I first tried making homemade almond milk a couple years ago, after many of you told me so many amazing things about it. It’s so creamy! It’s better than store bought! It’s a cinch to make! Homemade almond milk is the best!
And you know what? My first couple tries didn’t exactly knock it out of the park. Two words come to mind: hot mess! I used a cheesecloth and things didn’t go very smoothly, if you catch my drift. I’m sure some of you have a lot more finesse with a cheesecloth, but I did not seem to be one of those people.
This time, I finally took the plunge and purchased a nut milk bag (feel free to giggle). Also called sprouting bags, these mesh straining bags make homemade nut and seed milks (among other things) a total breeze. I cannot wait to explore its many uses.
This time around, my almond milk making process was indeed a breeze.
Here are some step by step photos to show you my process. You should also know that every time I type “step by step” NKOTB starts playing in my head. I don’t even mind it.
We are going to soak a cup of raw almonds overnight or for 8 hours or longer. Sometimes if I’m in a time crunch I just soak them for 1 hour or so and it still turns out fine. Rinse and drain the almonds and pop them into your blender along with 3-4 cups of filtered water (I like 3.5 cups water in this recipe).
Which nuts do you think your body would rather digest – the dry, hard as a rock nuts or the plump, juicy nuts?
Sorry, that sounded all weird and awkward.
My favourite flavour combo is a whole vanilla bean, a couple Medjool dates, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt. Oh my lanta. It’s intensely vanilla flavoured with notes of caramel and cinnamon. The secret to an intense vanilla flavour is blending an entire vanilla bean. Just chop it up and toss the whole bean into the blender. You’ll be left with some amazing vanilla almond milk. Of course you can always use vanilla extract or liquid sweeteners too. If using the dates and/or vanilla bean, add them along with the almonds and water. If you simply want to add a liquid sweetener or vanilla extract, you can add them now or at the end. Your call.
Blend for 1 minute on the highest speed. Let’s go TURBO mode!!!!
Turbo mode scares me.
Place your bag over a large bowl and slowly pour in the milk. Thank you Eric for moonlighting as a hand model once again.
A lot of the milk will filter right through the bag without any effort.
But to get all of the milk out, you’ll need to do some gentle squeezing to encourage the milk through. This process took me a few minutes. As you can see in the photo on the right, I was left with about 1 cup of almond pulp.
I rinsed the blender out quickly and poured the milk back into the blender. I do this because I find it easier to pour the milk from the blender into the jar rather than from a large bowl into the jar. If you have a wide mouth funnel feel free to use that.
Check out those tiny specks of vanilla! I blended in a bit of cinnamon and a pinch of fine grain sea salt for even more flavour enhancing. Tell me, what’s better than Vanilla Cinnamon Caramel flavour?
Nothing.
You can use the almond pulp for all kinds of things like oatmeal, hummus, homemade granola, smoothies, cookie or muffin batter, crackers, or you can even dehydrate it and then blend it up to make almond meal. Oh, and you can freeze it too.
Man oh man, it tasted so lovely straight from the blender. I can assure you, it gets even better as it chills in the fridge.
I’ve never been a big milk drinker, but this almond milk had me going back to the fridge again and again and again for little sips. I can’t promise I’m organized enough to make this on a regular basis, but it’s a fun option to have up my sleeve when I’m feeling motivated or just want a special treat.
Vanilla-Cinnamon Almond Milk
Yield
3 1/2 cups (875 mL)
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Total time
Creamy, lightly sweet, and so satisfying—homemade almond milk is a true luxury! My favourite flavour combo is a whole vanilla bean, a couple Medjool dates, cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt. The secret to an intense vanilla flavour is blending the entire vanilla bean; just chop it up and toss the whole bean into the blender. Not to worry if you don't have one on hand though: a half a teaspoon of vanilla extract will work just fine in a pinch. This milk is delicious served with cookies, cereal, in a smoothie, or simply on its own.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds, soaked
- 3 1/2 cups (875 mL) filtered water
- 2 to 4 pitted Medjool dates, to taste*
- 1 whole vanilla bean, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract*
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Small pinch fine sea salt
Directions
- Place almonds in a bowl and cover with a couple inches of water. Soak the almonds in water overnight (about 8 to 10 hours). For a quick-soak method, soak the almonds in boiled water for 1 hour. Rinse and drain well.
