One thing that is pretty much always in my refrigerator is almond milk. I love the nuttiness of the plain and vanilla flavors. And the chocolate almond milk? There’s just nothing like it in a tall glass of iced coffee.
And even though I love making many things from scratch, it just never occurred to me to make homemade almond milk until I saw Jennifer’s recipe here on Tasty Kitchen!
It also never occurred to me how simple it is to make it. Literally all you need is almonds and filtered water, along with any flavorings you’d like. In this case, I tried vanilla and a bit of honey.
The main thing is to soak the almonds in water for up to 6 hours, which will soften them and make it easier to extract the flavor from them once they are blended.
But since I’m not a very good planner, I only soaked them for an hour and the recipe still worked very well.
One other option is to use blanched almonds without skins for a very pure color. But hey, I don’t mind beige almond milk myself.
Once your almonds have soaked, combine them along with filtered water in a blender and give them a whirl for a few minutes.
A nice head of foam will start to form and that’s when you can stop and add the flavorings.
I added some honey from my bees here. But you could try stevia or maple syrup or leave it plain too.
Then I added vanilla. Once again, you could skip this or add cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, cinnamon, and so many other things.
Blend these ingredients together for another 30 seconds and then get ready for the filtering process.
Cut a swatch of cheesecloth and layer it into about four layers. Give it a rinse under cold water and squeeze out the excess. Then drape it over the mouth of a pitcher or Mason jar. If you want to help yourself out you can secure it with a rubber band. Pour in the liquid a little at a time, pressing the excess ground almond that gathers as you go.
It will help to scoop away some of the ground almond if it builds up too much.
Your contraption will look something like this. Keep adding until you’ve pressed in all of the liquid.
And there you will have homemade almond milk!
Thanks so much to Jennifer’s for this great recipe! I’ll never have to buy it again.
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Description
Almond milk is so easy to make, and so sweet. It’s a beautiful addition to cereal or your morning coffee.
For this recipe, you need cheesecloth, a big pitcher, and a blender.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Almonds, Unsalted (preferably Without Skin On)
- 4 cups Cold, Filtered Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- Optional Add-ins (a Few Are Listed Below) As Desired
Preparation Instructions
1. Soak the raw almonds covered in water for at least 6 hours, and then drain them.
2. Pour the almonds into a blender and add the cold filtered water.
3. Blend well. When you see a froth on the top, stop blending.
4. Add the vanilla and honey.
5. Blend again for another 20-30 seconds.
6. Take the cheesecloth, and fold to ensure it is at least 4 layers thick.
7. Put the cheesecloth on the top of the pitcher and secure it with a big elastic band. Use your fist to push some of the cheesecloth down into the pitcher so that it is not tight on top.
8. Pour the almond mix through the cheesecloth into the pitcher.
9. Use a big spoon to help push the milk through the mass of almond and into the pitcher.
And voila, you have Almond Milk!
Once you cinch the basic recipe, you’ll be eager to try the many possible variations:
For a chocolate fix, add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder.
For sweeter milk, throw in a 1/2 cup of dates.
For cinnamon milk, add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg.
For maple flavour, add 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup.
For a sugar-free option, eliminate the honey and add Stevia to taste.
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There’s so much to say about Georgia, we don’t know where to start. Leaving Wall Street for the French Culinary Institute, followed by a stint at the Gramercy Tavern and La Chassagnette in France, her passion for food and food traditions are evident and inspiring. Visit her site at Georgia Pellegrini, where you’ll find more recipes, photos, learn all about her wonderful books Girl Hunter and Food Heroes, and enjoy her latest adventures.
48 Comments
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Tiffany on 3.6.2012
Posted a link to your original recipe – thanks so much!!
http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2012/03/recipe-almond-milk/
Jen on 3.4.2012
Use agave in place of honey. You could also use brown rice syrup, maple syrup, or molasses.
Louanne on 2.1.2012
I love this recipe. My question is what to use instead of the honey. My great grandson is lactose intolerant and I am going to try almond milk for him. He is under 1 year of age so I don’t believe he is allowed to have honey. Please help!!! He’s coming for the weekend ;)))) Thanks
Christine on 1.19.2012
The author of this article said that they didn’t bother to soak the nuts for very long. It is best to soak the nuts for at least 6 hours, to decrease the phytic acid content of the nuts. Also, removing the skins or using blanched almonds will help, as I believe that most of the phytic acid is in the skins. Phytic acid inhibits your absorption of minerals. It is probably okay if you don’t eat many nuts, grains, legumes, and seeds (which all contain phytic acid), but if you do, then it is wise to soak them, otherwise you may get deficient in minerals.
