How to make almond milk from scratch
Here is another essential smoothie ingredient, almond milk! I use this in so many of my smoothie recipes that I just had to share this with you. However it’s taken longer than I would have liked to get a recipe that I actually liked.
I always used to buy my almond milk from the shop thinking I was being healthy but recently I’ve been trying to make pretty much everything from scratch as I’ve been reading about hidden chemicals lurking in a lot of processed foods. Almond milk is another processed food and doesn’t actually contain much goodness left.
The only good thing about buying processed almond milk is that it’s often fortified with vitamin D and Vitamin B12 which are harder to come by especially on a vegan diet living in a cold climate with little sunshine. So if you do cut out processed foods that contain these vitamins you might want to supplement. I just started supplementing these 2 vitamins recently and within a couple of days had so much more energy. I love this brand of Vitamin B12, as it’s based on raw food, and very easy to absorb. They also do the Vitamin D3 Live in the same brand.
However the first time I made almond milk I just didn’t like it. I wanted something that tasted like my unsweetened almond breeze and my homemade almond milk tasted rich, a little bit bitter and a bit sickly. I’m not sure if it was my pregnancy taste buds playing up but I tried various different recipes and didn’t like any of them. I made them thick, thin, tried different brands of almonds but it wasn’t until I added some sweetener in the form of dates that I actually liked it. I’m not sure why that is as I usually don’t need all my food sweetened but when I made a recipe containing dates and vanilla I absolutely fell in love with it and couldn’t stop drinking it plain. I never fancied my almond breeze just on it’s own so I knew I’d found a good recipe. I will give you the option of leaving the dates out though and you can try it both ways and let me know which version you prefer.
** Please note that this post may contain affiliate links which means that I can receive a small payment if you make a purchase through my links.
How to make Almond Milk
For this recipe you will need some whole almonds, and a nut milk bag to strain your milk. You can get yourself a nut milk bag here. I have used nut milk bags for making green juice from the blender, almond milk, coconut milk, coconut cream, homemade vegetable broth and other delicious drinks. Some people also like to use cheesecloth which is a bit cheaper. I’ve never tried using cheesecloth and the nut milk bag just seemed a lot easier to me.
All you do is soak your almonds in water overnight, then blend up your almonds with water, and dates, vanilla and salt if using and strain in through the nut milk bag, couldn’t be easier!
The Almond milk will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days but check it before you use it.
The amount made for this recipe can be used for about 4 servings of green thickies (2 recipes that serve 2) that are made with milk.
Smoothie Recipes made with Almond Milk
I thought once you’d made your almond milk you’d like some smoothie recipes that contain almond milk so you can give it a try. I’m just putting this list together so stay tuned for some great almond milk smoothies within the next week.
I am very excited about my new blog at the moment where I share my health experiments and be completely honest about what worked and what didn’t work. You can read the first of my experiments here which is My Experiments with Coconut Oil: 71 Benefits of Coconut Oil
If you want to use Date Paste in this Almond Milk you can find the recipe for date past here.
How To Make Almond Milk (Quick And Easy)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Almonds
- 5 cups Water
Optional:
- 1/2 cup Date Paste Or pitted dates or use healthy sweetener to taste
- Pinch Sea Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract Or a chopped vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon of ground vanilla
Instructions
- Soak the almonds in enough water to cover them overnight for about 8 hours.
- Drain the almonds and rinse them.
- Add the almonds, 5 cups of water and the dates, salt and vanilla if using into your blender. Blend until smooth.
- Put the nut milk bag inside a large bowl. Pour the contents of the blender into the nut milk bag. Close up the bag and squeeze it gently until you can't get any more liquid squeezed out.
- You can either throw away the almond pulp or use it for a different recipe. The internet is full of recipes for almond pulp!
- Store your milk in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Are you struggling to lose weight and keep it off?
Are you feeling run down and are struggling with ever increasing health problems?
Green Thickies new 7 Day Detox will help you drop a dress size, improve your skin, your energy will soar and you are going to be so in control and proud of yourself.
You won't go hungry on this diet ... And better yet - it actually requires minimal time in the kitchen.
Get results like this...
Hi Katherine,I just wanted to tell you I completed the 7 day detox and I feel so great.
I have lost 6lbs, do not feel like I need more my morning coffee, the flushing of my facial skin from rosacea has dramatically reduced and I am so excited to wake up each morning and make a green thickie for breakfast!!
