If there’s a way to cut the unnecessary ingredients out of my food, I’m going to do it. But when I first heard you can make almond milk at home, I’ll admit I was skeptical. While I do love the nutty flavor it can add to my iced coffee, it didn't seem worth the trouble. Well, I tried it, and it is!
With the help of a powerful blender and cheesecloth, you can make flavored almond milk in your own kitchen and cut the list of ingredients down to four or five.
The cheesecloth in this recipe acts as the crucial last step to creating a silky product. While a fine-mesh metal sieve would be something many people have in their kitchens, cheesecloth is the best tool for this job, catching all of the tiny pieces of almond that remain.
Homemade Almond Milk
Recipe by Carlene Thomas, RD, LD
Ingredients
1 cup almonds
4 to 5 cups water, divided
2 dates
1 tsp. vanilla
Cinnamon, maple syrup, other flavorings (optional)
Directions
- Soak almonds in 2 cups of water overnight in the fridge.
- Drain the almonds and add to a Vitamix or other powerful blender.
- Add remaining 2 to 3 cups of fresh water to the blender. How much you use depends on your desired thickness.
- Soak dates in water to soften. Add the dates to the blender. Start the blender on a low setting, gradually moving it to high. Once the almonds turn to a white liquid, stop the blender.
- Place a cheesecloth over a bowl or large (5-cup) measuring cup. Pour the liquid over the cheesecloth in batches, grabbing and gathering the cheesecloth into a closed top sack. Squeeze the cheesecloth to remove the liquid. The cheesecloth will hold the remaining almond pulp.
- Set the pulp aside for crackers or baking at a later time and continue to work in batches.
- Once the almond milk is strained, add vanilla and other flavorings — a dash of cinnamon or maple syrup if desired — and stir.
- Store in a closed jar in the fridge.
