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?
Wow, this recipe is wonderful and so easy! Thank you for sharing.
Can you give some recipes on what to do with the pulp? You gave a lot of great examples but I’m not the best at making up recipes. By the way, this was my first attempt at making homemade almond milk and it was amazing.
Love your website and the whole concept of you! haha I’m a fellow GTA resident and I’m a food scientist who likes to eat clean so I love your recipes and style.
I bought a vitamix and have been making your almond milk recipe in small batches twice a week every since- so delicious!
Half out of laziness and half wanting to retain all the healthy goodness of almonds, I decided not to strain out the pulp and the result is an even creamier milk that is amazing in my coffee. I consider it my daily serving of almonds. It’s a gazillion times better than boxed almond milk- my goodness, and with no preservatives or functional ingredients added, it’s just perfect.
Thank you SO much! Keep up the awesome work!
Taste great and easy to do. I used half coconut water. No chemicals. I love it. I make a little at a time for when I need it.
We made this this past weekend and WOW it’s delicious! SO much better than anything you can buy! I love the addition of dates and cinnamon. We definitely need to invest in some nut bags though, cheesecloth was pretty messy. Thanks so much for sharing!
What can I do with the almond pulp after I make almond milk ??
Hi Angela,
thank you for posting this and all this beautiful pictures (and great description – made me laugh!).
I think I finally find the courage to make almond milk myself. Looks makable! :)
One more thing: I was wondering if you could tell me what Recipe Plugin you’re using. I was looking for something non-intrusive and simple like yours. Thank you!
Very interesting receipes!!! sound easy to make some as im new in clean food : ))
May i know about calories for this almond milk?
So, you get 1/4 of a quart of almond milk out of what looks like 100 or so almonds. That would require about 500 gallons of water to grow those nuts which are converted into 1 cup of milk.
I’m sure it’s delicious.
It was my first time making almond milk and I’m so glad I used your recipe! It turned out DELICIOUS!! Thank you!
This was far better than every other recipe I’ve tried. And since I bought medjool dates and use them instead of the dates I normally use, it got even better. Definitely worth it!
Do you have any recipes for using the leftover almond pulp? I have tons of it in my freezer now and I can only add so much to smoothies!
Do I have to dry the almond paste to bake with it or may I use it damp as is? For muffins or crackers etc
Thanks to your wonderful instructions my first batch of almond milk was a complete success and my second, third, fourth and fifth came out perfect! I am so grateful you shared all this info because drinking homemade almond milk is an amazing experience. It has such a good and creamy flavor. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to drink store bought again. It’s heaven in a glass. I actually enjoy the process of making it. I got my nut milk bag from Amazon and I order Madagascar vanilla beans from them too. It is still expensive but I wind up paying a dollar a bean verses five dollars a bean from the store. I have to make a fresh batch every two to three days because I can’t seem to stop drinking it.
Can anyone answer this…I live in Florida, I left my almonds out too long and some mold grew on top of the water, and the almonds got a little slimy. I rinsed them off really well and went ahead and made the almond milk. The next day I noticed the milk was a little thick, but I thought maybe the nut bag I used let too much through. But now the milk is really thick-like Kefer. I have still been using it….thinking maybe it was ok…today it’s got the mucus strands like you find in a bottle of Kombucha.Now I am wondering if it’s going to make me sick? I have been ok so far……has this ever happened to anyone else??? How do I know if the bacteria making it thicken are good or bad?
How long does this almond milk stay good in the fridge? Cna’t wait to try it!
Simply EXTRAORDINARY!!!! Just added a taste of honey.
The milk is so much creamier after soaking the almonds!! I didn’t add anything but vanilla. I used it to make a homemade Frappuccino with instant coffee and agave nectar. It was soooo yummy! Tasted kinda hazlenutty! Thanks for the tips!
Hi
I discovered that the wash bags you use in the washing machine for your delicate washing make great nut milk straining bags. :)
Do you have any links to recipes you love from the left over almond pulp?
This recipe is the BEST. Perfect as is, and I am making it often! Thank you for sharing.
To the person who linked the chocolate-coconut cookie recipe with the leftover almond pulp/meal, you should remove it, because I learned the hard way yesterday that leftover almond pulp does not work for these cookies. After failed cookies, and a bit of research, I learned you must use dry ground almond meal.
I just made this! I put it in my cold brew iced coffee and used a shaker to mix it. I am in love with this and I was decided that I only liked my coffee with cream. I’ve been trying to cut back on cream or half and half and this is amazing! I was surprised to see how much it made with only 1 cup of almonds.
. Tip: I had a mesh bag that said it was for produce that is the same material as the nut milk bag. It was incredibly cheap at the grocery store, and it worked like a charm. :) thanks for this recipe and you’re funny too! I loved reading it and now I know how easy it is to make almond milk at home and I will never use store bought again! I know exactly what’s in it and it’s delicious.
Can you use blanched almonds? Or should it be raw only? Thanks
Nice recipe! Thanks for posting it. I wanted to mention that I often use the pulp in my home made soap – makes a great scrubby bar.
I have been making this recipe since you first posted it. Thank you so much! The additives in non-dairy beverages always make my stomach hurt. It turns out that a certain brand of almond milk might only have 2% almond content! It’s empowering to make your own food and know exactly what’s going into it.
