How to Make Almond Milk

by | Jul 5, 2019 | Beverages

Homemade almond milk is fresh and crisp in flavour, subtly sweet, and free of additives commonly found in store-bought milks. All you need is almonds and water to whip this recipe up!

Homemade almond milk brings back so many memories for me. Memories of when I first invested in my Vitamix blender and also years ago when I worked at a raw food restaurant. We made fresh almond milk on the daily!

I also feel like it’s one of the OG healthy eating trends. That is the first time I’ve ever used “OG” in a sentence. I just learned a month ago what it means. It means “original” and I’ve just decided that’s the last time I’ll ever use it.

Anyways, almond milk is a staple for me, though I’ll admit I’ve relied on many a store-bought cartons. Which there isn’t anything wrong with – convenience is a beautiful thing – but they do unfortunately contain emulsifiers, thickeners, and other additives that are otherwise best avoided when possible.

This is where homemade almond milk comes in. I posted this how-to many years ago here on my blog but I’ve decided to revisit and re-vamp the information.

Benefits of Homemade Almond Milk

  • made with only two ingredients: almonds and water!
  • rich in minerals such as heart-healthy magnesium
  • great source of monounsaturated fats
  • free of added thickeners and emulsifiers (such as carageenan) that research suggests can irritate the digestive lining.
  • leftover pulp can be used in variety of recipes
  • has a much fresher taste than store-bought

How to Make Almond Milk

All you need for making homemade almond milk are raw almonds (unsalted and preferably organic) and water. In terms of equipment, you’ll need a blender, a large bowl, and a nut milk bag or cheesecloth. I also have a large parfait jar that’s the perfect size for this recipe.

  1. Soak almonds overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours
  2. Rinse and drain almonds, and add to blender with water
  3. Blend on high until mostly smooth
  4. Cover bowl with nut milk bag and pour contents through the mesh. Tie bag tightly and begin squeezing out milk into bowl until your nut milk bag is fully wrung out.
  5. Transfer milk to large jar and refrigerate. Store pulp in freezer for future use, such as in my No-Bake Almond Hemp Protein Balls.

Homemade Almond Milk

Fresh and simple almond milk made from almonds and water.

Course Drinks
Cuisine Dairy-free
Prep Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Servings 6 cups
Author Meghan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almonds (soaked)
  • 5 cups water

Optional

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1-2 tbsp maple syrup or honey

Instructions

  1. Soak almonds overnight (about 8 hours) or for a minimum of 4 hours

  2. Rinse and drain almonds, and add to blender with water. Blend on high until mostly smooth.

  3. Cover bowl with nut milk bag and pour contents through the mesh. Tie bag tightly and begin squeezing out milk into bowl until your nut milk bag is fully wrung out.

  4. Transfer milk to large jar and refrigerate. Store pulp in freezer for future use.

Recipe Notes

Almond milk will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator.

Have you made almond milk before? Tag me on Instagram @meghanlivingstone with your creations!

by Meghan Livingstone

Note: this post may contain affiliate links. Learn more here.

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6 Comments

  1. Anthony

    Most recipes for almond milk call
    For a 1 to 4 ratio of nuts to water and I’ve never seen any that differentiate between the volume of nuts before and after soaking as you my mention in your meal prep video. Are these tricks you’ve picked up or do you just prefer it this way? Best!

    Reply
    • Meghan

      Hi Anthony! The almonds swell up slightly so that’s why I soak a little less than 1 cup. Not a huge deal if you soak 1 cup raw though! Measurements don’t have to be exact 🙂 You can also use more or less water depending on the consistency or flavour that you like. I like 5 cups of water 🙂

      Reply
  2. Joanne Lucey

    Curious, when you say add water to the almonds in the blender. Are you adding the soaked water or new fresh water.

    Reply
    • Meghan

      Hi Joanne! You add 5 cups of fresh new water to the blender. Discard the old water 🙂

      Reply
  3. Areni

    Hi Meghan, what do you do with the leftover almond meal?

    Reply
    • Meghan

      Hello! You can add it to baked goods 🙂 I have a recipe for No-Bake Almond Bites on my blog! Recipe should be linked in this blog post.

      Reply

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Meghan Livingstone, CNP

Hi, I’m Meghan. I’m a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, blogger, and YouTuber with a passion for healthy, simple living. I’m here to inspire you to listen to your body, eat wholesomely, and create a fulfilling life.