How To Make Your Own Almond Milk

We don't eat much dairy in our house.  My kids tend to get congested after consuming it, and as much as I love me some raw milk cheese, I tend to feel lighter and cleaner without dairy in my diet.  In fact, once we eliminated dairy, my husband stopped snoring, my daughter stopped having dry skin patches, my son's constant runny nose went away, and my acne-prone skin cleared right up.  Plus, have you ever looked at your tongue after eating a bunch of dairy?  Try it.  You'll probably notice a thicker white coating on it.  It's not pretty, and any acupuncturist will tell you that it's a sign of a less-than-healthy state of being.

Once we gave up dairy, I started exploring the world of non-dairy drinks.  Almond milk has become our go-to milk replacement as a base for smoothies, in recipes, and in my morning tea.  However, once I looked at the ingredient list, I knew I didn’t want to consume those stabilizers, thickeners, and synthetic vitamins on a daily basis. 

Fortunately, making your own almond milk at home couldn’t be easier.  You simply soak raw almonds, add to your blender with 4 cups filtered water, strain, and you’re done!  I like to throw in a bit of vanilla extract and honey to make it even more delicious.

Here’s the recipe for you.  I hesitate to call this a recipe because it’s so simple an 8 year old could do it.  (And I know this for a fact, because my daughter makes almond milk with me regularly.  She particularly loves the part where you squeeze the nuts to get every last ounce of delicious milk out!)

Homemade Almond Milk


makes 4 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds, soaked in water for 4-6 hours and rinsed well


4 cups filtered water


nut milk bag, or cheese cloth for straining

Combine the drained almonds and 4 cups of filtered water in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Strain the milk through a nut milk bag or a few layers of cheesecloth.  I found something called a "soup sock" at my local grocery, and I use that.  Squeeze the bag to get out all the milk.

Enjoy!

I like to spread the remaining nut pulp out on a sheet of parchment and bake in my oven at the lowest setting for 3-4 hours. Then I pulse it in the food processor, and voila!  I have almond flour for baking.

Hope you’ll try making your own almond milk at home and enjoy a delicious, all natural, dairy-free drink.  Let me know how it goes!