…………..
Wait, Milk from nuts? that’s nuts!
Almond Milk is Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined-Sugar-free.
It only takes 5 easy steps to make this fresh, homemade Almond Milk. In a few minutes, you could be sipping away on something life-changing.
Been searching for a cow’s milk alternative? Whether you have trouble digesting lactose or suffer from a milk allergy or maybe you just want delicious tasting milk, I believe almond milk is the best solution. Not only is it delicious but it’s super low in calories, 40 per cup to be exact, compared to the 120 calories per cup of regular milk, it is much lower in carbs and sugar and has a high content of vitamin E, half the daily recommended intake per cup.
Why Choose Plant-Based milk?
I’ve been making and drinking almond milk for years now. I cook and bake with it, put it in oats, smoothies, and my favorite is a creamy almond milk cappuccino, which I have every morning.
Sure you can buy it at the shops in a carton for a hefty price but store-bought versions often have added sweeteners or flavors and even thickening agents like Carrageenan, which comes from seaweed and is linked to inflammation, ulcerative colitis, and diabetes. Trust me… If you think you’ve had almond milk but it was bought from the store in a carton, think again. Once you’ve tasted homemade creamy almond milk you’ll never buy the Regular 2% store-bought ones again!
SERVINGS:
4 (4x250ml)
SERVINGS:
40 Minutes
SERVINGS:
60 per serving
SERVINGS:
Drinking
Inspiration For This Almond Milk Recipe:
Growing up I never knew about almond milk or any other alternative to cows milk. I really wish I had.
I remember how badly I’d react when drinking cows milk, especially with my frequent asthma attacks. Tight chested and all that mucus! I remember the first time I ever tried real almond milk. I had just started my paleo diet and went to this strictly vegan restaurant for lunch. When my cappuccino came it looked like the regular frothy type you normally get but the taste was just mind-blowing. I was instantly hooked. The vegan restaurant had one of those really expensive health stores next door so needless to say, I went home that day with everything I needed to make my own milk and other great health treats I’ve probably already shared.
The Ingredients Needed:
- 1 cup of good quality whole almonds. Plain and unsalted. skin on or off.
- 2 cups of water.
- A machine to blend/pulverize the nuts. I use a masticater (cold-pressed juicer) but a normal blender will do.
- A stocking or nut bag.
- Bottles for storing milk, preferably glass.
- Flavoring. Even though it’s not essential it does spice things up a little. Vanilla pods, Himalayan salt, dates, cinnamon, and lavender are some good ideas to try.
The Equipment Needed:
I found these great options through Amazon, if you’re serious about making this milk full-time and other great healthy juices/treats I would seriously consider getting a masticating machine (first two pictures). Other things I do with this nifty machine includes (but not limited too):
Concentrated lemon cubes
Concentrated ginger cubes
Juicing fruits and veggies to drink
Juicing fruits to make my homemade gummies
I always keep a huge supply of almonds at home so it’s necessary to shop around and find the best prices and also the best type of almond. The more elongated, soft-shelled and long-shaped nut (nonpareil) is usually the best for soaking and juicing.
Almond Milk Nutrition
Every one-ounce serving of milk (about 30mls or an estimated 12 almonds) provides 1 gram of protein and 0.7 grams of fiber. Other nutrients found in it include vitamin E, magnesium, riboflavin (vitaminB2), calcium and potassium.
Amounts per serving:
- Calories 30 30%
- Protien 1g 23%
- Fats 2.5g 50%
- Fibre 0.7g 16%
Step by Step Instructions:
1. Soak Dem Nuts:
Firstly give the nuts a good rinse under the tap and then soak them in water, in the fridge, for a day or two until they swell up. The nuts soak up the water so keep topping up with more water to ensure they’re always covered. The skins might even start peeling off.
If you absolutely can’t wait to make this milk and 2 days of soaking just won’t do, you can boil the almonds on the stove until they swell up, just be careful not to land up with mush.
Rinse off all the soaking water. If at this point if you’re not sure where we’re going with this, the soft, plump almonds will be blended with just the right amount of water to give a creamy but milky liquid, also known as.. tadaa! Almond milk. So there will be no ‘milking’ of nuts. rather the nuts will become the milk. When blending, the ratio I use is one part almonds to two parts water. you can change that according to how creamy or watery you’d like your milk to be.
