Homemade Almond Milk

There are lots of different recipes out there for making your own almond milk. I think the main thing that you have to decide when choosing a recipe is the sweetness factor. I will tell you how to do sweetened or unsweetened.

When I decided to start making my own almond milk, I wasn’t sure how cost effective it was going to be so I did my homework to see how it all compared with making your own versus store bought. What I discovered is when it comes to cost, you only save a little money by making your own vs buying store bought, unless you have access to gathering your own almonds, which I dont.

So, you ask, why make your own?!?!

Here are two great reasons! You do save A LOT of money IF you are someone who uses almond flour because in the process of making almond milk, you are also getting a nice serving of almond flour! One batch of my almond milk recipe calls for one cup of almonds and you end up with about 1 and a half to 2 cups of almond flour when done. If you buy almond flour in the store it cost between $8 to $10 for a bag that contains appx 4 cups of almond flour.

Another great reason for making your own almond milk is the health factor! When you make your own almond milk, you know exactly what you are getting. When you buy it from the store it often contains many other ingredients that are not good for us and are of no benefit to our health and well being. One of the additives is carrageenan, which can wreak havoc on our digestive system.

When I made our first batch, Gavin was surprised and very pleased at the big difference in taste and texture. We mainly use almond milk in our house for protein shakes and smoothies and the homemade version really makes it much creamier and delicious! So, lets get to it! Very easy, really.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw organic almonds
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla
• dash of sea salt
• optional if you like it sweet, a medjool date or honey or maple syrup

We do not used a sweetener.

Directions

Soak your one cup of almonds in cold water. Ad enough water to submerge the nuts by 3 or 4 inches above the nuts as they will absorb water and expand as they soak. Soak for at least 12 hours. You can soak them up to 24 hours. The longer you soak them, the creamier your milk will be. They will be slightly soft after soaking. When you are ready to make your milk, make sure to rinse your almonds really well. Dump your almonds in a strainer and rinse well.

Add your almonds to your blender and add 2 and a half cups of water. If you want a bit of a vanilla flavor in your milk add that now and if you would like it sweet, add a bit a sweetener of your choice now too. Also add a dash a sea salt.

Pulse your blender about 10 to 12 times to give the almonds a good chop before the puree. Blend of high for 2 minutes. Once blended smoothly, then strain your almond milk through a nut bag or a cheesecloth that is lining a colander.

I like to catch my almond milk in a large bowl under my strainer then transfer it to a glass jar. Be sure to squeeze out your cloth well.

The more you squeeze, the more milk you get. The milk should be refrigerated and can be kept up to 4 or 5 days.

If you want to use the almond pulp, you can freeze it and add it to cookies, breads, smoothies, etc.

I love to dry mine and make it into almond flour. This is where I save lots of money.

I simply spread the pulp on parchment paper and put it in my dehydrator until its dry. It can then be stored in a jar or bag until ready to use. If you dont have a dehydrator, you can dry it slowly in a low temperature oven on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Around 150 to 175 degrees for a couple hours.

Simple. Healthy. Fun. Self Sufficient. Life.