Go to canning section in hardware store and buy fruit jelly straining bags (2 to a bag). They are same as bags used for straining nut purée, and will be less expensive. I use a Pyrex 2 cup measuring cup with bag folded over sides to catch purée. Placing a clean quarter-sheet pan under staging area will keep spillage to minimum and you will not have waste as you reintroduce what is spilled back into cup. Please consider removing skins off of almonds after soaking, using rough textured towels. Your end product will be noticeably much better. Chef Patty Ann
You can go to the hardware store and buy paint bags they work great.
I just had to share something! I made my third batch of almond milk today, the second time from this recipe. Love it! For my first two batches, I used a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. It worked, but it was messy. I wanted to make my third batch today and had hoped to find a nut bag at my favorite Sprouts Market. They didn’t have any, and their cheesecloth was $5 for, I think, a 2 yard square. BUT, while I was in produce, I came across some reusable mesh produce sacks. You get THEEE of them attached on a cardboard for, get this, $2.49. They are machine washable, have a good draw string (not needed for this purpose). I figured if I had to, I could use two bags, one inside of the other, but it wasn’t necessary. It worked great with just one bag. The bag is somewhat square in shape but was not a hindrance at all. I turned it inside out to remove the pulp, and it released much easier than trying to get it out of the cheesecloth. I was so happy with my alternative, cheap and efficient solution, I just had to share! If it didn’t work, I was going to try a new pair of pantyhose next! LOL!
Instead of the nut milk bag, I wonder if you could use an unbleached coffee filter placed in a sieve over a bowl?
How long does this milk last in the fridge?
I love the bottle (not the mason jar one) you use in this post. What brand is it? Thank you. And I’ve been making this recipe once a week now. Love it so much.
Best milk I ever tasted. Made it 3 times already. Just can’t get enough. Thank you Angela.
Hi!! I really really like this postt and how you put the picture as sample. It’s so helping.. I just want to know how did you storage the milk so it will last for days since I can’t make it everyday :(( Thankyouu!!!
Can’t wait to try, without preservatives, how long does this milk last in frig?
Hmm, strained almonds, could this be converted to almond paste? A lot of ppl mentioned using leftover almonds for desserts like carrot cake & cookies, maybe something can post some recipes bc I’ve never seen recipes using strained almonds. Btw I called Blue Diamond and the ingredients are 50 almonds (all that’s required by USDA), filtered water, jellying gum & vitamins. They removed carogena. They also make cashew milk: 50 cashews, filtered water, jellying gum & vitamins. I also called the Silk ppl but they’re not as transparent, they wouldn’t tell me how many almonds or cashews they use, but you can bet it’s not more than 50 (2 oz or 1/2 c) if they are not required to do so.
I love this recipe! I used it a while ago and loved it! Just linked this recipe to my recent blog post!
Fantastic recipe – have tried a few but this produces a creamy smooth mylk which i love. I just use a 50cm square of voile material (curtain material) which works a treat, nothing sticks, then i throw the pulp back in the thermomix, add some tahini, himalayan salt, a clove of garlic, a lemon, blitz and add water till you reach your desired thickness – delicious!
I love this recipe it worked great the first time I used it
The knee-highs worked great while I waited for my nut bag order to come in from Amazon.
As for the vanilla beans, Again check Amazon, the vacuum bag of beans came to less than $2.00 a bean.
Delicious results! Great instructions and photographs. I’m not going back to the booed stuff. Thanks so much!
Will
This looks amazing! Once made how long does the almond milk store in the fridge?
amazing recipe. thank you for sharing! do you know the nutritional info on this as you make it with dates etc?
thank you for your time!!
kara
I love this recipe! It’s my favorite almond milk to make so far and can’t wait to try it with real vanilla bean. Do you know if you can pick that up from Whole Foods?
Where can I buy a nut milk bag?
Thanks!!
Wow. Thank you. This was so simple to make. I used a cheese cloth first, than poured it through a new nylon knee high (an idea I read on another blog). It was able to catch the little fine bits of almond meal that the cheese cloth missed. It wasn’t alot, but enough to make a difference. Oh, I also added just a pinch of nutmeg.
Thanks again.
+1 on using a nylon knee-high stocking as a strainer. It works fantastically well. I sweeten the milk with a tiny bit of liquid sucralose and vanilla extract and it is AWESOME.
This was my first time making almond milk and I absolutely loved it! So quick, easy and delicious! I couldn’t stop pouring myself tasters before it was chilled and after! My kids and husband loved it too! Only thing I did different is that I took the skin off the almonds before I blended it. I read it will keep the milk longer in the fridge and also keep all the nutrients in the milk when blending. Thank you for sharing! I will no longer buy carton almond milk! This way is so much taster, healthier and cost efficient!
This is amazing! SO EASY! Doubled the recipe and used vanilla extract. Glad I found this recipe to make almond milk at home! Thank you for posting this! It truly is ten million times better than store-bought!
Hi Angela,
Just looking at storage options if I were to make a big batch of this homemade almond milk…have you ever tried canning or freezing it? Wondering if either would ruin the taste.
Thanks!
Mer
This recipe rocks! I used a single knee-high nylon stocking to strain the milk and it worked beautifully.
Did I note that your almond ‘milk’ is touted to be oil-free? Very likely it is not. All nuts have a significant content of natural oils and almonds are no exception. The oil content of Calif. almonds varies from 36% to 53% of dry kernel weight. (J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 123 (6): 1029-1033 1998). Almonds from some other countries may have an even higher content. No doubt some of the oil remains in the pulp but without question much goes into the liquid as well. I will assume that you were saying there are no added oils. Indeed the oils we consume are best if they are in their natural unrefined form as found in almonds and other nuts excluding peanuts which after all are legumes not true nuts.
Carl Bankes