How to make homemade almond milk
Here’s a little secret about making almond milk… you don’t actually need a Vitamix. Some of you commented that making almond milk was a great reason to buy one. It IS. It does make it much easier and fancier. But I’ve been making it for years with a regular old Oster blender and it works fine.
So, that being said, I thought I’d share my recipe. The one thing you do need is a nut milk bag. Some people claim you can use cheesecloth, but don’t bother. You’ll have grainy almond milk and it will be so frustrating to make that you’ll never do it again. So first, order one up online. The one I have right now is my second, and I actually bought it from Vitamix before I had one. I figured they would probably have the best one since you know, they’re Vitamix. The first one I bought years ago from a random raw foods website and it was just okay, and then eventually split open in the middle of the main operation. My new one is big and fabulous and strong and makes the whole process super easy.
Raw Almond Milk
1 cup raw almonds
4 cups filtered water + more for soaking almonds
sweetener of choice – maple syrup, agave, cinnamon, etc
Soak 1 cup of almonds overnight (or all day) in a bowl of filtered water.
Strain and rinse soaked almonds (they are delicious at this point, try one!). Dump them into your blender with the 4 cups of filtered water.
Blend on high for 5 minutes.
Place the nutmilk bag in a bowl (preferably in the sink), and empty the blender into the bag.
Squeeze the milk through the bag into the bowl (kind of like, I assume, milking a cow?). The almond meal will stay in the bag and you’ll be left with just the yummy milk.
Now rinse the blender and the lid. Pour the milk back into the blender and add the sweetener of your choice. I usually add a few tablespoons of maple syrup, maybe a squeeze of agave, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt. Blend again for a minute.
And that’s it. Yummy milk that’s actually better the next day once the foam has settled and the flavors have mixed together. I’ve been adding it to coffee and tea, eating it in cereal, and drinking it by the glassful through the day.
If you DO have a Vitamix of another high capacity blender, you can up the portions of almonds and water so you end up with more milk. I usually use 1 1/2 cups of almonds and 6 cups of water. This fills the Vitamix to capacity, which honestly is a huge plus with this type of blender. So much more space! I used to have to blend the milk in batches, which just made the whole process longer and less streamlined.
You can also use the same formula to make milk from different nuts. I’ve make brazil nut milk before and it was delicious too. Make some this weekend!
Thanks for this! I’ve made almond milk before but I honestly had no clue there were nut milk bags! That will make it so much easier. I love your blog, such beauty and great ideas. Thank you.
I love making almond milk. Hazelnut is good too. I only have a Magic Bullet blender right now and it still works.
Thanks for that nut milk bag link. I have been holding off buying one because I only saw the nylon versions out there, which bust super easy.
do you reuse the filtered water from the bowl holding the soaking almonds for the blender? or is it new filtered water?
I’ve always wanted to try this- great photos too.
This might be a silly question, but could you use a juicer after you soak the almonds?
I am totally getting a “nutmilk” bag. Thank you for posting this!
And, super congrats on baby #2. I was hoping to see a baby bump today! ;)
how long does it last? or, do you move through it quickly enough that it’s not an issue?
@Holly – oops! Should have mentioned that. Use new filtered water for the actual milk (the 4 cups). You don’t need to measure the water you use for soaking.
@Christin – hmm. I have no idea! I mean most of the liquid isn’t coming from the soaked almonds. It’s coming from the water you blend them with, so I think that might not work that well. But you could try?
@Heather – I do seem to be moving through it quickly enough that it’s not an issue. But I would guess that it would last a week.
Just a quick tip; Cutting the feet off a pair of cheap pantyhose also work really well as a stand in for a nut milk bag!
Thanks for this post, I love your blog! (and congrats on the new bebe!)
YUM. Thank you for this clear how-to! Can’t wait to give it a try :)
What about the leftover nut meal? Can you do anything with that?
oooh! i just went on the Paleo Diet and almond milk is essential as a replacement for dairy.. but i hate the proscessed versions. thanks for this awesome recipe sans vitamix!
this is awesome – absolutely cant wait to try it!! thanks!
Thanks! I was just going to make almond milk for the first time, and this was just what I was looking for. I love it in smoothies. I think homemade almond milk lasts for 3-4 days from what I’ve read.
Wow! Who knew this could be so simple? I’m definately going to make some this weekend. Thanks for sharing Kristina!
Hello :) This sounds amazing. i love almond milk and it’s pretty hard to come by from where I’m from. Can’t wait to try it. I was wondering, is there a use for the pulp that’s left after straining?
my husband loves almond milk. never thought it was this easy to make. cool.
Iael – I would love to know what you mean by “cut the feet off of pantyhose”? What do you do with a pair of panty hose that have openings at both ends?? what do you tie off? Where do you pour in the milk??
