DIY Almond Milk
Almond Milk
I know this is probably nothing new to many of you but for me if was a revelation, making your own almond milk is easy and yields (IMHO) a product so superior to the commercially prepared milk, I honestly was blown away. It’s my new obsession and I use it everyday in shakes or on cereal or as a snack. I researched several websites to see how it is done and tried a few different methods, I made a few changes to the recipes I saw online. You need raw almonds, bottled or filtered water, a sweetener is optional, as is flavoring and salt (preferably sea salt). I decided that I like it with just a touch of sweetener and vanilla. I probably use a little less water to make it than other recipes because I like it rich and creamy. It is delicious, nutritious and a real treat. I always used soy milk in my morning shakes but not anymore. This morning I had a banana, date shake made with the almond milk and it was heavenly. I used the leftover pulp to make some granola this weekend and it was great I have to try to think of ways to use it right now it is sitting in my freezer in ziplock bags. If any of you have any ideas on what to make with the pulp please let me know. You will need raw almonds of course, filtered or bottled water, cheesecloth or a nut milk bag and thats it. There is no real formula you can add or subtract from the amounts in this recipe. This is how I like to make it.
Preparation:
3 cups raw almonds
6 cups filtered water
Place almonds and water in a lidded container and refrigerate for 24-48 hours.
Making the Milk:
drained almonds
5 cups water
sweetener (Optional)
Flavoring (Optional)
pinch of sea salt
Drain the almonds in a strainer, add to vitamix or food processor, add 5 cups bottled or filtered water, sweetener (I used 1 1/2 tsp organic cane sugar) optional flavoring (I added a tsp of vanilla), and sea salt, blend or process, If using a vitamix 2 minutes will do and if using a food processor 3-4 minutes.
Have doubled cheese cloth or nut milk bag ready over a large bowl, pour into cloth or bag and squeeze, until it is dry. Pour into container and refrigerate until ready to use.
NOTE: My first batch I used cheese cloth doubled, it worked pretty well but I found it was not completely strained, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to have a few errant pieces of nuts in your milk. The second batch I used a clean cotton tea towel and it worked like a charm, no nut pieces and it was large enough that I was able to really squeeze it and get every drop of milk. I am going to invest in a nut milk bag very soon.
apuginthekitchen 
Yes, I agree it’s fabulous! Been making my own too for quite sometimes!! I also make chocolate here! http://thehealthyflavor.com/2012/10/22/homemade-almond-milk/
Oh chocolate I would totally love that, will try that today!! Thank you.
Awesome! Let me know how it turns out!
This may be a dumb question but can you still eat the almonds afterwards?
Not dumb at all, I wondered the same thing myself. I mixed them with granola and it was great, I was also thinking you could place them on a sheet pan and toast them and use in other dishes like a fruit crumble or something. Thank you so much.
Great suggestions – thank you!
You can also throw it in smoothies to thicken them up 🙂
There is nothing quite as satisfying as delicious almond milk 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thank you you are so right, it’s delicious.
I adore almond milk and homemade is just the best. I haven’t made a batch in awhile so thank you for the inspiration! I usually add a drop or two of vanilla along with a pinch of sea salt for flavoring.
Thanks Hannah, it is the best, I did exactly what you do, some vanilla and pinch of sea salt. It is so good I am going to be using a lot less cows milk now, I imagine it being great in baked goods. I need to find a source for raw almonds that doesn’t break the bank.
Your direction are so clear and direct, I feel like most recipes for homemade almond milk are really complex. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Tracy, I was intimidated by the thought of it until this weekend, the hardest part is figuring out what to do with all the almond pulp. Enjoy!
Since I can’t buy it here, this is awesome to see. I have had to not try many recipes that called for it. Thank you for posting!!
It is so good and so simple to make. It was a revelation for me. Thanks so much.
Can you incorporate the pulp to a biscotti recipe?
Oh thats a wonderful idea, yes I am sure you can, I love biscotti, just made a recipe from Lapadia’s Kitchen and I will try it with the almonds, Great idea! Thank you.
Nut milk bags are usually made out of nylon, which is made into a mesh to allow for straining of the milk out of it. Many of them also come with a drawstring that can be used to tighten the bag once a nut puree or mix is poured into them. Apart from being used as nut milk bag as the name suggests, they can also be used to make fruit juice. To make the fruit juice, first you have to make a pulp out of the fruit. Then pour the fruit pulp into the nut milk bag, and squeeze the juice out of it into some other container. Your fresh fruit juice is ready! To use it as a sprouting bag, you can put in legumes, pulses or seeds into the bag, but do not fill it more than 1/4th of the bag. Soak the bag overnight, for 8-12 hours. Afterwards, rinse and hang the bag in the dark with a container under it to catch any water that drips out. Nut milk bags are not just for nut milk, but for a complete healthy diet.
I never thought to make my own – what a great idea. Thanks for the idea! As for the almond pulp what about making brownies or an almond chocolate cake?
Thanks so much, yes, I can make both I have a plethora of almond pulp. I am going to use some to make a tart crust today and have a huge amount leftover.
Wow. This sounds easy. Can’t wait to try it myself.
It really is and so worth making. Thank you.
This is really unique and incredible. I would never have thought to make my own. It is so easy to pick it up at the market. But your recipe would make it hard to ever want store bought again. Looks delicious. A nut milk bag sounds like a perfect purchase too!!
I will never buy almond milk from the store again, this is so good. I have to get a nut milk bag, going to look on amazon and see if they have one, for now the kitchen towel works ok. It’s really worth the effort. Thanks so much.
This bag is great! I haven’t used it to make nut milk, but I have used it for other things – it’s a great strainer.