- Place drained almonds into a blender along with the filtered water, pitted dates, and chopped vanilla bean.
- Blend on the highest speed for 1 minute.
- Place a nut milk bag over a large bowl and slowly pour the almond milk mixture into the bag. Gently squeeze the bottom of the bag to release the milk. This process can take a few minutes so be patient!
- Rinse out blender and pour the milk back in. Whisk in the cinnamon and sea salt.
- Using a funnel, pour into a large glass jar and secure lid. Store in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. I recommend storing in the coldest spot in the fridge (typically the back) rather than on a door. Shake the jar very well before drinking as the mixture separates when sitting.
Tip:
- * If your dates or vanilla bean are dry/stiff, soak in very hot water for 30 minutes before using. Drain well. You can use another sweetener of your choice like maple syrup instead of the pitted dates.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
You might be wondering – If I don’t have a nut milk bag can I use a fine mesh sieve? Yes you can. I did a trial using my sieve. I didn’t find the milk got as smooth compared to using a nut milk bag, but if you strain it several times, it comes out decent. Also, feel free to try a cheesecloth, but I’m definitely not the person to give you advice using that method.
What about the cost?
Homemade almond milk can be cheaper than store bought or it can be more expensive; it really depends on your ingredients. When I see bulk almonds on sale, I like to stock up and buy a big bag. Pop a bag in the freezer to ensure they stay fresh.
To avoid almonds sprayed with the chemical propylene oxide, please see this article and this handy guide to common brands that do and do not use the chemical. If you are concerned about propylene oxide on your almonds be sure to check with your almond retailer to see what sterilization method is used.
Have you ever made homemade almond milk before?
Where do you buy almonds? Any good deals out there in store or online?
Great recipe!
Just a tip, you can easily make your own nut milk bag/strainer by purchasing nylon mesh by the yard at your local fabric store (JoAnn). Also called “wedding veil” nylon. It is frequently on sale for 99 cents a yard. Then either sew it up or use it to line strainers. You can even make it as fine as you want by folding it over a few times.
(Chuckle, snort) I tried this with the cheese cloth……and you are so right. I couldn’t find nut milk bags at local health food store, but they did have cheese cloth, and I wanted to make some. Thank you for this post I made mine and looking forward to making more but I will find nut milk bags or the wedding veil cloth option next time I had a fun mess with the cheese cloth. Thanks again for this wonderful post
You made me laugh when you asked which nuts our digestive system would prefer!
This almond milk looks great. Good job! :)
“Which nuts do you think your body would rather digest – the dry, hard as a rock nuts or the plump, juicy nuts?”
Angela, you make me giggle! Also, your photography for this post is really great! You make MILK look so beautiful (:
Question: I have yet to invest in a VitaMix, all I have is a Cuisinart food processor (it works great, thx for the recommendation!) … do you think I could make this in a food processor? Thank you!
Thank you for the recipe! I always made my almond milk unsweetened and unflavored but I definitly want to try it with the adition of vanilla, dates and cinnamon, sounds delicious! I’ve always thrown out the almond pulp though and I’m intrigued about the different uses it can have. When you say it can be added to smoothies, oatmeal, granola, hummus and baked goods, how would you use it? Do you just add it in the mix? And how much? I’d love to put my almond pulp to good use.
Thank you :)
I second the request for specific recipes using the pulp.
Thanks
I can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much for the recipe and tutorial. Do you know how the homemade version compares nutritionally to store-bought almond milk?
More than the recipe I love the nod to the hilarity of the word nut milk bag. My husband and I live in the gutter and we always laugh and we are in our 30’s, going on teens.
I love to pour my green juice through the bag too. It gives the most wonderful green juice and no pulp. OJ can have pulp, green juice cannot!
