Name: Homemade Almond Milk
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 c raw almonds; 3 c water*; 1 tsp vanilla ((optional)); 1 whole date ((optional))

Homemade almond milk is so delicious (way better than store bought) and requires only two ingredients! Once you see how easy it is to make, you may never buy pre-made again.

About two and a half years ago, my family went dairy free for around 6 months, as we were trying to figure out some potential food allergies with my son. We did eventually reintroduce cheese, and the kids also enjoy an occasional ice cream treat, but we never did return to dairy milk.

Then, after my cancer diagnosis, I (personally) have gone back to being mostly dairy free, and I try really hard to incorporate as much whole, unprocessed food into my diet as possible. When I heard how easy it was to make your own almond milk, I was intrigued. Like most items that are store bought, almond milk contains numerous preservatives and stabilizers, synthetic ingredients, and flavors. So, I was really hoping the rumors about making your own were true.

And they absolutely were!

Homemade almond milk takes about 5 minutes to make, and only requires two ingredients. It is much creamier than store bought, and you can really tailor the recipe to your own personal taste. Plus, it ends up being so much cheaper than store bought.

We go through a fair amount of almond milk at my house. And, while I can’t say that we drink 100% homemade almond milk (I always have a store bought container on hand because…life), I do try to make my own as often as possible.

So, if you haven’t tried it yet, there’s really no excuse not to!

(This post contains affiliate links. To see my full disclosure, go here.)

Ingredients

Almonds – Organic, raw almonds are the best. Salted almonds are going to dramatically alter the flavor of your almond milk. And nuts are often roasted in incredibly unhealthy seed oils, which you want to avoid, as these can cause digestion issues and more.
Water – Filtered water is best, as always. And fortunately, there are numerous different ways to get filtered water today. We have an under counter water filter that makes having filtered water super easy.

Those are the only two required ingredients for almond milk. There are, however, numerous other things that you can add to help flavor it.

Vanilla – Vanilla is a popular alternative milk flavor, and it is incredibly easy to add to your own recipe. I almost always use vanilla in mine.
Dates – Dates are a good option if you want a sweetened milk. I usually add one date to my milk. This adds just a hint of sweetness, but doesn’t really “sweeten” the milk. You would need to add a few more, if you wanted a truly sweet milk. You can also use maple syrup, honey, or your choice of sweetener. I prefer using dates, as they are a whole food and provide extra benefits over maple syrup, etc.
Cinnamon – Cinnamon is another good add in, along with any other spices like nutmeg, pumpkin spice, allspice, etc.
Cocoa powder (or cacao) – You can also add cocoa/cacao, if you want a chocolate milk.

The possibilities are really endless here.

Process

Soak almonds. You will need to soak your almonds in water ahead of time. I usually do mine overnight. I put my almonds in a glass container, cover them with plenty of water, and leave them on the counter until the next day. If you don’t want to soak them overnight, they will probably need a minimum of 4 hours in room temperature water, or 1-2 hours in hot water.
Rinse almonds. Once the almonds are done soaking, and you are ready to make your milk, drain and rinse the almonds.
Blend. Dump them into a high powered blender, along with the water and any other ingredients, and blend until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). I usually start my Vitamix on a lower speed and gradually increase the speed until I’ve reached about 9-10. Then, I just let it run until the almond/date pieces are tiny and the milk looks mostly smooth.
Strain. I use a nut milk bag to strain out the pulp, which you can either discard or use as almond meal. You could also use cheesecloth to strain, or any other fine mesh strainer.
Store. Transfer the almond milk to an airtight container, and store for 5-7 days.
Consume. Use your almond milk on cereal, in oatmeal, smoothies, or just have a plain old glass of it.

Storage

For storing, I recommend an airtight, glass container. This is the one that I have, and it has worked well for me. If stored properly, this milk will keep for 5-7 days in the refrigerator.

Separation is natural. If you notice that your milk has separated, just give it a good shake before using, and it will be all good.