Homemade Almond Milk

If you're an almond milk drinker, have you ever considered making your own? Homemade almond milk is not only very simple to make, it's also so creamy and delicious that you'll never want to buy it from the store again! If better flavor isn't convincing enough, making your own almond milk means skipping all of the additives commonly found in store-bought versions. 

The ingredients are as simple as almonds, filtered water and a little bit of sweetener of your choice. We suggest using agave nectar or honey as well as a touch of vanilla extract for flavoring. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even add some raw cacao powder for a chocolately taste or a bit of cinnamon. Get creative!

The key to making almond milk at home is using a powerful blender, like a Vitamix. If you think yours isn't up to the task, you may want to increase the blending time a little bit to ensure that the almonds are ground as finely as possible.

Before getting started, make sure that you have a good strainer as well as some cheese cloth on hand. You can even find nut milk bags at a kitchen store for this very purpose! The almonds need to soak overnight, so it's a good idea to plan for that. While it's possible to get away soaking them for only a few hours, you'll get a creamier milk by soaking them for at least 8 hours.

Instructions:

1. Place the almonds in a bowl and cover them completely with water. Soak them uncovered overnight.
2. Drain the almonds in a strainer and rinse them thoroughly with cool water.
3. Combine the soaked almonds and 3 cups of filtered water in a blender. 
4. Blend the mixture on your blender’s highest speed for about 1 minute, or until completely blended. The mixture will take on a milky, opaque appearance. You may see some fine almond bits in there still, but these will get filtered out. 
5. Line a strainer with a cheese cloth and place it over a medium sized bowl. Pour the mixture slowly through the strainer.
6. Once the strainer begins to fill up, lift the cheese cloth and gather the edges together to squeeze out the liquid. Gently coax out the milk until you’re left with a moist paste in the cheese cloth. Be patient and take it slow – you don’t want any of that almond meal to escape! This will also ensure that you don’t break through the cheese cloth. Once all the liquid is released, set the almond meal aside. 
7. You should be left with about 3 cups of creamy almond milk. Mix in the pinch of salt, the vanilla and your choice of sweetener. You can even add a bit of cinnamon or raw cacao powder for more flavor.
8. Store your almond milk in the fridge for up to 3 days. Enjoy! 

Chef’s Note: Keep that leftover almond meal! You can use it as a flour substitute in your baked goods, or even as a thickening agent in soups. To do so, simply spread out the almond meal on a baking pan and place in a low oven (200˚F) for about 2 hours to draw out the extra moisture.

Do you have any tips of your own for making almond milk at home? What about other uses for almond meal? Share your ideas in the comments below!