I have been meaning to make homemade almond milk for sometime now. I absolutely love almond milk and tend to buy it often. The thing I really dislike about it (as with most foods from the grocery store) is that a lot of times it has added ingredients that really just don’t seem to need to be in there, even the organic stuff. Though that tends to be the story of most of the food products people buy. It’s all so over-processed and filled with unnatural junk. These are all reasons why I’ve changed my lifestyle and rarely consume store-bought processed foods, I try to make everything I can myself and eat as many fresh foods as possible.
I came across a few really great recipes and finally took the time to experiment and make my own homemade almond milk and now that I have, I will never buy it again. This recipe is simple, fast (besides soaking time) and it requires only a few ingredients. It is creamy, sweet, nutty, rich and full of luscious nutrients, plus it is great for those on dairy-free or raw diets and vegans. It’s great as is, in smoothies, served over your favorite granola or cereal, heated up with chai spices or chocolate, etc.
In addition to all these other great things, it’s also much cheaper than the almond milk you buy at the store and it isn’t loaded with all that scary junk likeĀ carrageenan, gums, etc. Bonus if you are into chocolate milk – try adding 1-2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder or unsweetened baking cocoa when blending.
[print_this]How-to Make Homemade Raw Almond Milk
- 1 cup whole raw organic almonds (look for unpasteurized if you can)
- 4-6 cups water (you can use more depending on how light you want it, I used about 5 cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 vanilla bean split open
- 2-4 tablespoons local raw honey* (you could also use maple syrup, dates, stevia or whatever sweetener you prefer)
- A dash of sea salt (I prefer Pink Himalayan Salt)
Soak almonds and vanilla bean (if you are using one) for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
Discard soaking water and rinse almonds and the vanilla bean.
Place soaked almonds, the whole soaked vanilla bean chopped up or vanilla extract, honey (or other sweetener), a dash of sea salt and 4-6 cups of water in a blender. Cover and blend on high for 1-2 minutes. It will be milky and have a bit of foam on the top.
Strain milk through a nut bag, doubled up cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. You will then be left with almond pulp that can be saved and used for spreads, butter, crackers, cookies, crusts, etc. You can also freeze the almond pulp for later use.
Serve or store in a covered jar or pitcher in the refrigerator, it’ll be good for about 5 days.
Try adding 1 tablespoon of raw cacao powder or unsweetened baking cocoa when blending for delicious chocolate almond milk!!
* You can also leave out the sweetener if you wish to have it be unsweetened
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EDIT 9/2013 – I realized I was using far too many almonds than what was needed so I changed the recipe from 2 cups of almonds to 1. Still just as good and way cheaper to make!
33 Responses
Very interesting. I use almond milk for my lattes/cappuccinos and you make this sound so easy (ok, maybe not quite as easy as running to the store but still). Thanks for sharing–very interested in the follow up for the pulp.
great post-thanks! i have always meant to try this myself, as well, and now i think i will. š
Wow, that actually looks pretty easy! Do you just use a regular old smoothie blender?
I’m excited about that almond pulp!
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Hey there. This is totally brilliant. Any word on about how long it will last in the fridge?
Oops…never mind…i see you just put that in there
I have also gotten into making my own almond milk recently and stumbled upon your post about it. I was wondering if you have posted any uses for the almond pulp that is left behind. I have been known to throw a bit into oatmeal and I know I could add it to baked goods, but I’m not baking much these days (not eating many breads). Do you have any good ideas?
Thanks!
may i ask what type of blender you are using?
Hi Natalie, I just have a kitchen aid blender, nothing fancy.
this looks great and so easy. I have been wanting to try making my own almond milk for a while, thanks for the inspiration!
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I know people that make it and use the pulp to make Almond Flour
Just discovered your blog and loving it. Putting aside lots of the recipes to try. Can’t wait to give this a dig. I love almond milk x
I have been wanting to make my own almond milk for awhile now, but I just realized the almonds will cost me twice as much as it costs to buy almond milk. I am on a tight budget to begin with, and I use 3 cups of milk a day. I can’t afford to be paying twice as much for it. Does anyone know any place to get almonds for a good price? I buy in the bulk bin. Thanks.
I ni know here in nc you can buy cheaper almonds in the baking asile at the grocery stores. But I would say try looking at SAMs club or bjs for bulk.
How many servings is this recipe for? And do you have any idea how many calories it may have? Thank you!
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Hello,
This recipe looks awesome. I buy carton after carton of almond milk and definitely feel strange about the added chemicals. I would love to finally start making my own milk, but I am concerned about the price of almonds. Aside from the bulk section of my co-op, do you have a recommendation for a website that sells affordable almonds in bulk?
Thank you for this recipe!
Store-bought almond milk, besides having who-knows-what in it, is made from very few almonds – as always, check the label. … So making your own is probably better value anyway.
Namaste
Almonds have about three hours to go in their soaking and then I can blitz them into all that almond-y goodness. Think I will peruse through your recipe file and see what you have to say about coconut milk. I really need to find one & then I can blend almond milk with the coconut milk – – a favorite!!
Oh Wow, I can’t wait to try this š
I really like your idea, I myself is about 65% organic due to to cost other wise I would be 100%.
Do you have a website that sell wholesale ?
Thank you,
Jackiek
I dried the ground Almonds in the oven and used it for a homemade face scrub. Smells good enough to eat and is so nice on my face. Thank you for sharing
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I’ve been wanting to make my own for a while and today I did it using your recipe and It is super Yummy!!!! thanks for sharing never buying any again
Your recipe is far superior to the one I have been using which said to re-use the water the almonds were soaked in. Couldn’t figure out why it tasted so bad but that is the secret. Also, I liked the tip for blending the whole vanilla bean into it, yummy. Thank you!
I am so excited to try this recipe. I will probably add stevia to taste, but if you’ve gone that route before, how much did you use? (powdered or liquid).
Thanks!
Hey there!! So, my mother has been using store bought peanut butter powder(ick) for her breakfast smoothies and shakes. I’m gonna have her try the almond pulp instead(and so will I!). Just made this for the first time this evening and must say it’s delicious in earl grey š
Hi Beth.. fab recipe and will try it out. I am lactose intolerant and use store bought almond milk unsweetened for everything and am excited to try a healthier alternative and make my own. As I am also allergic to “raw” nuts and have to roast them, can I still make this recipe using roasted almonds?