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?
I LOVE this recipe! I really love almond and soy milk, but I hate the extra additives in the store bought. BUT, I can not find Nut bags anywhere near me in Indiana. I was going to make my own with 100% cotton, but I just read an interesting article and watched an interesting video where a woman uses just a fine mesh sieve to drain. It did not seem like a huge mess in the video, so tomorrow I will be making this recipe using a fine mesh sieve. Thanks again for the wonderful post!
I loved this post and just made my first ever batch of almond milk following your directions. YUM!
I seen someone mentioned “Oat” milk ? How do you make that ? Would love to know, thank you…and if anyone has a copy of the book Fit For Life and would like to sell it please let me know. Thank you !
Hey Sharon, I recently wrote a post on Homemade Oat milk..you can find it here: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/01/10/homemade-oat-milk-easy-fast-cheap/
thank you so very much :)
this site just opened a whole new chapter in my life !
Hi Angela, first of all: Your site is awesome, I love it. A featured post about your go-to chilled summer tea: Chocolate Chai got me on this homepage and I became a fan right after reading that post. (Also: I love that tea as well. Thanks for letting me know that something chocolaticious like that tea exists in this world!). But back to the topic: I’ve just made my first home-made almond milk myself and it tastes sooooo good! Really big thanks for this tutorial. I just have to figure out what to do with the almond pulp now…
Greetings from Germany :)
Hey Chrissy! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thanks for your comment! Glad to hear the milk was a hit.
I always make cookies with my pulp after deydrating it… they turn out so light fluffy!
Thanks for the post! So it’s only good for 3-5 days after you make it?
Yup, although I find I drink it within a few days so it’s not an issue for me.
I love making almond milk at home – good call on the nut milk bag – they are so handy for so many things!!! I make a big batch of almond milk weekly but never considered adding a whole vanilla bean to it! I must try that instead of extract! Thanks for another great post!
Definitely subscribing too this post to see how many other ideas your readers have for their almond mash. I’ve been making my almond milk with this type method since July but double the amount of water to make it more of a ‘skim’ milk and in my protein shakes and iced coffees is is great. Your idea of using cinnamon is intriguing. For me, the leftover mash is sure a challenge. I’ve tried dehydrating and re-Vitamixing it to use as almond flour which is ok but time consuming. About my fav so far but not calorie free is to stir in some coconut oil, cocoa powder and agave to make a sort of nutella. But the texture is wrong from the nuts being wet. However, it really does help a chocolate craving. :)
Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve always wanted to make this. Can’t wait to try it.
My brother gave some of his homemade almond milk yesterday and it was like dessert…yum!
My question is: I do not have a blender…can I use a Cuisinart?
Thanks for a great recipe!
~Theresa
I think if made in a food processor it might leak all out through the lid?
I have a stopper for the top and haven’t had issues with leakage before. Will have to experiment to find out.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for this beautiful explanation, I just love the detailed pictures. :)
You made me curious by mentioning that the almond pulp can be used for hummus, I’ve never heard of almond in hummus before, maybe you can tell me how exactly to use it for that (or any other food)? :)
Thanks!
Best, Deli
Does anyone know the nutritional specs on this recipe?
Thanks!
I got almonds from Costco. I believe it was 9.99 for 1.36kg..even says about 9cups on the package. Kirkland brand.
Just wondered why you would discard the water that the almonds are soaked in and use fresh to blend? Is there a problem to measure the soaking liquid and use it?
The water kinda gets all murky after soaking so I always use fresh
Just curious if you have used the nut milk bag with your oat milk now that you have it? I’d love to know if it helps the texture!
Not yet, but I will have to try it out :)
Straining with cheese cloth is very easy. You need a large bowl, a pasta strainer preferably with a mesh bottom and cheese cloth. Place the strainer in the bowl then lay the cheesecloth in the strainer. Pour whatever you are straining through then carefully lift all 4 corners to make a pouch. Twist the pouch closed gently so nothing sneaks out the top and viola easy cheesecloth straining.
Is it good on cereal? I’ve tried store bought almond milk on cereal, and I felt like I was tasting the cardboard carton the whole time! Maybe home-made would be better?
I enjoy the homemade almond milk a lot and found it to be nice on cereal. Give it a shot, you might like it!
Hi Angela,
I love your site and your recipes; you inspired me to eat healthier and more delicious foods! I rarely comment but I have to say that I just made this and it is AMAZING! Seriously, so good. I had to stop myself from drinking it all right up front. It is so delicious- thank you for posting this!
Made this milk this morning! Yum! Thanks for the great tutorial.
Anyone ever had any problems with the milk going sour quickly (less than 48 hours)?
Chrissy,
Hi and yes!!! I have been scouring the comments to find if I am not the only one! Maybe I did not store it correctly??? It tasted amazing when it was that first day and now very sour. Angela do you have any ideas? Thanks for the great posts!!!!
Gosh im not sure! Mine has lasted 3-4 days (however sometimes I drink it in a couple :) What are you storing it in?
Hi Angela! Thanks for responding!!! I have it stored in a plastic juice jug that has a screw top with a snap -close spout. :)
It started with loving the oat milk that you shared with us earlier. Then I tried this almond milk. I liked that too but I wanted it to cost less. So I have settled with (and love) a blend of half and half.
Glad to hear that lea :) I love a blend too!