We are plant-based milk lovers, just as we were cow's milk lovers years ago. As the years went on, and we started our quest to remove as many Tetra Paks and plastics from our kitchen, Homemade Almond Milk arrived in our lives.
At first, we couldn't get to make the almond milk as creamy as we liked the store-bought one, but as soon as we perfectioned it, it arrived to stay.
We like that this recipe is super adjustable. You can make it creamier, sweeter or flavor infused. You can also make it plain if you need it to make a vegan bechamel sauce, vegan mashed sweet potatoes, or vegan cheese.
It is cheaper than store-bought and super easy to make. It requires 2 ingredients, 5 minutes, and a blender.
We also use this almond milk to make our breakfast banana oatmeal smoothie to make it perfectly creamy!
Why should you do your own?
Health
If you look into the ingredients list of most commercial Almond milk, it's full of strange ingredients such as guar gum, lecithin, and the list gets longer.
The only reason they do it is to preserve it for longer, thicken it, and stabilize the mixture, resembling more cow's milk.
Almond milk, once stored, will inevitably separate, but you have to shake it before consuming it. Do we need to add all of these ingredients just because we can't shake our milk before drinking it? We think most of us don't mind; we just need to have the information.
This dairy-free milk is perfect for your Superfood Green Detox Smoothie, also on this site, to complement your weekly breakfast meal plan.
Convenience
This DIY almond milk is effortless to make; it only takes us 5 minutes.
You can make only the quantity you need.
It's fully adjustable on flavor, thickness, and sweetness.
Economy
As a former Engineer, I did my math and living in Northern Italy, where things are pretty expensive (both milk and almonds). However, I found that it was 15% cheaper.
The caveat here is that we compare to Almond milk, not Cow's milk, which is out of the picture as most Dairy products worldwide are subsidized, and we are not talking about the same product.
150 Tetra Paks saved per year: 3 per week!
That's not a lot, but this number gets better when you consider that I use the remaining pulp to replace the nuts that I use for my smoothies and replace half of the nuts I used for my homemade granola bars.
Also, we use a lot of nut milk regularly, so the number piles up rapidly.
Ingredients
The Almond milk ingredients list, is as short as one ingredient: almonds, plus water and optionally a sweetener.
- Raw almonds
- Water
- Optional: natural sweetener (like dates or maple syrup)
Note: keep your almond milk unsweetened if you are planning to make vegan buttermilk with it. See our post, explaining the details and the best combinations to make the best vegan buttermilk, easily made with soy milk, this almond milk, or even oat milk.
Instructions
So, how do you get milk from almonds?
The first thing you need to do is put your almonds to soak overnight in water.
You need to drain the almonds and add them to the blender for 1 to 2 minutes along with water.
You can optionally add a pinch of salt and your preferred sweetener or flavoring flavor enhancers.
Suggested sweeteners: dates, date paste, raisins, agave syrup, or maple syrup.
Then you need to strain through a nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth, squeezing out as much liquid as possible.
Add in ideas: cocoa powder, vanilla extract, coffee, strawberry, or hazelnuts.
Soaking your Almonds
- Soak the almonds at room temperature or in the fridge.
- If a day has passed and you forgot or didn't get to make the almond milk, they are at room temperature, change the water, and put the soaking almonds in the fridge.
- If you need to make the almond milk the same day, pour boiling water into the almonds to accelerate the process and leave them soaking for one hour.
How to Thicken It?
If you want thicker almond milk increase the number of almonds from 1 cup to 1 ¼ or 1 ½ or reduce the water from 5 cups to 4 cups.
We find the perfect thickness for our taste is 1 cup of almonds / 5 cups of water.
Suggested thick almond milk options:
- 1 cup of almonds / 4 cups of water, if you don't mind sacrificing final volume.
- 1 ½ cups almonds / 5 cups of water, if you want the same volume.
If you want thinner almond milk, reduce the number of almonds to ¾ cup or increase water by one cup.
What to Do with Almond Pulp?
We add the remaining almond pulp to our Post-work Out Protein Shake, replacing the nuts component with pulp.
Also, we like replacing half of the required number of nuts for pulp in our Granola Bars.
If using non-organic almonds and prefer avoiding the residual pesticides that almonds skins might have, you may choose not to use the pulp.
How Long Does it Last?
How long does homemade almond milk last depends on whether you sterilize your equipment and how fresh are the ingredients you used. In general, we have found it lasts about 3-4 days.
We use almond milk quite often for our morning smoothies and coffee, so one batch only makes it to the third day. If you are like us, you don't need to sterilize your ingredients as it reaches the 3rd day without any problem.
If you find that it goes off before expected, easily sterilize your bottles either:
- Pouring boiling water inside, ensuring the jars are not cold so that they won't break.
- Then, putting them in the dishwasher.
If you have unexpectedly leave home or didn't use your milk soon enough and want to prevent it from going off, you can freeze it in ice cube trays and save them to add to your morning smoothies.
How to Use it
You can use it the same way you would use regular milk: in your coffee, in smoothies, in your morning granola, pumpkin maple granola, or breakfast fruit bowl, bechamel sauce, pumpkin overnight oats, blueberry overnight oats, baking, and even making vegan cheese.
FAQ
Can dogs have almond milk?
As much as we love our furry best friends, there are certain ingredients that should not be given to them under any circumstances. Almond milk is one of those ingredients. Read on below for more information about almond milk and dogs.
