Make Your Own Almond Milk

When I was a child, I had a friend, Jeremy, who lived two houses down from me.  On occasion, while we played at his house, his mom would offer me a glass of milk.  Except this wasn't regular, dairy milk - it was soy milk, made from a soy drink powder.  It was a little a funky tasting, but I liked it - probably because it was different from the dairy milk we drank at home.

Now, fast forward a few years.  My family - my wife, daughter, and I - now drink mostly almond milk and occasionally soy milk at home.  Personally, I prefer almond milk because it responds like dairy milk for cooking.  This recipe is very simple and cost-effective to make. 

 

What's in your milk?

Regardless of the commercial brand that you purchase, it contains a lot more than almonds!  Compare the ingredients for one brand to homemade.

BLUE DIAMOND ALMOND BREEZE - Original Unsweetened 
(This is what we used until I learned how to make almond milk)

HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK - Original Unsweetened

Ingredients

• 1C whole almonds plus water for soaking
• 3 1/2C purified water or spring water
• pinch, sea salt
• 1 whole vanilla bean (optional)
• 2-4 medjool dates (optional)
• 1/4t ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Soak the almonds in water for 8-12 hours.
2. Drain and rinse the almonds.
3. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend at the highest speed for 1 minute.
4. Place a nut bag in a mixing bowl.  Pour the liquid into the nut bag.  The majority of milk will simply drain into the bowl.  
5. Knead the almond pulp inside the bag until all of the liquid has been pressed out.
6. Transfer the milk to a quart-size storage bottle (preferably glass) and chill.

This milk will stay fresh for 4-5 days.

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