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BLANK » Recipe Index » Dairy Free Milk

Vegan Almond Milk Recipe

August 6, 2020 by Charla 22 Comments

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almond milk in a bottle
steps of making the almond milk

Homemade almond milk is a great substitute for those who are going dairy free. It's free from lactose, plant based and you only need 4 ingredients along with a blender or food processor to yield this milk.

 

almond milk in a bottle

Here is another 'nut milk' to add to the collection. This time I went ahead with whipping up a batch of almond milk.

What can I say about this? It's vegan friendly and a great lactose free alternative for the dairy free crowd and it has certainly exceeded my expectations by a long stretch of the imagination.

My first encounter with making my own plant based milk was several years ago. Before it was trendy and still in its infancy stages.

At the time I was adjusting to using my vitamix which was given to me as a gift. My first attempt was a catastrophic failure for a lack of a better word.

I sucked at making something SO simple - the ratio of water to almonds was unbalanced and silly me forgot to soak the darn things which resulted in a coarse nut milk.

Needless to say I wrote almond milk off as a bad omen and avoided it like the plague, not knowing I was at fault, not the actual milk.

A few months later while I was catching up on some YouTube videos I came across a vegan almond milk recipe.

I immediately saw where I went wrong with my method and literally dived into my kitchen to make a batch and haven't looked back since.

overhead shot of the milk

Homemade vs storebought

When referencing homemade nut milk the first thing people query is the cost. The cost of homemade versus store bought milk is going to vary, depending on your location and the cost of living.

For example I buy a small bag of almonds for £1 ($1.30) which makes roughly 4 cups of milk.

The price of almond milk in the UK varies, depending on the brand and whether or not it's organic. Anything from 85p-£2.50 is what I've seen it for.

I think ultimately it's all about the experience, try it at least once. You also have the ability to flavour your milk, tweak the strength (weaker/creamier).

Along with having complete control over the ingredients used to make your milk.

So rather then question the price, focus more on your needs and from there decide whether making homemade milk is for you.

Ingredients you will need

ingredients for almond milk

The steps

  • Soak the almonds in a bowl with water overnight. The longer they soak, the creamier the nut milk.
  • Drain off and rinse off the water from the almonds.
  • Place the almonds along with the 4 cups of water and any additional add ins and blend into a smooth consistency.
  • Use a cheese/muslin cloth or nut bag to strain the milk into a large bowl, squeezing out all excess liquid. Use the excess pulp (see recipe post)
  • Store the milk in a jug or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

How long does homemade almond milk last?

Due to the milk not having any stabilisers etc.. it has a relatively short shelf life of up to 4 days maximum.

What recipes can you make with almond milk?

  • Lattes
  • Coffee
  • Smoothie and drinks

What can you do with the leftover almond pulp?

  • Freeze it
  • Make almond meal/flour
  • Add/use in any of these cakes i.e Jamaican Toto, Orange and Almond Cake
  • Brittle

Notes and tips

  • In order to yield creaminess it's important to soak the almonds overnight. The longer you soak the nuts for then the more creamier the texture of your milk will be.
  • You can speed up the soaking process by using lukewarm water instead for a few hours.
  • You can make this recipe using a high speed blender or food processor BUT a blender i.e Vitamix, Blendtec is favourable and will create smoother results.
  • Due to no emulsifier being used it's normal for the milk to separate, just stir it up prior to using it.
  • If you want to add sweetener, dates, cacao powder or anything else then do so.
  • Remember to store your milk in the refrigerator and be mindful of using it within 3-4 days.
  • Only make what you need as this will lessen the chances of waste and/or doing unnecessary labour.
another overhead shot of the milk

More plant based milk recipes

  • Brazil Nut Milk
  •  Cashew Milk
  • Pistachio Milk
  • Coconut Milk
  • Quinoa Milk

**Don't forget to comment below and star rate if you have tried my recipes. Let's be friends and engage on Facebook and Instagram I also like to pin on Pinterest, where you can find more amazing recipes.**

Vegan Almond Milk Recipe

Learn to make delicious almond milk from scratch - it's so delicious and creamy!
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Drink
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 213kcal
Author: Charla

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of almonds
  • 4 cups of filtered water can use non filtered
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt
  • water for soaking

Instructions

  • Soak the almonds in a bowl with water overnight. The longer they soak the creamier the nut milk.
  • Drain off and rinse off the water from the almonds.
  • Place the almonds along with the 4 cups of water and any additional add ins and blend into a smooth consistency.
  • Use a cheese/muslin cloth or nut bag to strain the milk into a large bowl, squeezing out all excess liquid. Use the excess pulp (see recipe post)
  • Store the milk in a jug or mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Notes

  • In order to yield creaminess it's important to soak the almonds overnight. The longer you soak the nuts for then the more creamier the texture of your milk will be.
  • You can speed up the soaking process by using lukewarm water instead for a few hours.
  • You can make this recipe using a high speed blender or food processor BUT a blender i.e Vitamix, Blendtec is favourable and will create smoother results.
  • Due to no emulsifier being used it's normal for the milk to separate, just stir it up prior to using it.
  • If you want to add sweetener, dates, cacao powder or anything else then do so.
  • Remember to store your milk in the refrigerator and be mindful of using it within 3-4 days.
  • Only make what you need as this will lessen the chances of waste and/or doing unnecessary labour.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ThatGirlCooksHealthy or tag #ThatGirlCooksHealthy!