By now you probably know that chocolate is bad for your dog. But what about other types of dairy products? What about almond milk specifically, can dogs drink almond milk? Well, the answer is a big no.
Why Can Dogs Not Have Almond Milk??
Almond milk is not bad for your dog in small amounts. However, it should never be given to them due to its ingredients and effects on their digestive system. So what are these ingredients that make almond milk harmful for dogs?
Almonds: It may not be immediately clear why almonds are bad for dogs, but they can actually be quite harmful. There have been reports of dogs being poisoned from eating raw almonds. The symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and lack of appetite. The reason is due to a chemical called cyanide that's found in raw almonds. When the almond meat is broken down for almond milk, there's not really enough of it to harm your dog so no need to worry about that. But why take the risk?
Below are some recipes where you could use your almond milk:
- Vegan mashed potatoes
- Vegan Bechamel Sauce
- Post-Work Out Smoothie
- Easy Strawberry Banana Smoothie
- Vegan Cauliflower Wings
- Creamy Vegan Sauce for Everything
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
Recipe: to make Almond Milk
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds raw
- 5 cups water
Directions
- Soak the almonds overnight in freshwater.
- Drain the almonds and discard the water.
- Add the soaked almonds to a blender and 5 cups of water and blend at high speed for 1 to 2 minutes (in this step, add the salt and dates if you choose to).
- Strain through a canvas fabric, nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth, squeezing out as much liquid as possible.
- Store in a closed bottle for up to 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
In general, we have found it lasts about 3-4 days. This time may vary depending on whether you sterilize your equipment and how fresh the ingredients you used.
Nutrition Facts
Food safety
We sometimes take for granted that we have years (or decades) of cooking experience that the average visitor may not. Add to, or remove from, the list below with health and safety tips.
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I use all of the products listed and recommend them because they are companies that I have found helpful and trustworthy.
Ann Wycoff
Very interesting. I have to confess that almond milk is one of those things I've always bought from the store and usually in low quantity for cooking and such rather than for its own sake because I usually go for higher protein alternatives for drinking straight, but having said all of that I enjoyed reading how it is made at home and the pictures of the process you posted to go along with it.
Gus
Hi Ann, thank you! We also used to buy Almond milk, Soy milk, and all kinds of vegetable kinds of milk until we started making our own and found out how easy it was. With a similar process, you can make soy milk too, which is higher in protein. We just haven't found whole soy grains here in Italy. Hopefully, you tried the almond milk once and let us know how it goes, and we love you enjoyed the post! We are going to be publishing oat milk soon.:)
Susana Bereciartua
Chicos, les paso un tip a ustedes que se preocupan por su salud; calienten las almendras con un poco de agua en una sarten unos 10 minutos y luego las pelan apretando un poco una punta . La razon es que a los frutos secos los rocian con un insecticida que a mi , por lo menos , me da intolerancia; ademas quedan mucho mas ricas. Espero que lo prueben y les guste, besos a los dos
Gus
Muy buen tip Susana, gracias. Si, esa es una de las razones por las que se dejan en agua durante la noche. Para que ese insecticida se diluya en el agua. El resto de la cáscara queda luego en la tela que se usa como colador. Otra cosa es que tratamos de usar siempre almendras orgánicas, no expuestas a insecticidas, de esta manera también se evita de raíz los pesticidas aplicados a las siembras, pero bueno, también encarece un poco la compra! Nos encantó tu tip, gracias por compartirlo!
cyndy
I've been thinking about making my own Almond milk for ages. Tried this one both plain and with vanilla and it is perfect! So happy to have found this recipe - great instructions!
Gus
Nice! I think that is one of the great things about making your own almond milk! It is soo customizable! Vanilla is also my favorite one for coffee!
Andrea
Had no idea it was this easy to make your own almond milk. Will definitely be giving this a try.
Jenn
I love this! I love the idea of making my own almond milk and your steps made it easy! It is much better tasting that store bought, too!
Gus
It does! and you are in full control of what is in it! I am glad you found it helpful!
Kechi
I rarely make almond milk but this post has challenged me. I will surely report back to you when I make some soon! Thanks for all the tips.
Gus
sounds good" I am glad the post inspired you to make it!
Chenée
I never knew how easy it could be to make almond milk! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Gus
Super easy! I am glad you found the recipe helpful!
Sharon
Who knew that making almond milk at home could be so simple? It's great to have on hand for morning coffee.
Gus
Crazy isn't it! Enjoy your coffee with freshly made almond milk! 🙂
Hayley Dhanecha
Absolutely delicious, thank you for showing us how to make almond milk at home!
Gus
You are welcome! Thanks for your review, Hayley!
Heidy
I loved how informative this post was! Great information and techniques! I am going to attempt this to see how it turns out. Thanks for sharing excellent information that I am excited to use! Have a great day!
Gus
You are very welcome Heidy! I am sure it will be a success! I am glad you found the information and techniques helpful!
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats
My daughter is dairy-free, so I've always bought almond milk from Trader Joe's...Not crazy about it, because of the additives. I never knew how easy it was to make it at home! Thanks!
Gus
you are welcome! I am glad you found the article helpful!
Amy
Such a helpful post that makes almond milk so easy to make
Gus
Thank you, Amy! We are glad you found it helpful!