I’ve been drinking almond milk for years, and until recently I only bought cartons from the grocery store. Over the past year I made a conscious effort to prepare more ingredients from scratch to reduce packaged foods, and that led me to finally make my own almond milk. I used to think it would be time-consuming and difficult, but it turned out to be simple, satisfying, and the flavor of fresh nut milk is noticeably better.
Store-bought nut milks often contain unnecessary additives like gums, fillers, extra sugars, and carrageenan, and they can be overly diluted. Homemade almond milk is richer and more flavorful from the first sip. Making it yourself gives you complete control over ingredients and lets you experiment with different flavors.
How to Make
The first step is to soak the almonds overnight. Nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes contain naturally occurring anti-nutrients like phytic acid that can make them harder to digest and can bind some of the nutrients. Soaking neutralizes enzymes, improves digestibility, and can make the nuts more nutritious. Soak raw almonds in fresh filtered water for about 12 hours.
After soaking, drain and rinse the almonds and discard the soaking water. Peeling the almonds is optional but recommended if you want a creamier milk and a milder almond pulp for reuse. To blanch off the skins, pinch each almond between two fingers and squeeze—the almond usually slips out of its skin easily.
Place the peeled (or unpeeled) almonds in a high-powered blender along with 3 parts fresh filtered water (for example, 2 cups almonds to 6–7 cups water, depending on desired thickness). Blend on high for 2–3 minutes until smooth. Pour the blended mixture through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth into a large bowl or glass, separating the liquid from the almond pulp. Squeeze the bag to extract as much milk as possible, then transfer the pulp to a small bowl for reuse.
Return the strained almond milk to the blender and add flavorings if desired—vanilla, cinnamon, a pinch of pink salt, pitted dates, or a touch of maple syrup all work well. Blend for another minute to incorporate. Store the milk in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You may find you prefer homemade almond milk so much that you reduce or stop buying commercial cartons. I use a lot of almond milk, so making it at home has made a big difference.
Repurposing almond pulp: Spread the leftover almond pulp in a thin, even layer on a baking sheet and dry in the oven at 200°F (about 93°C) for roughly 2 hours. Once cooled, blend it into a fine texture to make a homemade almond flour. Use this flour in baking, add a scoop to smoothies for extra nutrients, or use it in recipes that call for almond meal.
Flavor variations: For cashew-almond milk, replace half the almonds with raw cashews and follow the same process for an ultra-creamy result.
Hemp milk: For a quick alternative, you can make hemp milk without soaking or straining. Blend 1/3 cup hemp hearts with about 6 cups filtered water until smooth.
Homemade Almond Milk
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 10 cups filtered water
- Flavors of choice: i.e. cinnamon, vanilla bean, pink salt
- High-powered blender, i.e. Vitamix
- Nut-milk bag or cheese cloth
- Glass milk bottles, I use these
Instructions
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Add 2 cups almonds to 3 cups filtered water in a large bowl. Cover with dish towel and let soak overnight, about 12 hours.
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Strain almonds and rinse thoroughly, discarding the water that was previously soaked with almonds.
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To peel almonds (optional), pinch almond between two fingers and squeeze. The almond should pop right out, freeing itself of its skin.
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Add almonds to high-powered blender along with 6-7 cups fresh filtered water. Blend on high for 2 minutes. *The more water you add, the thinner consistency it will be.
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Using a nut milk bag or cheese cloth, strain almond milk into a large bowl or glass, separating the liquid from the leftover pulp. Squeeze all of the moisture out of the pulp and set aside in a small bowl.
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Pour almond milk back into the blender with seasonings/spices of choice to blend another minute.
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Store in glass container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.