One of our essential kitchen staples is homemade almond milk. Even though we've been making it for years, it still astounds people that you can make it yourself. (Or they think it's super hard - it's not!) Here’s how to make some almond milk for yourself!
Obviously you can buy it, but I like making my own when I need a LOT or if I’m out of it, which is often because it usually comes in such small containers. Also, you save a lot on packaging & shipping by making it yourself.
What you’ll need:
- almonds, about .5-1.5 cups depending on how much you want to make
- water!
- ground cinnamon, pitted medjool dates, and vanilla for flavor & sweetness
- a blender
- a mesh bag (such as this kind of nut milk bag)
- a funnel
- a large bowl, preferably with a spout
- bottles/jars with tops for storage (we use old pasta sauce jars, very useful things)
How to make it:
- Pour the almonds into the large bowl, then cover with water. Leave them to soak for a couple of hours, ideally 8 hours if you have a less powerful blender. The longer you soak them, the creamier your outcome. I usually go with 1.5 cups almonds, which makes enough milk for a week’s worth in our house and fits nicely in our blender. I don’t think it needs to be exact, just check the consistency as you go to make it how you want/need it.
- Drain the water and rinse the almonds. Pour them into a blender with enough water to cover, then about a cup or two more. Add in your vanilla, pitted dates, and cinnamon if you're looking for a sweetened, flavored milk. (I usually don't, because I use it for baking.)
- Blend on high for a few minutes, or until the almonds are completely pulverized and it’s creamy and smooth.
- In your large bowl, place the mesh bag in it, folding it over the sides of the bowl so that you don’t make a mess. Pour the milk into the bag, lift the sides of it and squeeze the liquid out into the bowl. Do this until all that’s left in the bag is dried almond pulp.*
- Pour the strained liquid into your storage jars, using a funnel if necessary. Repeat the straining until everything in your blender is gone.
*If you’re interested in not wasting a bit of this process, save the almond pulp! You can either use it again to make more milk (great for baking) or use it in baked goods such as pie crusts, crackers, or in batters. Just store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to two weeks. (I haven’t tried storing it longer than that, though I’m sure you could.)
This milk lasts about 5-7 days in the fridge - use it in cereal, baking, curries, hot chai, or to make creamy smoothies.
Enjoy! :)