Oat milk curdling/thickening when hot

Question

I loved the creaminess of this milk and thought it a success, but when I warm it for my coffee, the milk seems to "cook" or curdle. Also when mixed with a hot drink, the milk thickens, creating a very dense drink. I had never had this happen with store-bought oat milk, is this due to the soaking of the oats?

Natalia · Answer

Interesting, I will look into that! Thank you :)

Lori T. · Answer

Oat milk thickens because you are still dealing with starches in a solution, and when heated they absorb liquid and swell.  Commercial oat milk is treated with either an anticoagulant or an enzyme to prevent this happening.  You could duplicate this, I think, by locating  food grade  amylase to do the same thing.  Home brewers use it, so a home brew supplier ought to have it in stock.  I have no idea how much you would use, though- you would have to do that experiment yourself.

Oat milk curdling/thickening when hot

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