Homemade Almond Milk

I think I could of named my blog "coolstuffmysistertellsmeandItryoutanduseandpasstheideaon toyou.blogspot.com.  The name wouldn't have been that much longer and it's true!  All joking aside, this is a recipe I was very excited to share with you.  It can be used for any nut, not just almonds.  It is less expensive than buying it and it is easy peesy to do!

This is what you need to make approximately 1 quart:

1 cup of almonds
3-4 cups of water
blender

paint strainer purchased at Lowes

It is also helpful to have a "nut bag".  You can order one online for about  $5-$10, OR pick up a paint strainer at Lowes or Home Depot for $2 for a 2 pack. This is only to remove the pulp so if you use almond milk for making smoothies you don't even have to strain the milk. 

The other thing you can use is a cheese cloth.  I prefer the "nut bag" because it is nylon and can be used over and over.  It only has to be rinsed out and you are good to go!

One recipe I looked at said you should soak the nuts in water overnight to make the nutrients in the milk more absorbable.  I was too excited to make some so I skipped this step.

The first step is to rinse the 1 cup of almonds with really hot water.  This is to make sure the almonds are free from harmful bacteria that could be on the outer shell of the nut.

Put 1 cup of almonds and 3-4 cups of water in a blender.

If you are using cheesecloth, pour the blended mixture into a cheesecloth lined colander over a bowl.

If you are using the nut bag, pour the blended milk mixture into a bowl. Line the bag in the blender and pour the milk into the bag.  This method worked so much better.  I highly recommend it.

Squeeze the bag until all the milk comes out. 

You will have about a 1/4 cup of pulp that could be used to add to other recipes such as cookie or bread dough.  I think I am going to add it to my granola bars the next time I make them.

Pour the finished milk in a container.  I happen to love glass containers.  I purchased milk from a health food store to get mine.  The $1.50 deposit on the bottle is worth it.


*Note that you can make it taste a little sweeter by adding a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.