. Barista-style oat milk? Worth it if you like a creamier vibe. Sweetness and extras—totally your call.
Instructions
- Dump the coffee grounds into your French press, pitcher, or whatever you’re using.
- Pour the filtered water over the grounds—try to get them all wet.
- Give it a gentle stir.
- Cover and let it hang out in the fridge for 12-18 hours.
- Strain the concentrate with a mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or paper filter.
- Fill up a glass with ice.
- Pour in cold brew concentrate until your glass is about halfway full.
- Add oat milk until it looks right to you.
- Stir in any sweetener or spices if you’re feeling it.
- Drink up.
Tasting Notes
You end up with a mellow, layered coffee that’s surprisingly easy to drink. The long steep gives it a round, smooth body. Oat milk brings in that signature creaminess without bulldozing the coffee flavor.
Depending on the oat milk, you might catch some nutty or cereal-like notes. It’s definitely less acidic than your usual iced coffee, which is a relief if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing.
Adding cinnamon or brown sugar? That’s where you get a gentle spice or a whiff of caramel. Vanilla makes it extra smooth—almost like dessert, but not quite. Drink it straight or tweak it to fit your mood.
Quick Pro Tips
Start with a coffee-to-water ratio of about 1:4 for a classic cold brew, but honestly, tweak it until it tastes right to you. Those barista oat milks? Way better for steaming and foaming, and they don’t split as easily in iced drinks.
Pop your glass in the freezer for a bit before pouring—cold brew stays colder, obviously. Oat milk ice cubes are a game changer if you hate watered-down coffee. Play around with beans: lighter roasts can taste surprisingly fruity, while dark ones go big on richness.
Give your cold brew a good strain so it’s smooth, not sandy. In a rush? No shame in grabbing pre-made concentrate and jazzing it up with oat milk or whatever flavors you’re into.
