Easy DIY Almond Milk Recipe (YUM!)

Almond milk is a delicious, nutritious alternative to cow or soy milk, and has continued to gain popularity as a result.
 
Yet so many brands of almond milk found in supermarkets contain a very low amount of almonds (as few as 4!) and a lot of not-so-good-for-you additives.
 
If you want to drink the benefits of almond milk without drinking the added ingredients, try making it yourself at home! It’s actually very easy!
 

Here is an easy 3-step DIY almond milk recipe:

 
Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic, raw almonds
• 5-6 cups Spring, mineralized or filtered water

 
Tools Needed:

• Cheesecloth or nut milk bag (you can use clean dish towel if needed)
• Blender
• Two bowls

 
Pro tip: Want to make it interesting? Add 2 tablespoons of honey (or agave) and teaspoon of fresh vanilla.

 
Yield: About 1 liter
 
When you pick your almonds, reach for the organic and raw varieties. Why? Brace yourself . . . Conventional almonds go through a fumigation, pasteurization, and/or irradiation process that leaves the nut dead, nutrient-deficient and toxic. What’s our world coming to?
 
For your water source, it is best to use spring and mineralized water. However, if that is too hard (or expensive) to come by, reach for filtered water.
 

Step 1: Soak

This is a crucial step you should not skip! Soak your almonds for 8-12 hours to release the enzymes and effectively sprout the almond, making them “alive” and easily digestible. This step is usually skipped in store-bought brands.
 
Next, drain and rinse the almonds, and then continue to soak them in fresh water for another few hours. When the almonds are visually swollen after soaking a second time, you will know they are ready! Drain and rinse them again.
 

Step 2: Blend

Add a cup of sprouted almonds to your blender and a cup of water (add more water if this does not completely submerge all almonds) to cover the tops of the almonds. Blend this mixture until smooth.
 
Pro tip: If you don’t already have one, we highly recommend investing in a Vitamix Blender.
 
Then, add 4 – 5 cups of water (depending on how strong you want the flavor) and blend again until you have the creamy consistency of milk.
 

Step 3: Strain

Your resulting milk will have a gritty consistency. To get that silky texture, you will need to strain your milk through a cheesecloth or a nut milk bag.
 
Don’t have a cheesecloth of nut milk bag? You can use the following instead (they won’t work as well but they will work).

• Clean dish towel
• Clean pillow case
• Cloth dipper (Make sure it has never been used before!)

 
Hold the cheesecloth over a one liter or larger measuring cup or bowl, and pour the liquid from the blender through the cloth. Once you are finished, squeeze the ground almonds in the cheesecloth over the bowl to remove any extra milk.
 
You can use the leftover grain as almond flour if you wish (just give it time to dry). Your almond milk will keep its freshness for 3-5 days in the fridge. Enjoy!
 
If you love your almond milk and don’t want to give it up or pay the inflated supermarket prices, try this do-it-yourself recipe, and make nutritious almond milk that is easy on your wallet and kind to your body.