Homemade almond milk is made from just two ingredients and creates a creamy, rich flavor. It’s an all-natural, refreshing beverage that’s a perfect vegan milk replacement and ready in just 5 minutes!
There’s nothing like a refreshing glass of almond milk to pair with your favorite chocolatey dessert or use for dipping cookies! Sure, I like the store bought kind, but homemade is just on another level. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of successfully making it at home, but I think it’s the flavor that truly makes this milk stand out.
I mean, homemade almond milk is just so much creamier than store bought. It doesn’t include additives or stabilizers, and is instead made with just almonds and water!
This two ingredient recipe creates a heavier almond flavor that’s undeniably delicious. I like to add cocoa powder for a rich chocolaty taste, but vanilla and berries are also wonderful options.
Almond milk ingredients
To make almond milk, you only need two main ingredients. After that, the rest is up to you! You can enjoy it as unsweetened almond milk, or you can customize the recipe to fit your mood by choosing from four different flavor options.
- Almonds: To make this milk, you will need 1 cup of raw almonds. I recommend the plain kind (not salted).
- Water: To help with liquifying the mixture, we use 4 cups of water.
- Salt: Finally, a pinch of salt is great for flavor.
Almond milk flavor options
Feeling adventurous? Flavor it up with these easy flavors.
- Sweet Almond Milk: For plain but sweetened milk, use 2 tablespoons of sugar or 2 dates. You can also combine this with the options below for sweetened versions of those flavors!
- Vanilla Almond Milk: Use ½ tsp of vanilla extract for delicious vanilla almond milk.
- Chocolate Almond Milk: If you’re in the mood for a bit of chocolate, use 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Berry Almond Milk: Make a delicious berry milk by adding ½ cup of mixed berries to your recipe.
How to make almond milk
This recipe makes creating homemade almond milk super quick and easy. In total, it only takes 5 minutes! Be sure to plan ahead, as you’ll have to soak your almonds for a bit before blending. Grab your blender and a nut milk bag or dish towel, and let’s get started!
Step 1: Soak the almonds
Cover the almonds with water, cover with a lid, and let soak overnight in the refrigerator. Alternatively, soak them in hot water for 1-2 hours. This softens the almonds so you can extract all of that delicious almond flavor.
Step 2: Prepare the blender
Next, drain and rinse the almonds, then add them to a blender with 4 cups of cold water. Add any optional flavors like sweetener, vanilla, chocolate, or berry.
Step 3: Blend the ingredients
Blend on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the almonds are broken down completely.
Step 4: Strain the liquid
Next, strain the mixture through a nut milk bag. Alternatively, you can lay a thin dish towel in a colander and pour the mixture through. Gather up the corners and squeeze out as much of the almond milk as possible. Discard the almond pulp (or save it to bake – see notes in the recipe card below).
Step 5: Adjust the flavor
Finally, add a pinch of salt and more sweetener or flavorings as needed. Serve chilled.
Almond milk variations
There are a bunch of different flavor options for this recipe, but the same is true when it comes to the nuts! It’s so easy to swap the almonds for cashews, or even oats!
Cashew milk
Cashew milk is made almost the exact same way as almond milk. You may need a tad extra sweetener, so give it a taste test to see what it needs! Like the almonds, soak the cashews for a bit to soften them before blending.
Oat milk
The recipe for oat milk is also pretty similar. You’ll still need one cup of oats and four cups of water. The only difference? Oat milk needs to be strained through a t-shirt or towel, as nut milk bags don’t work well for removing oat pulp.
Commonly asked questions
From almond milk nutrition to repurposing the pulp into delicious crackers, here’s what you need to know.
Though almond milk doesn’t provide as much protein and fiber as eating regular almonds (because it’s watered down), it does provide nutrients! It’s actually a good source of calcium, with one serving providing about 25% of the recommended daily value.
When making almond milk, it’s worth it to save the pulp! You can then use it to make almond meal or crackers.
Keep your leftover almond milk in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
How to use almond milk
Almond milk is obviously a great choice just in a glass by itself, but you can also use it in a bunch of recipes!
- Strawberry Cottage Cheese Smoothie
- Eggless French Toast
- Easy Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
Almond Milk
- 1 cup raw almonds 150 g
- 4 cups water 950 mL
- Pinch of salt
Optional Flavors
- Sweetened: 2 Tbsp sugar or 2 dates
- Vanilla: ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Chocolate: 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- Berry: ½ cup mixed berries
Instructions
- Soak: Cover almonds with water, cover, and let soak overnight in the refrigerator. Alternatively, soak in hot water for 1 to 2 hours.
- Blend: Drain and rinse almonds, then add to a blender with 4 cups of cold water, along with any optional flavors. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until almonds are broken down.
- Strain: Strain mixture through a nut milk bag. Alternatively, lay a thin dish towel in a colander and pour mixture through. Gather up the corners and squeeze out as much of the almond milk as possible. Discard the almond pulp (or bake with it, see notes).
- Adjust: Add a pinch of salt and more sweetener or flavorings as needed. Serve chilled.
tiffany says
Hi,
Do you make water kefir? If yes, I would like to learn how to make
Sarah says
I haven’t tried water kefir yet, only milk kefir. But it’s on the “to try” list!