How To Make Almond Milk

I tried almond milk several years ago and did not like it in the slightest.  It was way too thick for my taste so I continued drinking organic soy milk.  I recently came across a recipe for almond milk on EyeCandyPopper’s page; an online search yielded a host of information on how to make almond milk.  Who knew almond milk was so simple to make?!  Another shocker, almond milk is not naturally thick; additives or heating is used to thicken almond milk to the consistency of whole milk.  This recipe is a great way to control the ingredients, quality, and in flavor in your almond milk.  The almonds I used were not organic, but you can use organic almonds in your recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of whole raw almonds
• 2 Cups of water
• Splash of Flavor Extract (Optional)
• Raw Cane Sugar (Optional)

Tools:

• Blender
• Storage Container
• Cheesecloth/Nut Milk Bag (Optional)

Time:

• 18 hours (Inactive)
• 3 minutes (Active)

Yields: ~15 ounces

 Instructions:

Almonds soaked overnight. Water was changed.

Soak almonds in 2 cups of water.  You can use bottled water or boil tap water then put cooled water through a filtration system.  Almonds should be completely covered in water in a closed container.  Allow to soak for at least 10-15 hours (overnight).  After almonds have soaked overnight, pour out the water and add an additional 2 cups of water.  You can allow the almonds to continue to soak up to 6-8 hours, but this is optional.

Place the almonds and water in your blender and allow it to liquefy for approximately 30 seconds.  The contents of the blender will immediately turn white.  The top of the milk will be foamy.  Taste the milk at this stage to determine if you want to add a flavoring extract or sugar; add extract or sugar in slowly to ensure you do not add too much.  Pulp from the almonds will remain, use the cheesecloth to strain the pulp from the almond milk.  If you do not have a cheesecloth you can use a saucepan cover, though some bits of almond pulp may remain.

Remaining pulp and foam.

Yield

The almond milk was very quick to make, the longest part of the process was soaking the almonds.  The whole raw almonds and water in the blender was just under 3 cups (about 23 ounces).  This recipe yielded approximately 15 ounces of milk, and about a 1/4 – 1/3 cup of almond pulp.  Don’t throw away the almond pulp, try using it as a yogurt topping, or incorporate it into a baking recipe. 

Savings

Based on materials this recipe cost about $0.56 for 15 ounces (3 cents per ounce) of almond milk.  Per online source, you can purchase name brand almond milk for $3.00 for 32 ounces (about 9 cents per ounce), or organic (bulk) for $2.95 for 32 ounces (about 9 cents per ounce).  I (re)used a glass jar on hand to store the almond milk, I sterilized it with steam before bottling.

Results

The almond milk was delicious.  I used it for cereal so I didn’t mind the bits of almond pulp.  It will separate in the refrigerator, shake before use.  This will keep fresh for 3-5 days.  You can also use almond milk on your face to hydrate your skin as it contains Vitamin E, Vitamin B2, and Vitamin B3.

 

Have you made your own almond milk?  Would you try this recipe?