@Carla and Christin – if you’re super into raw food, I know you can make different raw breads and things with the almond meal. But it requires a dehydrator and some patience.
how long does this last in the refrigerator?
guess what i’m sipping right now?
a cold, frothy glass of homemade almond milk. thanks for the nudge! it’s one of those things i keep meaning to try and just haven’t gotten around to it…
and it’s hitting the spot in such a major way!! yum!!
i used my trusty kitchen aid and one of my organic muslin reusable produce bags for my first go around and voila!
i’m going to step-up my supplies, though. a vitamix has been on the list for tooooo long now!
xx
For those of you wondering about uses for nut pulp, check out this hummus recipe. It’s pretty delicious. She also gives resources for other ways to use it.
http://mynewroots.blogspot.com/2011/08/waste-not-want-not-raw-nut-pulp-hummus.html
Can’t wait to try this and flavor how I want. Maybe I could try with pecans too… Thanks for posting!
Another idea for using up the nut pulp is adding it to oatmeal. I’ve never done it, but I always add some natural chunky peanut butter and I imagine it would have a similar effect.
Thanks, Kristina, I just split my nut milk bag today while making almond milk. I was not aware that Vitamix sold them even though I have a Vitamix. I know where I’m getting my next one.
I think the pantyhose reference means cut a foot off a pair and use that to strain, at least that is what I was thinking of doing after I read that!
Do you refrigerate the almonds as they are soaking in water?
Gorgeous photos! I’ve been making this every couple of days and it’s fabulous.
love the recipe, i make it almost every week now! But i’m trying to figure out how i can use the left over almond meal? Any recipes?
Yes, you can use the meal! Spread it onto a baking pan and pop it in the oven @ 310 degrees for @ 40 minutes or until it dries out. Then dump it in a grinder and voila! Almond flour, which you can mix in with any baking. My 1.5 cups of almonds for the milk made almost a cup of almond flour.
Soo easy and delicious…used in my smoothie this am. Im hooked. Any suggestions on what to use reserve almond meal for?
This might be a silly question, but I don’t have a blender or a vitamix, but would this work in a Cuisinart food processor?
Can you give me the link for purchasing the nut-milk bags.
I dehydrate my leftover nuts in my toaster oven on a low setting (it takes, like, all day, though), then have crispy nuts à la Sally Fallon. I think they’re fantastic all on their own, plus I use them to make noatmeal. I cook them in almond milk until soft and add in some cinnamon and cloves. Then I sprinkle in a little psyllium husk powder, stir, and top with Zsweet and heavy cream. Perfect on cold Fall mornings! I never thought of using them for almond meal, though. I’ll have to try this one, since Bob’s Red Mill is $10 a bag here, this would save me a ton if cheddar!!
I made the almond milk and it is awesome. I have a question,when you use a cup of almonds it makes about 3 cups if milk, what would be the calories, protein, fat , and carbs add up to in the milk? I’m trying to stick to my diet and one cup of almonds is too much fat for one sitting. How doi figure out the calculations?
Great recipe and great taste! One question, though. I made the almond milk using 1/2 cup almonds and two cups water but the milk was a little thin and watery. Is it usually like this? Or, should I put more almonds in next time with less water? Thanks.
thats a great recipe i talk about the almond milk benefits in a article i recently wrote
http://milk-substitutes.com/almond-milk-benefits
Beautiful pictures and easy to understand directions. Looks like we’re off to get a nut milk bag. Thank you <3
Thanks Kristina, very nice job. For what its worth I pour boiling water on the nuts for the soak, wait 4 hours till they are plumped then pop them out of the skins (makes whiter milk and removes the tannins and or enzyme inhibitors the skin has.) Then blend and squeeze as above. I have found that if I blend the milked meal a second time with a couple cups I get even more milk. I buy cream raw milk from the farm but now I like almond milk better, thanks to salt, vanilla and stevia. Will last in fridge a week or freeze some.
Thanks for this! Looooove almond milk :) You don’t have to use a “nutbag”, there is a type of straining cloth they sell at any grocery type store (can’t remember exactly what it’s called, I’ve gone blank), I use it every time I make horchata :) yummmmmm!
It’s CHEESECLOTH!
I tried my luck with walnut milk yesterday. It turned out alright but not great, silly me I thought it would be okay if I just strained through a sieve! As a result there are bits of nuts in it but I actually don’t mind, however the final result was no where as creamy looking as yours – again where the nut bag comes into play!
Homemade almond milk is the greatest.
I just recently purchased a Vitamix and made my first batch of almond milk. Following your recipe I set my blender on high and waited 5 minutes. The mixture was thick and creamy, but it was also pretty warm and steamy. Will the heat from the high powered blender have any negative effect on the milk?
Can you use less water to make a concentrate and then add water to the mix as you use it?
I’ve been making coconut almond milk and it’s so yummy! I really need to get a nut bag though, I’ve been using cheesecloth and I can tell a nut bag would be better.
I just did a google search for recipe and noticed your link and love the name and now that I’m in your page it is indeed lovely. Thank you for this recipe and I will definitely now make it for I’ve done other nuts, Nali
Thanks for all the info. I tried following your links to buy a nut milk bag but cant find anything on the Vitamix site.
From your gorgeous photos it looks like 2 bags. (one inside the other) and made of calico? Is that correct? I was thinking I might make one myself.
What about a wine/beer straining bag?
Apparently a much cheaper version of the nut bag is a paint strainer which you can get from a hardware store. I’m off to get one and will repot back. For those of you in Australia, I’m off to Bunnings! :-)