Love the step by step pics. I love making nut milk with cashews b/c they pulverize smoother, easier, and with less pulp than almonds…so…I don’t even strain it! I mean, I can. But, I don’t. Seeing your pulp actually makes me want to make crackers with it. But really, I just want to chug-a-lug all that glorious nut milk!
Just curious, I have never tried making my own milks – I just thought they would be too hard. But now I’m anxious to give it a try. I used to buy almond milk, but because of the carageenan, I stopped. I usually buy all unsweetened milks. Would it be okay to leave out the dates and/or sweeteners? Do you think it would have the same taste as the purchased milks? I never liked the sweetness in the non-dairy milks. Thanks for the step by steps. Very helpful.
Best online store for buying the vanilla beans you use?
I buy them from Costco :)
Love the step-by-step! Thanks for sharing — I will definitely be giving this a try.
I have to admit, I giggled inappropriately quite a few times while reading this post. Apparently I am a 12-year-old boy at heart. ;)
Angela, this post made me want to go out and buy a nut milk bag right away so I can make this all the time!!! How totally yum-sounding. However, total bummer on the propylene oxide article. I am almost to the end of my giant bag of almonds from Costco and am not sure where to buy a large volume of almonds next! I’ve only ever bought plain almonds (not even sure if they’re raw) from Costco, and nowhere is as cheap. But thanks for the eye-opener on that subject.
And ps. I felt like you were especially funny in this post! I giggled.
My past experience with almond milk wasn’t good. Cheesecloth…. never again. I like the wedding veil nylon idea from Will. Hated wasting the leftover pulp. But…because the oat milk was soooo very successful and I have been using the oat pulp for crackers. I will try the same with almonds.
I buy my almonds at Trader Joe’s. Do you have TJ’s where you live? Good deal. I love your remark about “which do you think is easier to digest”? etc…soaked, doy! Yet…I’ve never taken the time to soak. Thanks for the inspiration..and Congrats on the success of your blog, been following you for three years now!
Do you think I could use the leftover blitzed up almonds to make almond butter?
I have heard of blending 1 T. raw sesame seeds in for added calcium, especially for kids. Any thoughts?
Fabulous tutorial Angela! I honestly cannot go back to store bought nut milk ever since I started making my own. It is just too darn easy not to make it from scratch! I LOVE my nut bag, makes it even easier :)
Thanks Angela, that’s how I make my almond milk too and love it! Haven’t used a whole vanilla bean, so might try that instead of extract as I really love the vanilla flavour.
I have a question though … sorry if anyone else has asked this … but where did you get that great milk bottle to store it in? I have been looking everywhere for something like that. : )
Wow I got that exact glass bottle for homemade nut milks like 2 days ago! (and i live in Istanbul, it’s quite a coincidence i found the same thing over here)
Anyhow, thanks for the great recipe. I’ll make certain to give your variation a try. By the way, have you ever tried making nut milks with a centrifugal juicer? I do it all the time and it works wonders!
Hi Angela! I loved your post! I’ve been wanting to make Alond Milk. Do you know where I can find cheap almonds and vanilla beans? Almonds can be a bit pricey. I order from this website for a lot of my natural products. http://iherb.com/p/40180?rcode=vuf145 A 16 oz bag of raw almonds is $7.88. Not sure if that’s a good price. Thanks for your advice!
I tend to buy them from Ontario natural food coop or Bulk Barn. I think they are around $1.69 for 100 grams at Bulk barn.
Im now off to get a nut milk bag :) what a great tutorial!
Looks amazing! (and I enjoyed your NKOTB reference :D)
Good recipe! Yummm. By way of information (I know I wasn’t asked) the reason for soaking the dates (all nuts and seeds) over-night is to remove the phytates. Our bodies cannot digest phytates. They actually bind to the magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron in our intestines and take them OUT of our bodies without being absorbed. Grains and legumes should also be soaked for the same reasons.
Before WWII most societies knew to soak. Then along came food in boxes (fast food) and the knowledge was lost. It is one of the reasons we are not as healthy as we should be with all our variety of food. :)
Interesting! Thank you for that!
