How to Make Almond Milk

Vegans, some vegetarians and people who are lactose intolerant like to avoid milk products. Learn how to make almond milk at home which is delicious and easy.

Almond Milk - Easy, Delicious and Nutritious

Almonds have many health benefits associated with them. They're considered a heart-healthy nut as well as one of the best non-meat sources of protein. Besides being a substitute for cow's milk, almond milk is also a good alternative to soy milk which some people on a special diet would like to avoid.

Almond milk can be purchased in the store but it's so easy to make at home. It's also even tastier than the store-bought kind. If you're still buying almond milk, you'll wonder why you haven't made your own before.

The Recipe

This recipe is very easy and adaptable to your own taste. You will need the following ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds
3 cups water
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla, optional
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional

You will also need the following equipment:

Blender
Almond milk bag

The almonds need to be soaked for at least 8 hours or overnight to soften them up. Just place them in a jar or other container and cover them with double the amount of water. In the morning drain the water off. Place them in a blender with 3 cups of water. Blend until the almonds have turned into a pulp. Strain the milk through the milk bag. Place the milk back into the blender and add the honey, vanilla and salt. Blend well and refrigerate.

This can be used as you would milk on cereal and in baking. You can also substitute other sweeteners like agave nectar or a date. Just add the date into the second blending step.

Tips

Nut and soy milk bags can be purchased online and in stores. They're reusable and work very well. But I use a paint strainer bag that I found at the hardware store. These are much cheaper and work just as well.

You can save the almond pulp to use in recipes. I will either refrigerate or freeze mine in a plastic bag until ready to use. If you're putting it in the fridge, be sure to use it within a few days time. It's great to use in baking such as in breads and cookies. I once made some pancakes and substituted half of the flour with the almond meal. Almond meal is popular in raw food, gluten-free and vegan baking. One thing to keep in mind is that the almond flavor won't be as strong, so you might want to add almond extract if you want to keep that flavor in your recipes.

Source consulted

FDA gives almonds heart health nod. Western Farm Press, August 2, 2003.

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