Laura @ ON{thelaundry}LINE on 11.24.2011
^the one thing there though is the one cup of ground almonds would be more almonds, actually, than this one cup of unground almonds.
Laura @ ON{thelaundry}LINE on 11.24.2011
Shannon’s comment made me curious so I googled the nutritional value of almonds. 1 cup of ground almonds contains 25% of your dv of calcium. Here’s a link to a page that contains the nutrition information on what would be in this if you were using just the water and almonds. http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3085/2
Tammy on 11.19.2011
Get some nut milk bags online… SO much faster!!
Emma McCreary on 11.19.2011
I make it in my VitaMix. I still soak them as it makes it a little less fartacious, but it’s not strictly necessary. With the Vitamix you don’t have to strain it after, and you can add dates as a sweetener and it pulverizes them.
Tammy on 11.19.2011
The leftover puld can be dried and pulsed in a blender or processor for almond flour. It makes wonderful cookies, pie and pizza crusts.p
janet on 11.18.2011
Oops, sorry. I meant to say, “Thank you for posting this, Georgia!”
janet on 11.18.2011
I make almond milk every morning to use as a base for my green smoothies. If you have a VitaMix or a Blendtec there’s no reason to soak the almonds at all. Also, instead of water, I use an 11 or 17oz. carton of coconut water (VitaCoco brand is good) and strain it through a nylon nut bag, super fast and the clean up is a breeze. Elena’s Pantry is a great place to look for almond meal recipes for the strained almonds. However, you really don’t need to strain it. Do add a few ice cubes so you can drink a cold glass right away. For sweetening, try a splash of agave nectar and a touch of vanilla. Since my alarm clock goes off at 4:30 and I have to be at work by 6:30, it’s all about simplicity. Thanks for posting this, Ree!
Mauri on 11.18.2011
Add a banana, some cacao, ice – whirl in the blender and you have an amazing chocoloate healthy shake. mmm. I use nut mylk bags to strain the almonds – easy. I’ve also heard you can just buy paint straining bags – cheap! YUM.
emtea on 11.17.2011
This is so good, I made it the other day and then poured it over top of this https://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/11/coconut-granola/. It was like heaven in a bowl.
Marisa Horner on 11.17.2011
Paint strainer bags work very well to strain. Google Mimi Kirk and Youngonraw.com for recipes. She makes a DELICIOUS almond cookie that uses all the almond pulp.
Also, try using organic dates as a sweetener, a pinch of himalayan salt, organic vanilla. Soooo yummy.
Colleen on 11.17.2011
Who knew? Just almonds and water!
anna on 11.17.2011
I would have not imagined it could be done so easily. Nice recipe!
Christine on 11.17.2011
I love this! I can’t believe it’s that easy–can’t wait to try it.
Carla on 11.17.2011
You can use the almond pulp for facial scrubs..mix it with oats n honey for a facial!
noemí on 11.17.2011
hi,
i live in Catalonia and nearby there is Valencia. In Valencia, there is the tradition to make a special drink in summer: it is “orxata” (made from tigernuts). the recipe is more or less the same (more sugar, cinnamon) and you’ll see the heaven, promise!
thankyou for your recipe!
noemí on 11.17.2011
hi,
Lora on 11.17.2011
Can’t wait to make this, I love almond milk! I am curious if anyone has found a use for the almond mixture that gets filtered out of the milk though? I’d hate to throw all of that out if there is another recipe it could be used for.
Alice on 11.16.2011
I have made almond milk many times. It does not last for very long in the fridge. Maybe four days, max. Just don’t make huge batches.
I use raw organic almonds too. And filtered water too. I throw in a sprinkle of sea salt too. Just a dash.
If you are going to make it, why not make it as healthy as possible?
Jessica on 11.16.2011
you can also use the paint straining bags from the hardware store to filter the milk. i heard about doing that from the raw food community-as they are much cheaper than the fancy “nut-milk” bags you can buy & they work well & you can reuse!.. just another idea!
Anita on 11.16.2011
Wow, this is too cool! Thanks for showing this one!
