Jan 28, 2014

How To: Homemade Almond Milk

The only kind of cow's milk I've actually enjoyed in my lifetime is chocolate milk. And the occasional strawberry milk (the Nesquik one, of COURSE). My parents never required me to drink milk with my supper and I just never grew quite acquired to the taste.

Sevenish years ago,  I became a vegetarian. I was full-on vegan for a few weeks, then vegetarian, and now I'm a "pescetarian". But ever since I made that lifestyle change towards veganism at first, I have preferred non-dairy milks. Soy at first, then almond, and recently coconut milk. Not a fan of rice or hemp milk, though. 

I've always wanted to try making my own almond milk. A half gallon of store bought almond milk used to be a lot more pricey, but since it's grown in popularity over the years the price has definitely decreased. I wouldn't say this is the most economical option if you are the single almond milk drinker in your household and you drink it daily-- I can get a carton at the grocery store for just over $2.00 and that's how much the almonds and cheesecloth probably cost to make 2 cups with this recipe. But the taste is incredible and knowing that there are only *two* ingredients in it makes me feel good inside (the store brand I get has TWELVE ingredients in it. Hmmmm). 

After finding this recipe on The Kitchn's website, I decided to finally give it a shot. Honestly, the main reason it took me so long to make it at home was because I didn't have cheesecloth lying around and I didn't feel like it was worth buying. I ended up finding it at my grocery store for a pretty reasonable price. Maybe around $2 for a roll. Not too bad!

This is a four-step process that you can do in about 20 minutes or less, after you've let your almonds soak for a few days. And who doesn't like trying something new in the kitchen? It always gets my creative juices flowing.

Let's make some almond milk together!

What you'll need:
- 1 cup unsalted, unsweetened, plain old almonds
- Water, for soaking
- 2 cups distilled water, for blending
- Cheese cloth
- A strainer
- A blender
- A large measuring cup or bowl


Step 1: Soak your almonds in water for up to 2 days. This picture is right at that 2 day mark and it's looking kinda gross. But don't fear! It's all natural baby, and we'll be rinsing the almonds off in a second. I left mine on the counter away from where I do my usual food prep, but I'm sure you could soak them in a covered container in the fridge, too!

The Kitchn's recipe said the longer you soak your almonds, the thicker your milk will be. I didn't find that to be the case, but we also have pretty bad tap water here (which I used for the soaking) so I wouldn't be surprised if that had something to do with it. Try soaking with distilled water!


Step 2: Strain and rinse your almonds with cold running water for a few minutes. This helps to get some of the shell gunk off of them. They should be slightly squishy at this point!


Step 3: Blend your rinsed almonds with 2 cups of filtered water on high for about 2 minutes. 

{Blending action shot!}


Step 4: Line your strainer with cheesecloth and place over a large glass bowl. Slowly pour the mixture through the cloth and let it drain into the bowl. You might need to pour slowly so it doesn't overflow if you're using a smaller strainer!

{Straining action shot!}


Et voila! Fresh almond milk!

{Straining}

{Give it a good twist to get any remaining milk out, and you've got yourself some healthy almond meal! Add it to baked goods or smoothies if you wish.}


Mmmm. Fresh, cold almond milk. I sweetened mine with a little bit of stevia but you can use any sweetener you'd like (or not!). Mine lasted for a few days in the fridge. This recipe doesn't make a lot so depending on how much you drink, it might last you even shorter ;) 

What's something you've made from scratch recently? Now I'm interested in finding out if it's possible to make coconut milk from scratch...

2 comments:

  1. Holy Cow! Who knew it was so easy? My youngest can't have dairy and we go through at least a gallon of the expensive store-bought almond milk every week! Definitely must try...

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    Replies
    1. Let me know if you try it! It really is that easy :)

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