Homemade Almond Milk
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Homemade Almond Milk
Homemade almond milk. Last week I had to buy almond milk in the store for my vegan clam chowder recipe. I’m not a big fan of it for drinking, and this got me thinking and wondering if I could make my own. Making things from scratch as opposed to buying it in the store is healthier because I know exactly what is going into my food and my body.
Homemade almond milk is not only better than store bought, it is easy to make too.
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The prepper in me is also excited about this because it is an excellent alternative to traditional milk in the event that grocery store shelves are empty or supply lines are jeopardized. Almonds are something that I keep copious amounts of in my house because of the infinite shelf life, and they are just a tasty snack. Why not put them to multiple uses?
Making almond milk at home is surprisingly easy and fun. I was impressed that anyone can easily make this and have a wonderful alternative to traditional milk. This is also much healthier than store bought almond milk, and tastes so much better.
Homemade Almond Milk Ingredients
1 cup raw almonds (Avoid roasted almonds because of the added oil and salt)
4 cups of water
¼ teaspoon salt
Additional Options
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1-2 medjool dates
1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder for chocolate milk
Homemade Almond Milk Directions
Soak the almonds in a bowl for 8-24 hours.
Rinse the almonds and discard the soaking water.
In a blender or food processor, add the almonds, salt, and any additional options listed above. Mix with one cup of water for easier processing.
Using cheesecloth, pour the blended almonds into the cheesecloth and strain. Use motions similar to wringing out a wet towel. I used a large bowl to strain the milk into and then set the leftover almond pulp on a cookie sheet to contain any potential mess.
Once the almond milk is strained into the bowl, I added it to my storage container and then added the remaining three cups of water. Mix well and refrigerate. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Homemade Almond Milk Notes
I added vanilla into my homemade almond milk recipe this time. However when making savory dishes and cooking with it, I would leave that part out. But this was a perfect mix for cereal. When looking for almond milk in the store, finding one that wasn’t sweet turned out to be more difficult than I had anticipated.
You need a high quality blender or food processor, see the links above. The reason for this is that almonds aren’t exactly soft. Blending them up to make milk is taxing on a cheap blender. I made this mistake by using an old cheap blender buried in the cabinet. and the blender was one step away from smoking and bursting into flames because the motor got too hot. Nathan came home from work and asked me if I had tried to set the house on fire because of the smell. Don’t make my mistakes. I took care of that part for you.
The milk and water will separate in the refrigerator. However this isn’t a problem. It simply needs to be shaken up before serving. Most store bought brands of almond milk have emulsifiers and stabilizers in it to either prevent this from happening or slow the process down to where it isn’t noticed.
Since I have only made this once, I haven’t determined if it is cheaper or more expensive to make my own almond milk. However, by buying almonds in bulk and storing in mylar bags, I have a very good supply of them. I’m saving extra trips to the store there and using something that I already have. Which I look at as a win-win.
From a prepping standpoint, I’ve tried both instant dry milk and making my own almond milk. I’m not a huge fan of powdered milk for consuming. It is great for cooking, and almond milk would be my preference for drinking.
Discussion
Have you tried making homemade almond milk yet? Tell me about your experiences in the comments! Check out my other vegan recipes!
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21 Comments
Despite Pain
This is handy to know right now, especially in the situation where supermarket shelves are low, or people might need to self-isolate.
It also sounds fairly easy to make but I am grateful you learned about using a quality blender. (Other people’s mistakes are always the best to learn from 😂)
Incidentally, I just tasted oat milk last week for the first time and it was surprisingly nice. I imagine that would be easy to make too.
Scott J DeNicola
You have answered my question on where almond milk comes from. I had always wondered how it was made considering the obvious about almonds. 🙂 I noticed on some store bought labels that the sugar content in these are very high. Anywhere from 7g to 15g for ones with vanilla and chocalate. kind of defeats the purpose if you ask me. Making it yourself you can defintiely control what goes in.
Thuy-Linh Phan
How very useful, I used to use store-bought vanilla-flavored almond milk for my smoothies when I was in college. I’d definitely be willing to give homemade almond milk a whirl.
Krystel | Frugal Living
I never really thought of making almond milk myself but we just started using it at home. Might have to try
Subhashish Roy
Almond milk is so easy to make and many like me have never ever thought about it. It is such a healthy drink without the added sugar. I too have a good stock of almonds at all times. Great idea Erica.
Lyosha
I didn’t try making it at home. sounds pretty interesting though, never though I could actually do it myself. almond milk is delicious
Britt K
This is great! I LOVE almond milk in my coffee, but I’ve never tried making my own before. Reading how easy this sounds, I’m definitely going to have to give it a try!
Tracy @ Cleland Clan
I’ve started making smoothies with unsweetened vanilla almond milk for lunch every day. Since I’m trying to limit trips to the grocery store, making my own almond milk would be a great alternative. I wonder if you could make it without the salt.
The Prepping Wife
You can definitely make it without the salt, but the taste will likely be muted. Salt brings out the taste in everything, which is why you’ll find salt in every recipe out there, including baking. But, if you want a low sodium alternative, definitely leave out the salt.
Nkem
It’s a surprisingly simple recipe! Have you tried it with other nuts or even oats?
Melanie williams
Ooo I do not have dairy so this is actually really useful to me. I did not know that you could make your own x
Morgan
Wow, good for you for taking the initiative and opting to make your own! It is definitely a good alternative as not all plant milks are made equal. I’ve personally never made my own – I don’t have a cheesecloth or the budget to buy a bunch of almonds!!! lol We tend to use an unsweetened fortified soy milk at home. The kids love it and it’s a great source of protein!
Kat
Thanks for this recipe, I have almond milk regularly and was wondering whether making it from scratch is a viable alternative. Also love the idea of adding vanilla, that must make it taste much better.
I really love how these milk alternatives have sprung up all over the place in recent years. When I was little, there was barely an alternative to cow’s milk out there.
Stephanie S
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been wanting to make my own almond milk for some time now. I normally just buy the carton as the store. But I actually just bought some almonds at our local whole foods store. I think I will explore this recipe, and finally make my own! 🙂
Stella
I have a recipe for making my own almond milk saved, but I get really confused at cheesecloth 🙂 and how to do that process, it seemed so complicated. And it is easy to just go out and buy. This post explains it so well… Thank you! I may attempt this at some point, esp that I can actually make it into a special new drink buy adding additional ingredients. Wonderful!
Lene
That’s one of the great things about plant-based milks — it’s possible to make them yourself. I used to love almonds, but now I’m allergic to nuts so they are off-limits. I do have a loss of oats lying around and one of these days, I’ll try making my own oatmilk.
Meki (Redefining Us)
Thanks for this guide! When I was on a diet, I had to drink unsweetened almond milk and I did not like it all! Being able to make it at home would help me to at least get to tweak the flavors and maybe throw in some healthy sweeteners!
Smita
I like the idea of making Almond Milk at home! I do not drink traditional milk since it makes me break out. I’m considering Almond Milk as a healthy alternative. Sounds easy enough to make at home too – thanks for the inspiration! I’m assuming you would peel the almonds after soaking?
Subhashish Roy
This is a perfect way to have the best while cutting out on the calories. Almond milk available in the stores have high quality sugar content and that’s the reason I have abstained from buying all these years. Thanks for sharing the process.
Nkem
The closest I’ve come to making almond milk is mixed nut butter. I’d like to give almond milk a try sometime soon!
Kelly Martin
I’m dairy intolerant but I’ve never actually tried almond milk. I just gave up milk altogether. I really must give almond milk a try. It looks fairly straightforward to make. Thanks for this recipe.