I have made my own a few times now. It is so good! But disappears very quickly when I use it for smoothies. Has anyone had success with freezing their milk? I wanted to post an easy recipe for crackers using the almond pulp. So tasty and I love that I know exactly what is in them :)
Almond Pulp Crackers
1 cup firmly packed almond pulp
2 tablespoons golden flaxmeal
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon thyme or rosemary, finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
2. Roll dough into a ball, press between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll to ¼ inch thickness
3. Remove top piece of parchment paper
4. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto baking sheet
5. Cut dough into 2-inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter
6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 mins (mine took longer…maybe they were not thin enough)
7. Let crackers come to room temperature on baking sheet, then serve
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’m going to try it!
I just made chocolate almond milk for the first time! And now that I know how easy it is I cannot wait to try your recipe :)
Wowza. This one little recipe combines some of my top beloved flavours! Vanilla. Dates. Almonds. Cinnamon.
Will definitely try as up until now I’ve only had boxed almond milk.
Thanks!!
i know others have already told you this, but your photos in this post are awesome! did you use a lightbox??
Oh my gosh, I totally have to do this! I haven’t bought a nut milk bag yet but you’ve convinced me that I need one. And vanilla cinnamon? Lady, you are speakin’ my language!!! ;)
i just blend 2 tbsp of almond butter (I make my own) with 2.5 cups of water and 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, then strain it through my tea strainer. Way easier and more economical, and it tastes fantastic! I bet if I used blanched almonds when making the almond butter that I wouldn’t even have to strain it.
I absolutely love almond milk and I make it about 1-2 times per week. I sweeten it with agave nectar and usually add some vanilla extract. I like the idea of using a vanilla bean and dates! I’m definitely going to try that. With the leftover pulp, I make your almond thumbprint cookies rather than using almond paste. It works out wonderfully.
As for my experience in making almond milk, I started off using a cheesecloth to strain it; it really was a disaster and the milk wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked. I recently purchased a nut milk bag at a Whole Foods in Austin, TX and it has totally changed everything. The milk is easier to strain and is significantly smoother. The clean up is quick and easy. If I remember correctly, it cost under $10. Just as an FYI, it did take some time to find it at Whole Foods, as most of the employees I talked to didn’t know what a nut milk bag was and some locations did not carry them. Eventually I found it hanging up in the bulk food section.
Thanks for the post! I have made homemade almond milk and loved it. I just don’t find it very economical. When I made it I soaked for 12h, used a regular blender and then poured it through panty-hose, worked like a charm!
I am so glad I am not the only one who giggles at “nut milk bag.” Hahaha!
I used to make almond milk all the time but then I got lazy. I just did one cup of almonds, 3.5 cups of water and a date. It was amazing. AMAZING. Why did I ever stop?
Wow, this post was insanely perfectly timed! I JUST got a vitamix, and wanted homemade almond milk to be the first thing I made in it. I woke up this morning ready to tackle it, browsed the web for help, and lo and behold came across your awesome tutorial! It helped make the process so easy! I love the addition of dates, vanilla, and cinnamon. So good! Now I’m going to try making your GF vegan chocolate chip cookies (with coconut oil instead of earth balance) to go with my almond milk and I will be in heaven!! :)
I just bought a couple vanilla beans today and am soaking my almonds to make the milk in the morning, I just love the taste, and doesn’t have the additives like store bought. It is so easy and quick to make!
I always use a fine mesh strainer as its easy to rinse out the leftover pulp and clean.
We have our old fashioned oats with almond milk, sometimes without cooking them, just soak in the almond milk for 10 minutes, add flax, bananas, pumpkin seeds, or whatever and you have a yummy and very filling breakfast.
This looks amazing, I’ll have to give it a go. I thought I would mention that I too am now trying to avoid carrageenan and the Silk True Almond doesn’t have any. Just thought I’d mention it if your in a pinch and don’t have any homemade on hand :)
Yes, I make this every couple weeks or so, I had not thought of adding dates, I do also make it with 1/2 the water to make creamer. Looking forward to trying it with the dates.
