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.
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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?
can i use rice instead of almonds with the same recipe??
thanks
Looks fantastic! Can you use a regular blender?
Yes you certainly can! just might need to blend it a bit longer…
Hey !
Thanks for the recipe ! That’s so interesting to see it’s so easy to do, when almond milk is sold so expansive at bio shops.
I have to admit that I found your website through the CNN website. Don’t ask, thats just the way it is :-)
I have an advice for all which like the almond powder that you have at the end in your nut bag (once dried, etc.), but don’t like to have the skin in the almond powder, as I do. I love that, but I always buy “white” almond powder, since I find that the “original” with skin does not taste the same at all. BUT it happens that normal almonds are cheap when the bleached version is expansive.
So, how to un-skin almonds ?
Thats simple, but takes a bit of time. The simplest recipe is putting dried almond in boiling water for one minute or two, cold them in fresh water, and them peel the skin with the hands or a knife – or put the boiled almonds in a clean napkin and rub them until the skin peels off (that’s the crash course).
I wonder however if after a night soaked in water, the skin cannot be remove as easily as with boiled water though…
After following your blog, and making your recipes for about a year, now……I am finally gonna take the plunge and make my own almond milk, and hope that it’s as easy as you say ;). The only thing is, I think with myself, hubby, and 3 children under 6, I quite possibly might be making almond milk round the clock!
Side note: I made your ‘favorite veggie burgers’ last night, and your ‘immunity boosting tomato sauce with mushrooms’ and quinoa pasta the night before, AND tonight will be the ‘sweet potato & black bean enchiladas with avo-cilantro cream sauce’! Can you tell, I just bought the cookbook ;)? It’s one big ‘Oh She Glows’ party ’round here! :)
Thanks Angela for your continued amazing vegan recipes!
Now,……on to try and find a nut bag……….
Ever try making your own coconut milk?
Or a coconut-almond combo?!
Almond Breeze (I think) has a coconut-almond milk and its delicious. Not a significant taste difference to regular unswt almond milk, but a touch creamier .. feels rather decadent!
I’ve been making the transition from store bought almond milk to homemade, and it feels great!
However, I’ve found that my milk goes sour as soon as two days after I make it…suggestions?
This is wonderful! Thank you so much for the recipe & instructions. QUESTION: how long do you think this almond milk can safely keep in the fridge? Thx!
Such a wonderful post! Thank you, on my second batch!!
Oh my gosh! I made my first batch of almond milk using this recipe this weekend, I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to try it. It is SO good! I used it to make a delicious latte with Dandy Blend. Thanks for sharing!
The glass bottle you use to store the almond milk – where did you get it from? I’ve been looking for one just like it and can’t find them anywhere!
I just ordered a one liter (~33 oz) Bormioli Rocco Frigoverre Jug with Hermetic Lid on amazon for less than $15. It looks like a great shape and I like the idea of a lid that seals for milk.
I need to try this!! My son is 9 months old and he’s starting to eat whatever we are eating. While he won’t be ready for a cup of milk for a few more months, I’d love to use homemade almond milk in cooking. Right now, we’re getting 365 unsweetened plain organic Almond milk, but this looks pretty easy. I’d also love to try making hemp milk for him to try. I’d like to expose him to as much as possible.
Do you have any specific recipes for using up the leftover pulp? I’m going to get organic almonds, so I don’t want to waste anything! Do you have any idea what a stock up price on organic almonds is?
Hi,
How much protein is in almond milk or is all in the pulp?
Thanks.
Can you recommend a good company to purchase true organic and raw almonds in bulk?
Hi Angela! I am trying to email you but it says my server is not allowed to:( I just have a quick question about one of the recipes..What is the food item on the cover of your recipe book? It looks like fruit and granola but I don’t know what the tiny little balls are that fill the cup!! Could you possibly tell me where I could find that recipe? Is it on the website? It looks so good! I love the website by the way, the recipes are all SO good! Thank you so much
Finally got around to making this. Excellent!!! And so easy! Thanks :)
This looks soooo amazing! I’m saving up to purchase a Vitamix after many years of frustration with cheaper blenders, and am drooling over all the recipes I want to try.
Does anyone know if Bulk Barn raw almonds are safe?
I am hooked on this stuff! I use a large square of muslin to strain mine. Just buy a 1/2 yard, and cut a few squares, run it through some hot/soapy water to get any starch out, and rinse. I run my Breville blender for 8 minutes with the almonds, put it in my sieve, pour the blended contents in, let it sit for a while and then finish it off by squeezing.
I get my almonds from Bremner Farms organicalmondsraw.com/
I second Bremner Farms! – Raw, organic CCOF, unpasteurized (because you’re buy straight from the farm). Note: I haven’t bought the farm, except for the $$ I send them for good almonds :).
This almond milk recipe looks so much better than the batches of almond milk I’ve been making! Maybe that’s because I’ve never heard of the nut milk bag! Definitely gonna have to find that item seeing as it’s a must have to make some smooth yummy milk! I can’t wait to try this recipe out! Thanks!! :)
Also, I love the way you write! I find myself giggling and smiling a lot, so thanks for that too! It’s so awesome to have a go-to website for some amazing vegan recipes from a pro like you! Super grateful that you provide all of your tips, tricks, recipes, photos and advice! Just so you know, you motivate me and my boyfriend to be more creative in our vegan kitchen!!
Rock on, girl!! :)
Yes, a fine mesh strainer works wonderfully. And it’s a nut MILK bag, not a nut bag. . . for those comments wayyyyyyy back up at the top.
Also, if you blend, pause, blend, pause, as in even walking away from your blender to do something else, it won’t heat up at all. And then you’d have raw almond milk if you used raw almonds as well.
This is so amazingly simple, I’ll never buy another carton of any kind of nut milk. Thanks Angela!