Homemade Almond Milk

Erika Wassall, the Jersey Farm Scribe here, with a cash-saving, health pumping, pure tasting recipe for homemade almond milk.

 

Homemade Almond Milk Recipe

Yeah. You heard me right. HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK.

 

Up until about a month ago, I didn’t even realize I could make this at home. To be honest, I wasn’t even 100 percent sure it was actually made with almonds.

 

But first I’d like to do a quick rant.

 

Almond “milk” is absolutely NOT MILK. Milk, by definition, comes from a mammary glands. Cows milk, goat milk, sheep milk, human milk, even dog or cat when they feed their young.

 

Milk: a fluid secreted by the mammary glands of females for the nourishment of their young

– Merriam-Webster

 

So let’s just be clear on that. This is NOT milk. Around here, we call it almond juice, which is actually a better description, even though it’s not a fruit or vegetable either. Plus, I think it makes it more clear that like any other juice, you can make it right at home. But for the sake of the post, I’ll continue to call it almond milk so there’s no confusion.

 

Reasons to make your own homemade almond milk:

1- You can adjust how thick or creamy you want it to be.

2- You can add your own natural sweetener like honey, vanilla, maple syrup, chocolate, or even a jam or preserve.

3- Check out the ingredient list on almond milk you buy at the store. Then look at this ingredient list. Crazy, right?

4- You can make as much as you need!   I can never use a whole half-gallon before it goes bad. This way, nothing goes to waste.

 

Okay. Let’s get going. This isn’t going to take long, so be prepared to be blown away.

 

How To Make Homemade Almond Milk:

 

Step one:

Put pre-soaked almonds and water in blender. Blend. Strain.

 

Yeah. Um… that’s it.

 

Nope. I’m not kidding. I think my brain exploded a little when I realized how simple this is. But I’ll go through it a bit more.

 

Soaking almonds:

I use roasted almonds, but I’m betting you could do this with any kind. Put them in a bowl for 12 hours covered in water. It makes them easier to blend and I read it releases some of it’s goodness too.

 

Add water:

How much? Depends on how thick you want the final product. The balance I’ve come to like is one cup of almonds mixed with 3 cups of water. (I always use up the water they were soaking in, but I’ve accidentally thrown that away and never really noticed a difference)

 

Add sweetener:

For one cup of almonds and 3 cups of water, I find that 2 TBS of honey gives a mild sweetness that I enjoy. But play as you will!

 

Blend:

Stick it all in a high powered blender. Let it run for a while. Maybe 5-6 minutes total. I do this in stages. 2 minutes. Wait a minute. Two minutes, wait a minute. Two more minutes. This way my blender doesn’t overheat. I have a Ninja, but I’ve seen people do it in any blender, especially with the almonds pre-soaked.

 

Quick tip: Make sure you don’t use warm water. It expands in the blender and will get messy!

 

Strain:

You DO need cheesecloth here. A regular strainer will not work, too many little bits will get by and it will be grainy. You can get cheesecloth in the baking isle in any store. I bought one large sheet and have used it for five different batches. (I cut it in pieces, I didn’t use the same piece multiple times) Squeeze it out, every last precious, delicious drop of homemade almond milk. This is the most time consuming part and takes all of about two whole minutes.

 

Yup. No joke. That’s it. It’s sort of like magic.

 

There is all kinds of stuff you can do with the leftover almond meal. Add it to smoothies, make these almond pulp macaroons, and be sure to check out my next post: Can you make almond butter from almond pulp? Seriously, I’m still testing things out. Right now, I really don’t know the answer yet.

 

This is a new STANDARD in my kitchen now. I struggle with dairy. It doesn’t sit well with me. I am not a fan of soy products personally, and even Lactaid (the lactose-free milk) bothers me. Almond milk from the store is yummy, but it’s PRICEY and I always end up throwing away the bottom third.

 

Plus, this stuff tastes better. Fresher. Cleaner. I can’t even describe. All I can say is take the 10 minutes, and try out this Homemade Almond Milk Recipe!

Easy Almond Milk Recipe:

A simple, amazing recipe for creamy, tasty almond juice that will blow you away.

Who knew this was so easy to do at home?  I was so excited, my brain exploded.

Almond Milk Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds (soaked 12 hours)
• 3 cups water
• 2 TBS honey
• cheesecloth

 

Put all ingredients in blender. Blend on high for 5-6 minutes.

Strain through cheesecloth. Squeeze out as much of juice as possible.

Store for up to one week in fridge. Stir before each use.

 

I hope you enjoy this easy homemade almond milk recipe.  Let me know if you try it out!