I love your step-by-step instructions. Just made some brazil nut milk yesterday…what a treat!
I can’t wait to try this, we are starting GAPS soon and this will be such a treat! I recently bought a jelly bag that looks just like that from my local hardware store, FYI!
This looks so much better than the store bought stuff! I love the idea of using dates as the sweetener. I’ve wanted to try making my own almond milk for a long time, but I was a bit intimidated by the process. But, after reading this post, it doesn’t seem difficult at all! I can’t wait to give it a try. I just need to get a nut milk bag – the whole cheesecloth mess is what was scaring me away from trying it before.
Yum, Angela! I can’t wait to try this….now, to find a nut milk/sprouting bag! I have to admit that I was really surprised by how much plumper the almonds got with soaking. Loved your pictures.
Ang,
Thank you SO much for the info on pasteurized almonds. I knew they had changed the laws about that, but I was under the impression that they were all just being steam pasteurized. I had no idea about the PPO!
“…the dry, hard as a rock nuts or the plump, juicy nuts?
Sorry, that sounded all weird and awkward.”
^ Ahaha!! Plump juicy nuts omg hahaha
And Cool post!!! Thanks so much for the tutorial…I’m slowly, very gradually, learning to make more and more of my vegan staples at home, by myself, thus this sort of thing is ever so helpful
But now I can’t stop chortling and snickering over plump and juicy nuts rofl:p
I have made hemp milk at home but not anything else – I love the sound of your flavourings in this almond version!
I also loved your photos and several times you made me giggle :)
How do you calculate the nutrition information for homemade almond milk? I never know because you stain the milk from the pulp. Thanks! This loos decadent!
I’m not sure! my guess would be that you could dehydrate the leftover pulp, process it into a meal, and then measure the amount of almond meal leftover and subtract that from the weight of the almonds. sounds like a lot of work lol
We make almond milk weekly using vanilla but we’ve never had cinnamon so we will try that this week. Sounds yummy. My new favorite treat is a little Kahlúa and almond milk over ice. It is heavenly.
You always take beutiful photos, but the photos on this post are particularly beautiful. Well done.
Great tutorial – thanks!
I have been wanting to get a nut milk bag and this is a great reminder. Can they be reused? The expense was one of the reasons I was procrastinating!
I have been making almond milk for a few yrs but never added anything – your recipe sounds delicious! It is hard to make the milk often enough to keep up with smoothies and cereal daily but I try as best I can as it feels so much more pure than the store bought stuff.
Thanks for the tips on the pulp also – I have tried dehydrating in oven (just got a dehydrator and have yet to use it with this) and it did not come out great. Your ideas are wonderful and I am glad to hear I can freeze it as it is tough to use up before it goes bad (it’s a lot of pulp to keep up with!)
Your posts are always INCREDIBLE – thank you!
“You can use the almond pulp for all kinds of things”—
could you be more specific for those of us just beginning to take baby steps into plant based eating
Ok, you’ve convinced me – I’m going to try it! Now I just need to get myself one of those nut bags :) hehe
WOW, I am super excited that I found your blog and in particular, this recipe for almond milk. I gave it a try and found it easy and delicious. I also was quite intrigued by the soaking of the almonds. Never before had I done that and what a difference it made.
After reading about your debacle with cheesecloth, I decided I would not try that but was very eager to make a batch. Not wanting to wait until I was able to purchase a nut milk bag, I decided to try using a fresh out of the package knee high stocking. It worked like a charm and allowed for the filtration of the milk while retaining the solids.
To add some sweetness, I added just a bit of pure maple syrup. MMMmmmm! It is certainly the best almond milk I have ever consumed!
I plan to add some melted lard to the retained almond solids and harden it back up to give to the birds in my backyard.
This whole process has been just wonderful and I have enjoyed learning about this delicious and nutritious drink. Thank you very much.
Hi Ginny, Thanks for sharing your almond milk making experience!! Yes I have heard that a stocking can work too but I forgot to mention that in my post. So glad it worked for you! Thanks for reading.