Melissa on 11.16.2011
Thank you so much! This is so great.
Tulip's Mom on 11.16.2011
Same question as Sarah V’s — why filtered water? I don’t use it for anything else, so am not sure why I need it for this.
Janine O on 11.16.2011
use the almond pulp to make your own crackers. Recipe from Elanaspantry.com.
Erin O. on 11.16.2011
If you take the strained almond grit that the cheese cloth catches and dry it, then grind it. It makes almond flour. You’ve hit 2 birds with one stone, make yourself some cookies to go with that milk!
Cupcake Activist on 11.16.2011
I had no idea that making almond milk was that easy so that it only contains almonds and water.
Food on the Table on 11.16.2011
I’d always heard you could make creamy almond milk at home but never knew how. Thanks! Can’t wait to try it out!
Nichole H on 11.16.2011
Beats the heck out of milking almonds…all I could ever picture was Ben Stiller in ‘Meet the Parents’ talking about milking the cat! You have totally debunked that myth!!!
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions on 11.16.2011
I have wanted to make homemade almond milk for a long time! I can’t wait to try it!
Katrina on 11.16.2011
This is so yummy sounding! I love the add-ins. I also always have some almond milk in the fridge. Mmm.
A Cozy Kitchen on 11.16.2011
Your photos are so so pretty!! I’ve only made almond milk once. I really have no idea why I don’t do it more often.
Sarah V. on 11.16.2011
Does it HAVE to be filtered water? And if so, why?
Jennifer on 11.16.2011
There are a TON of things to make with the leftover ground almonds. Check out Elena Amsterdam’s blog at http://www.elanaspantry.com/ She also has a cookbook that only uses almond flour and that is what you will have left over if you use blanched almonds when you make your milk. I’ve been baking with almond flour for a couple months because I am low-carb and I love it.
Terri on 11.16.2011
Anyone know how long can you keep this in the fridge?
Cindy K on 11.16.2011
you can put the almonds in boiling water and when they float to the top take them out. The skins slide right off. Easy to do if you want no skins but don’t have blanched handy.
Heather S on 11.16.2011
I was wondering the same things as amykbh and deanna. Is there anything we can do with the leftover ground almonds. Almonds (and other tree nuts) tend to be on the expensive side, and I’d hate to waste what can be used for something else. Any ideas out there?
Shannon on 11.16.2011
This is awesome! I would have never known it was so easy! But just remember, if you are substituting your dairy with almond milk, this recipe won’t quite cut it. The almond milk you buy in stores has added calcium, vitamin d, and lots of others nutrients that milk normally provides for you that you need. But to substitute milk with this in recipes and coffee would be amazing!
Deanna on 11.16.2011
Is the left over considered Almond Meal for use in recipes?
amykbh on 11.16.2011
is there anything to do with the leftover ground “almond pulp”?
Allyn on 11.16.2011
If only my dairy allergic hubs wasn’t allergic to nuts as well. Sigh.
Hooray for coconut milk!
Jenn (Glynne's Soaps) on 11.16.2011
I’ve thought about trying to make soap with almond milk, but never starting by making my own. I think it would add an extra creaminess not to mention the “talk about it” value.
Thanks for sharing!
Lisa S on 11.16.2011
When my older sister was born, she had a really bad case of colic. My brother was born 13 months later. Needless to say mom had her hands full. Four years later I came into the picture. I guess I showed some signs of colic and mom wanted no part of that, so she started making almond milk to feed me. I don’t know her recipe, but it was what I was raised on as a baby. It probably saved mine and my mom’s life lol had I had colic like my sister did, she may have given me away! My siblings and I survived and are now 56 (the oldest sister), 52 (the colicky baby), 51 (the only boy) and me at 47. Thanks MOM!
The Mrs @ Success Along the Weigh on 11.16.2011
I’ve always heard you could make this on your own but never saw a recipe for it. Might have to give this a try!
Heather (Heather's Dish) on 11.16.2011
i can drink cow’s milk but i love the creaminess that almond milk provides sometimes…so good! and i’m glad to know how to make it at home now!
Shonmarie on 11.16.2011
Whoa!!! This so amazing! I’m going to make this today. I love almond milk and since I have an allergy to regular milk, this will be so good to have on hand. It’s expensive in the store and I’m never sure just exactly what ingredients “flavorings” are. Thanks so much for this – now off to soak my almonds!