How To Make Almond Milk
Wondering how to make almond milk? This homemade version is better than anything you can buy at the store!
The truth is, there just isn’t a truly clean almond milk on the market. It’s impossible because almond milk doesn’t last long. It needs preservatives to keep it shelf-stable. A long shelf-life is particularly critical in unrefrigerated boxed milk, which is a common way non-dairy milk is sold.
Even the healthier versions have odd ingredients for something that is just supposed to come from a nut.
This process is so simple and only takes about 1 minute after soaking. And frankly, the homemade stuff is a thousand times more delicious than the store-bought stuff!
Is Almond Milk Better Than Cow Milk?
“Better” is a relative term. There are a lot of issues with our milk supply. So generally speaking, almond milk may be a bit better than dairy milk. However, it has its own issues as well (environmental issues with growing almonds). What it really comes down to is, which milk can you tolerate? If you have to be dairy-free, then this is one of many good choices available to you. It’s also naturally gluten-free, keto, vegan, vegetarian, and paleo, if that matters to you.
Does It Take A Lot Of Almonds To Make Almond Milk?
It can, but it doesn’t have to. The recipe below calls for half a cup. Some recipes go up to a full cup.
Which Almonds Are Best?
The only almonds you should use to make almond milk are raw almonds. Do not use roasted almonds. It won’t work.
How Long Do You Need to Soak Almonds?
Almonds typically soak the best overnight. If that timing doesn’t work, then the minimum time for soaking is 4 hours. But overnight (at least 8 hours) is best.
How Long Does Fresh Almond Milk Last?
Homemade almond milk lasts about 3 days. So keep your batches relatively small unless you know you will be using a lot for something.
How to Make Homemade Almond Milk Cheaper than Store-Bought
The prices on store-bought almond milk are tough to beat. But there are ways you can achieve this.
Most recipes call for 1 cup almonds and 2 cups water. This ratio works well, but it’s not cheap.
- The recipe below calls for a half cup of almonds. If you want to use the full cup, you can up the water content to 3 cups.
2. Purchase your almonds in bulk. Costco or similar warehouse stores usually have the best deals.
What To Do With Almond Pulp?
There are tons of ways to use up the almond pulp. (The stuff that is left over after making almond milk). I will refer you to the Almond Cow website (not paid to promote them) for an endless supply of them. This link is to just one of their recipe categories. There are others.
How to Use Diary-Free Milk
You can use any non-dairy milk in much the same way as regular dairy milk. Just keep in mind that almond milk is much lower in fat than even other non-dairy milk. It’s thinner, so it’s harder to make things like ice cream with. Some ideas for use are in:
- Smoothies
- Coffee
- Cereal
- Baking
- Soups
- Overnight oats
- Chia pudding
- Latte
- Coffee creamer
Optional Additions
If you want to flavor this a bit, here are some ideas for ingredients you can easily blend in.
- Pinch of sea salt – This is particularly good if you have added sweetener (which I recommend). Just keep it very minimal. A little salt goes a long way. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out once it’s in. So go slow on this one.
- Pitted dates – Typically, 1 date per batch sweetens things up nicely.
- Maple syrup – An alternate sweetener to try.
- Ground cinnamon – Start with a 1/4 teaspoon and go up from there.
- Ground nutmeg – Start with an 1/8 of a teaspoon and go up from there.
- Cocoa powder – If you want chocolate milk, unsweetened cocoa powder is a great way to go.
Ingredient Checklist
½ cup raw almonds
2 cups water + extra for soaking
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract (optional)
Clean sweetener to taste such as dates, honey, or pure liquid stevia
How To Make Almond Milk
Soak the almonds overnight. I started in the evening and then changed the water before I went to bed. But that’s not necessary.
Drain off the soaking water in the morning and put the almonds with the 2 cups of water and any other optional ingredients into your high-powered blender.
Blend for about 1 minute, or until the almonds are well liquified.
Strain the mixture into a bowl through a nut bag and squeeze the bag out by twisting to remove all the milk. In a pinch, you can also use a clean dish towel.
How to Store Almond Milk
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can keep this in jars of any kind with a tight-fitting lid.
Can You Freeze Almond Milk?
You can! I like to freeze mine in ice cube trays for easy use, and then I transfer them to a zipper-top, freezer-safe, plastic bag. It will freeze like this for up to 3 months.
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More Homemade Dairy-Free Milk Recipes
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How To Make Almond Milk
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Ingredients
- ½ cup raw almonds
- 2 cups water + extra for soaking
- ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract (optional)
- clean sweetener to taste such as dates, honey or pure liquid stevia
Instructions
- Soak the almonds overnight. I started in the evening, and then changed the water before I went to bed. But that’s not necessary.
- Pour off the soaking water in the morning and put the almonds with the 2 cups of water and any other optional ingredients into your high powered blender.
- Blend for about 1 minute, or until the almonds are well liquified.
- Strain the milk into a bowl through a nut bag and wring the bag out by twisting to remove all the milk.
