I use a lot of almond milk. It tastes great and works well in all sorts of recipes- everything from smoothies to muffins.
Sure, you can buy almond milk- but it tastes fresher and more delicious when you make your own almond milk. Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds.
The first step is to soak raw almonds in fresh cold water. Soaking the almonds plumps them up and makes them easier to blend. Be sure to use fresh, high-quality almonds. Stale or rancid almonds will make bad tasting milk. Fresh almonds make a slightly sweet and nutty tasting milk- creamy and delicious.
Place 1/2 cup raw almonds in a bowl and cover with water. Cover the bowl and soak the almonds in the refrigerator about 8 hours. (I usually soak the almonds overnight.)
Drain and rinse the soaked almonds. Place the almonds and 2 cups fresh cold water in a blender container. Cover and blend until as smooth as possible. A high-speed blender works best for this, I use a heavy-duty Vita-Mix blender.
Strain the mixture to separate the almond milk from the almond solids. I use a fine mesh strainer to strain the nut milk. A cheesecloth-lined colander or a nut milk bag can also be used to strain the mixture. This recipe makes about 2 cups almond milk.
I add a few drops of pure vanilla and a pinch of sea salt to the almond milk. If desired, the almond milk can be sweetened with a natural sweetener like maple syrup. Store the milk in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh 2 to 3 days. (The almond milk will separate upon standing. Shake or stir well before using.)
I hate the thought of throwing out the almond solids so I keep looking for ways to use them. I’ve had success stirring a spoonful or two into oatmeal, breakfast quinoa and muffins. The almond solids should also be kept tightly covered in the fridge. Let me know if you have other ideas for using the almond solids in recipes.
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I will try to add egg, flour, cream to see if those left overs can make a tea cake! great posts on how to take the mystery out of something you want to work with but do not have around; I will try frozen cherries with the Maraschino Liqueur… thank you for sharing…
I use the almond solids mixed with soaked flax seeds and sunflower seeds, spread thinly on parchment paper, and dehydrated with the heat of my oven’s pilot light. Healthy chips! Add cayenne and salt, or vanilla and honey if you wish.
Hello! Miss Morsel here. I’m enjoying your site very much.
What a clever way to use the Vita-Mix blender! I’ve seen a lot of food blogs use it for soups, dips and even ice cream, but never for almond milk! So awesome! Really makes me want to get one now.
On a day I had way too much time, and was feeling experimental, I peeled the dark brown skin off off the almonds after soaking, dried the leftover almond meal, and then sifted to a ‘almond flour’ like you buy at the health food store.
Looks great! I can’t believe I’ve never made my own almond milk because we use it all the time. I’ll have to try this, hopefully it will work without a Vita-Mix
I recently acquired a juicer, so I am going to try to make this using my juicer.
Almond milk is so popular that this past weekend, our grocery store ran out! Next time, if I have the patience, I’ll have to try this out
Thanks for posting this! I wonder if the almond solids could not be blended into a recipe for almond butter.
The almond solids can also be dried in a dehydrator and then put back in the Vita-Mix to make almond flour. I bake with almond flour all of the time and love it!
Like you, I’ve been making my own almond milk for awhile. love the fresh taste compared to boxed almond milk. Although most people strain their almond milk, I don’t. I love the thick, creamy texture. It’s especially good in my morning smoothies! I have a nut milk bag but don’t use it. I use 1 cup of raw almonds and 4 cups of water. Nice post, and good to get the message out to everyone that it’s easy, tasty and healthy!
Which Vitamix do you have? Is the regular one enough to grind the almonds or do you need the super or deluxe?
Hi Maria-
I have the Vitamix 5200 with an extra compact wet blade container. It’s a powerful blender and grinds the almonds very fine, perfect for making almond milk.
Thanks,
Jen
I recently got a vitamix and use it everyday, for one thing or another. This is next up on my list! Thanks for the great step by step instructions!
I love when people come back and comment if they tried one of my recipes and it worked. Well, I just made this. OH WOW!!!! SOOOOO good!!!!! I added a little vanilla extract and a little sugar (Im gonna use it in my coffee in the am). GREAT recipe!
Julia- I’m so glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for coming back to comment- that makes my day.
Thanks,
Jen
Just what i was looking for. Thanks for the info. I’m so happy to have switched to almond milk, now to make it myself….AWESOME!!!
is it possible to dry the solids in a regular oven? maybe at low temperature? what would i do? just spread on a cookie sheet and wait for it to dry?? thank you1
Hi Iris- I have not tried drying the almond solids. Your idea to dry them in a low oven sounds like it could work. I’d try lining your pan with parchment paper or foil to help prevent sticking or burning. If you give it a try please let me know how it works.
Thanks,
Jen
Hi i just made my almond milk friday evening and did not strain the pulp out until today, sunday evening. After doing so, I finally tasted it. And it does not taste good at all
i have been drinking store bought almond milk for about a year now. but this tastes…almost like it went bad. But i’ve had it in a sealed container in the fridge, could it really have gone bad this quick?
Hi Daniell- Does the milk taste rancid, unsweet or sour? Here are a few problem solving tips.
-Since almonds are high in fat they can turn rancid. It’s a good idea to taste almonds before making milk with them to make sure they are fresh. For the best tasting milk start with fresh raw almonds (not roasted or salted).
-If you are used to drinking sweetened almond milk, you may want to add sweetener to taste.
-Be sure to soak the almonds in the fridge. Rinse and drain the almonds before blending with fresh water.
-Strain the almond pulp from the almond milk immediately after blending.
-Homemade almond milk has no preservatives, so only lasts for a few days. (I usually keep it 2 to 3 days.)
I hope these tips help.
Thanks,
Jen
Jen ok thanks!! sorry to say i will have to dump this batch i made
i will try again soon
When I make Almond milk I use 1 part almonds, 4 parts water and 2 dates. The dates really sweeten up the milk in a natural way.
Lauren- Adding dates to sweeten homemade almond milk is a great tip. I’ll try adding a few dates to my next batch of nut milk.
Thanks,
Jen