I am a stay at-home, homeschooling momma of 3 littles and at times so busy I would forget to feed myself!
I would go most of the day without eating and then snack on random things.
I gained 60 pounds the last 6 years during pregnancy.
I have lost 30lbs but recently plateaued and have felt so frustrated.
I’ve tried everything from paleo and keto to the point where I didn’t know what to eat or how much and felt like even eating fruit was bad for me which thankfully it’s not!
What a game changer for me. Thank you for sharing a simple but effective program.
I’m so excited to continue another week with this plan! Thankful Stephanie
Use this special voucher to get $10 off: WEBSITE (Add discount code WEBSITE at the checkout)
Click here to get started
- How To Use Bananas For Sleep (Bedtime Banana Elixir Recipe) - January 14, 2022
- Why You Can’t Eat Your 5 A Day (And The EASY SOLUTION) - November 29, 2021
- 10 Second Banana Ice Cream Recipe (Using Only Bananas) - November 1, 2020
CCU says
I have tried this before but never homemade :D
Delicious recipe!
Cheers
CCU
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Almond milk can be an acquired taste if you are used to dairy but your taste buds soon get used to it. Thank you!
Natalie says
This is the second article I’ve seen this week on how to make homemade almond milk! I’m so intrigued! I love my vegan milks but never thought to make them myself.
Will definitely have to try this method :)
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
I hope you like it. Once you realise how easy it is to make your own milk it’s hard to go out and buy it again. I also love the fact that I can keep a bulk load of almonds in my house and when I run out of milk I can just make so more instead of having to go shopping first.
self sagacity says
I will have to try this! It sounds delicious.
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Thank you, I hope you enjoy it!
Lisa Lynn says
Yum! I would love to have you share this on The HomeAcre Hop tonight!
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-homeacre-hop-7.html
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Thank you Lisa. I’ve added you to my blog hop page and I’ll visit you next time I do some hopping! Many thanks for inviting me.
Heather @Gluten-Free Cat says
Our recipes are soooo similar! I just use 4 whole dates instead of the paste. And I love how you put in a pinch of salt. I’m going to try that next time. I just squeezed 2 mason jars full tonight!
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Great minds think alike! For some reason I just didn’t like it without the dates.
Katie B. of HousewifeHowTos.com says
We love almond milk, but it’s so pricey! The strange thing is that buying almonds isn’t nearly as expensive, so I am SO glad you’ve shared this recipe. Now I’ll make ours at home!
I’d love if you’d come join my How To Tuesday link party, too.
http://housewifehowtos.com/link-party-2/how-to-tuesday-link-party-9/
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
That’s great you can get almonds a lot cheaper. Where I live they are still quite pricey even if I buy them in bulk, but still so much better for us. I’ve mainly been making coconut milk as I can get coconut a lot cheaper.
Judy @Savoring Today says
Almond milk can be used in so many recipes and you are right, making it yourself is the idea way to do it. Thanks for sharing on Hearth & Soul Hop. :)
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Thank you Judy!
April @ The 21 Century Housewife says
Your almond milk sounds delicious. It’s great to have such a wholesome version of this dairy free milk.
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Thank you April!
Jerica@Sustain, Create and Flow says
I love making my own almond milk! Thanks for linking this great post at Wildcrafting Wednesday! Hope to see you back next week :)
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Thank you!
Lea H @ Nourishing Treasures says
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back tomorrow when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! :)
Miz Helen says
Hope you have a fabulous week and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
nicolette @ momnivore's dilemma says
We were on the alternative milks for years, and only recently did I realize the dangers of the gums and thickners used in said milks…
Luckily, I have a vitamix!
Thanks for sharing at last week’s party. I am featuring you at Creative Juice today and my health is wealth board at Pinterest.
Take care,
Nic
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Yes when you start looking into it you realise how bad processed food is for your health. It is so difficult to get off processed foods as we are so reliant on them. I don’t like to use anything with more than one ingredient in the ingredients list, but there are a couple of things that I’ve not quite got around to making from scratch yet, including tofu, yoghurt and pasta. I’m getting there though as I have stopped using tinned foods now.
Laura @ LifeWeLive4 says
We love love almond milk round here! thanks for the recipe! Im loving your blog, came from Creative Juice :)
Laura
Katherine Natalia @ Green Thickies says
Thank you Laura!
Ann says
I snack on almonds that I buy raw and roast myself. Can the milk be made with roasted almonds?
This is all very interesting to this wide-eyed newby!
Ann