- Store the almond milk in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Note that this will not keep longer than a few days like the store bought stuff. No preservatives!
TO TOAST ALMOND MEAL:
- Simply spread out over a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 325 for about 15-20 minutes or until it has a nice, golden glow. Great for adding to your morning cereal or muesli!
I have a juicer would that as well?
Lisa – I doubt it. A juicer is meant to extract liquid. Not mix everything together.
Is the nut milk bag totally necessary or would something else work to strain?
LeaG – You could try cheese cloth if you make it several layers thick. But it still might not be filtered as well. You need a finer mesh for this.
I had a great opportunity to compare my $30 blender with my neighbor’s Vitamix. Same amount of soaked sesame seeds, same amount of water in the blender, used a nut milk bag to squeeze the milk out, and the SAME AMOUNT OF MASH LEFT. I was shocked. I expected to see hardly any mash left from the Vitamix. I didn’t weigh it but visually and holding both small bowls that contained the mash, the same. So I will stick with my $30 blender. I make sesame milk now because of the high calcium content of unhulled sesame seeds.
Marge – Whatever works!
I had no idea it would be that easy! I dont have the nut bag but might look into one. We like to indulge in chocolate almond milk sometimes, would I add cocoa powder to this when I blend it or a different way perhaps? Do you have a source for almonds? They can be pricey at the store near me. Thanks! Love your blog, I follow you religiously on pinterest!
Amy – You could add it during blending, sure. As for almonds, I get mine at Trader Joe’s. But if you can’t find them locally, Amazon usually has everything.
Hello. I want to make this milk this coming weekend. Can you suggest where I could purchase a nut bag? And do you honestly think I could make this milk in my regular blender? Don’t have a Vitamix.
Langa – You can get a nut milk bag at most kitchen supply stores. I got mine at Cost Plus. I would just call around to see who has them in your area. Yes, you can do it in a blender. You may end up with more of the almond meal and a little less milk, but it will work. Let me know how it turns out!
How long does it stay good for?
Michelle – Not long. About 2-3 days.
I got to the point that I couldn’t drink regular milk or eat ice cream made with regular milk, so I switched to Almond Milk, unsweetened vanilla. I didn’t look at the ingredients and now know that I need to make my own. Wish I had put a good blender on my Christmas list this year. So glad I found your recipe.
Pamela – I hope you enjoy it!
Second time I have made the Almond Milk. Love It, Love it and so easy to do. I bought a nut bag through Amazon ( Zimtal Brand) it works real well. Purchased Almonds at Costco. That is the only milk I use for cereal every morning ,etc. Thank you for sharing the recipe . The conveniece is awesome .
Dorothy – My pleasure! Enjoy!
Do you think I could use this almond milk to make ice cream? Not sure if it would turn out runny or not.
Ashleigh – I’m not sure. I think it would hold up far better than the stuff you buy at the store, but I’ve never tried making ice cream with almond milk, so I can’t really say. Sorry!
I make my own popsicles, which started with FF milk but changed to almond milk and now I use the higher-calcium sesame milk plus the mash. It’s great: Here’s the last batch I made. I love it and so two my 2 neighbor friends, age 3 and age 7:
1.52 lb frozen banana
5z frozen sesame seed mash (all the mash from 2C of seeds)
3T chia seeds + 3T hemp + 3T roasted sesame seeds
3C sesame milk
1/2C no-salt crunchy peanut butter + 1T
2T almond butter
6T combo coconut sap + sugar
1t each of almond, coffee, choc & vanilla extracts
Marge – Sounds wonderful! I’ve never heard of coconut sap. Where do you get it?
I found it at Marshall’s and bought 2 of them:
Coco Natura coconut sweetener all natural pure coconut sap nutrient-rich sweetener [ingred: 100% pure coconut sap), 8 ounces, $6.99
Also, next time I will soak the chia seeds for an hour. It’s amazing how they expand. I also put soaked chia in my steel-cut oatmeal!
Marge – Interesting! Thanks! 😀
And thanks for your very interesting blog and emails and ideas, Tiffany!
Marge – My pleasure! 🙂
Thanks! The vitamix book has a recipe for almond milk- no sapling required. Literally put in almonds and water, add sweetener/or vanilla if desired and blend, then strain. That’s it!
I got my nut milk bag on Amazon and it’s awesome.
Jen – Ya, that’s essentially what I do.
Could this be frozen???
Leslie – I’ve never tried, but I don’t see why not. You may want to make a small batch and freeze a portion of it to see how it does. But I would think it would do just fine.
Does it come out “milky”? I tried making my own coconut milk, but found it was watery and very oily when I added it to my coffee, not milky like I wanted.
Sara – Homemade almond milk is thicker than the stuff you buy at the store. But it’s also completely adjustable. The more water you use, the more watery it is. My recipe keeps it a tiny bit on the thicker side simply because I like it that way. But again, it’s totally adjustable to your liking.
Hi could I substitute cashews for the almonds, if so same proportions?
Thanks,
Myrna
Myrna – Sure! Any nut should work. 🙂