 

More Dairy Free Milk

  • Chocolate Hemp Milk
  • Hemp milk in a jar
    How to Make Hemp Seed Milk
  • Cashew Nut Milk Recipe
  • jug and half a glass of coconut milk
    How to Make Coconut Milk

About Charla

I'm Charla. Caribbean foodie & Certified Health Coach. Welcome to the heaven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

Comments

  1. Alisa Infanti says

    August 06, 2020 at 2:09 pm

    I think I am going to give this a try and see if it is less expensive to make my own. I had no idea it was so easy to do!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      August 06, 2020 at 2:23 pm

      Yes, it is Alisa!!

      Reply
  2. Sue says

    August 06, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    5 stars
    I'm sitting here have almond milk in my coffee, thinking why have I never tried this? Thanks for showing how easy it can be!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      August 06, 2020 at 2:23 pm

      No problem Sue.

      Reply
    • Christine A Summers says

      December 16, 2024 at 3:38 am

      Do you need to remove the skins

      Reply
      • Charla says

        December 16, 2024 at 2:30 pm

        Hi Christine, no, the skin doesn't need to be removed.

        Reply
  3. Janelle says

    August 06, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing. I've always wondered how to make almond milk

    Reply
    • Charla says

      August 06, 2020 at 1:04 pm

      You are welcome Janelle

      Reply
  4. Gina says

    August 06, 2020 at 11:57 am

    I got big into making my own almond milk this past year also. It's really such a simple process and the money saved is amazing. Not to mention the control over the ingredients and not needing any of those stabilizers and gums! Can't wait to check out some of your other nut milk recipes now!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      August 06, 2020 at 12:03 pm

      Thanks Gina. Yes making your own nut milk is such a game changer.

      Reply
  5. Beth Sachs says

    August 06, 2020 at 10:20 am

    5 stars
    I love almond milk but have never thought about making my own before. Will definitely give this a go!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      August 06, 2020 at 10:28 am

      Thanks Beth and enjoy!

      Reply
  6. Theresa Surgick says

    June 12, 2018 at 2:45 pm

    Do you have a breakdown of how many calories this almond milk would end up being?

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 12, 2018 at 7:05 pm

      A batch would be roughly 327 calories.

      Reply
  7. Kim says

    June 26, 2017 at 5:10 am

    I was so excited about using the sunflower lecithin to keep my almond milk from separating. I used honey as sweetener, no salt and I think 3:1 ratio water/ almonds. I removed the skins from the almonds . These are the only differences that I know of. I wished that I had a Vitamix bit I used the Ninja blender ; oh! 2 T of lecithin powder. Do you know why it separated? 2- 3 hrs.

    Reply
    • Charla says

      June 26, 2017 at 1:44 pm

      Hi Kim.

      I'm sorry to hear that. How long did you blend the almonds with the water for? I'm guessing if you stopped the machine quickly then the almonds wouldn't have had the opportunity to break down in full. You can also try using warm or hot water instead for the water/almond ratio, that should make a difference. Anymore problems let me know and I will assist you further.

      Reply
  8. christopher says

    January 01, 2016 at 9:17 pm

    5 stars
    Almond milk one of my favourite milk..What do you suggest I do with the left over Almond meal?

    Reply
    • Charla says

      January 01, 2016 at 9:52 pm

      You can do a number of things; make the pulp into energy balls, dehydrate it into flour, use the meal to add extra protein to your smoothies, whip into nut butter or simply add to baked goods.

      Reply
  9. Jolie says

    January 16, 2015 at 11:38 am

    This looks beautiful Charla! It's interesting that you need to add the lecithin to emulisfy it. I did a bit of googling and found that almonds are already high in lecithin so I would've thought that might do the trick. In any case, it looks like the lecithin you've recommended is not harmful at all to good health!

    Reply
    • Charla says

      January 17, 2015 at 2:36 pm

      Thanks Jolie, just to clarify the lecithin is not a requirement to emulsify, as the almond milk doesn't separate from the water. On this occasion, I found when experimenting with the nut milk that the sunflower lecithin boosts the creaminess. It's totally optional and it won't collapse on itself without it.

      Reply
      • Kim says

        July 07, 2018 at 3:46 pm

        Pls show what’s is coconut nectar

        Reply
        • Charla says

          July 08, 2018 at 8:02 pm

          Hi Kim. Coconut nectar is the sap extracted from the coconut tree. I recommend it because it is a low GI index sweetener. You can buy it from Amazon from or from maple syrup or agave nectar as an alternative.

          Reply
5 from 7 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Hey, I'm Charla!

I'm an avid Caribbean foodie. Welcome to the haven of gluten and dairy free recipes as well as modernised healthier alternatives to some of your favourite Caribbean recipes.

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