Almond milk is one of my favorite drinks — it goes great with everything! We’ve been buying it from Trader Joe’s lately as it’s the cheapest place we can find it at $1.29 a quart, but still, that’s expensive when you go through a quart in a day or two for morning smoothies!
Did you know you can make almond milk right in your own home?? Rich and creamy, it’s easy to make and super nourishing. My main reason for making it at home, is to eliminate the fillers that are added to almond milk purchased at the store. Even purchasing the unsweetened version, you’re still taking home: carrageenan, vitamin D2 (made from irradiating yeast), synthetic vitamin A and other synthetic vitamins, and often other thickeners. And, who knows where the water comes from used to make the almond milk. Controlling what goes into my body and my child’s body is a big deal for me.
Cut down on the cost and take control of what is put into your almond milk by trying this recipe at home! While almond milk is a good alternative beverage for those on the Maximized Nutrition meal plan, a dairy-free kick or even a raw diet, I think it’s just plain delicious and you should give it a try no matter your dietary preference! I usually drink it by the glassful, but it’s also great in tea and smoothies or even for baking or cooking.
Making almond milk is super quick, but just a little messy. You will definitely get your hands wet as you squeeze and strain it through the cheesecloth. That extra effort is SO worth it! My absolute favorite way to enjoy this rich, gluten-free almond milk is in iced chai tea with a sprinkle of stevia.
Almond Milk
Makes about 6 servings
2 cups almonds
4 cups water
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
4 cups water
1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- Soak almonds and vanilla bean in enough water to cover overnight
- Discard soaking water and rinse almonds in a deep bowl of water, repeat until water is clear
- Place soaked almonds, vanilla bean and 4 cups of water in a blender or food processor
- Blend on highest speed for about 90 seconds or until completely smooth
- Strain milk through cheesecloth lined strainer, discarding solids
- Serve and enjoy, or bottle in a glass container and store in fridge up to 10 days. Shake well before serving (separation is normal as there are no chemicals added).
TIP: Save the almond pulp by drying it out on a cookie sheet (stir often) to use as almond flour for baking, or use as-is to sprinkle over soup/salad.
Any way to give it that flavoring, especially chocolate, that so many of the store brands have?
What a fabulous idea for a post! I’ll get right on this… look for some info coming on the main homepage in about an hour or less! :) Thanks Lo!
Instead of discarding the solid pieces of almond, I use them to make homemade granola. Get your moneys worth! :)
Hi Corey, Randi, Nolan, Reagan and Quinn! :)
Great use for the almond pulp! I’m sure it makes delicious granola! Another idea is to dry it out on baking sheets (or in dehydrator) and grind for use as almond flour.
this is great except you are spending more money the conversion is 143g/cup of almonds which is 3.172 cups per pound when you consider you have to use density to make the conversion of cups to pounds and then the average price for bulk wholesale almonds is about $7.95 per pound making 2 cups of the whole almonds required for this recipe cost $5 which is a lot more than the stuff you buy…love the recipe but you have to really compare your cost.