2. Time To Blend
It is so much easier with a cold press juicer or as some call it a masticater – I know it sounds like I made that word up. With the masticater, you put the almonds and water down the top shoot, the slow pulverizing ball inside the machine separates most of the almonds fibre from its juices, the addition of the water means a milk comes out the one side of the machine and a dry and fibrey pulp comes out the other. No mess!
If you don’t have one of these machines it’s not a problem. For years I used a normal blender. I’ve only gotten fancy in the last year or two. In a blender, you’d put all your nuts with a bit of water. Blend until you have a fine pulpy looking paste. Keep adding more water and blending until you get the desired consistency and keep tasting until you’re satisfied that it’s creamy in taste but runny enough to become milk. keep going until all the almonds have been chopped up finely.
3. Strain That Milk:
It’s funny how I’m so fancy with my juicer but still haven’t bought a nut bag for straining out all the fine pulpy bits from the milk. I’ve always used stockings. Now I know what you’re thinking, don’t worry they were never on my legs, I promise.
So if you have a nut bag fine, if not you can buy it through Amazon. As an alternative use the stockings, it’s not ideal because every now and again they burst or form holes.
Pass all your blended mixture through the stocking/bag to remove the pulpy bits from it.
Even though my masticating machine separates the two for me, I still pass the milk through the stocking to remove any finer pieces. The last thing you want is floaty bits in your coffee!
4. Leftover Pulp:
Once you’ve made the milk you’re left with the almond pulp. The pulp is dried out in the oven on low until completely dry and then blended to a fine powder which is, in fact, almond flour (no need to buy that now either). Almond flour has a host of its own wonderful nutritious uses like making health bread, almond flour healthy cookies, crumbed chicken and falafels to name a few.
5. Bottle The Milk:
Now that you have a perfect creamy pulp-free milk you’ll need to choose bottles to store it in. Just like ordinary milk this stuff goes sour after a few days so I freeze mine and Defrost on demand. I freeze little bottles for cappuccinos and the bigger bottles for everything else. They store well in the freezer for weeks!
make sure you use freezer-friendly glass though, I’ve made that mistake before and as a result got these special freezer glass bottles.ips or pieces
6. Flavour Almond Milk:
Before freezing, you could add different flavors to your milk. I’ve experimented with vanilla essence, vanilla paste from a pod, a pinch of Himalayan salt, cinnamon, flavored syrups and even lavender from the garden. Simply add your flavoring in, shake well and seal the lids. Store all your milk, flavored or not, in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 4 weeks.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the post and will enjoy the milk as much as I do.
Homemade Almond Milk
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup Almonds Good quality whole almonds. Plain and unsalted
- 2 cups Water
- Flavoring Cinnam1on, vanilla, Himalayan salt, dates. Skies the limit
Instructions
- Rinse and soak nuts in water for a day or two until they swell up. Keep refrigerated and top up with more water to ensure they're always covered. Alternatively, boil almonds on the stove until they swell up- if you don't have adequate soaking time.
- Almonds and water are blended together in a ratio of 1:2. Either with a blender or a juicer/masticator. Slowly blend the two together. If you have a paste forming, keep adding more water to the mix until you get the desired consistency. Keep tasting until you're satisfied that it's creamy in taste but runny enough to become milk. Don't add too much water creating watery tasteless milk.
- Drain or sieve the mixture through a stocking or nut bag into a pouring jug. This will ensure you have smooth, pulp-free milk as your end product. Don't throw the pulp away!
- The pulp is dried out in the oven on low until completely dry and then blended to a fine powder which is, in fact, almond flour (no need to buy that now either). Almond flour has a host of its own wonderful nutritious uses like making health bread, almond flour healthy cookies, crumbed chicken and falafels to name a few.
- Now that you have a perfect creamy pulp-free milk, bottle them. Just like ordinary milk this stuff goes sour after a few days. They store well in the freezer for weeks! Make sure you use freezer-friendly glass.
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Don’t be shy. Let us know if you have any questions!
Absolutely loved this almond milk.The process was so easy and definitely worth making your own as you get the almond flour too!
So glad you enjoyed it Mel! wait till you see what the natural oils from the milk do to your hair and skin. you’ll be glowing girl!