Before I started making my own homemade almond milk with this ridiculously simple recipe, my quest for almond milk went something like this: Pick up almond milk in store. Read ingredients. Put almond milk back because ingredients Always Contained Sugar. And so out of sheer desperation one day I decided to try making my own, and as with my ricotta cheese and mayonnaise recipes, I smacked myself on the forehead as penance for all those years buying something that was so dang easy to make at home. And tastes better.
So grab some almonds and your blender and let’s make it!Here’s what you need: a couple of cups of raw almonds. Some water. Some cheesecloth. A good blender. THAT IS ALL. You can fancy things up with a dash of vanilla or cinnamon if you want to, but since I was just after plain old almond milk, that’s what I went for.
Start out by soaking your almonds in water overnight – you want them to feel just the teeniest bit squishy. Pour them into a strainer and rinse them off well, and then pop them into a blender, along with some water. We have lovely well water out here in the wilds where I live, but if you have any concerns about how your tap water tastes, just use bottled water.
As for the blender, I do think you need a very sturdy one for this. I have a Vitamix which I love with all my heart and soul, and it was more than up to the task. Since that’s my main blender, if anyone has tried doing this in a more conventional blender I would love it if you could tell us that in the comments.
Now put the top on the blender and set it to whatever the highest setting is. Puree, Liquify…you get the idea. Let it go for a good 2 minutes until things start to look nice and frothy.
Now line a bowl with cheesecloth and pour the pureed mixture through the cheesecloth (and this is a good time to ask for a helper. It won’t be hard to find someone who is fascinated at the idea of making almond milk to help you during this last dramatic step).
The cheesecloth is going to catch all of the pulp, and the perfectly beautiful non-sweetened almond milk is going to go through the cheesecloth into the bowl below. Gather up the sides of the cheesecloth and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze until you have squished every lovely drop of almond milk out of the pulp. And…YOU HAVE MADE ALMOND MILK. I poured mine into one of my glass milk bottles and admired it for a while, and made everyone else in the house admire it too.
And then we used it to make gorgeous breakfast smoothies while we were doing our Whole 30 and Power Souping things, and there are about a million other things you can almond milk your way towards. Oh and that pulp in the cheesecloth? You can stir it into oatmeal or soup or banana bread or anything else you want to give a little almond zing to.
So there you have it…yet another reason not to go to the supermarket. Except to buy the raw almonds, of course!
Print
How To Make Homemade Almond Milk
Prep Time: 5 minutes- Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 quart 1x
Category: Staples
Method: No Cook
Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups raw almonds
- 6 cups water
Instructions
- Soak the almonds in water overnight. Pour them into a strainer and rinse them off.
- Put the almonds and 6 cups water in a sturdy blender and blend on the highest setting for 2 minutes.
- Line a bowl with cheesecloth, making sure the cheesecloth drapes over the edges. Pour the almond puree through the cheesecloth, gathering up the ends of the cheesecloth to make a little bag. Squeeze all the liquid out of the puree into the bowl.
- Transfer the almond milk to a pitcher and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
You can flavor your almond milk with a little cinnamon or vanilla if you like – add about 1/2 teaspoon to the blender before you puree.
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and along the way my recipes have also been featured in places including Huff Post, the Today Show, BuzzFeed and Glamour. My mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. Let’s cook together!
Framed Cooks is delighted to have appeared on these great sites!
Wow! That’s so simple! And I love almond milk! I’ve made my own ricotta cheese before and was amazed at how much better it was than store bought and how easy it was to make. Can’t wait to give this almond milk a try :)
I have found SO many things that are easier (and tastier) to make at home – it’s so satisfying! :)
I had no pulp left over.i had to shake it very hard after I put into the bottle and b4 every time I open bottle..the almonds cost me more then regular almond milk .
Hi Marilynn! It sounds like the pulp made it into the bottle with the almond milk, which would account for you having to shake it up. If you try this again (and I hope you do!) I would suggest maybe getting a more dense cheesecloth, or you could try doubling up the cheesecloth you have now, just to make sure you catch that pulp so it doesn’t go into your milk. Hope this helps!
I have been making my own almond milk for years. Love it so much more than store bought because I don’t get the added chemicals and preservatives. In place of using cheesecloth I would suggest you invest in a Ellie’s Best Bigger Nut Milk Bag. http://elliesbest.com/our-nutmilk-bag/ It’s reusable, keeps all your almond pulp bits out of the milk and the best part…it’s easy to keep the almond pulp and use it as almond flour! Plus you get a booklet with other ways to use your bag – like cold brew coffee to go along with your almond milk!
Oh my gosh, I didn’t know these even existed – thanks so much Peggy! :)
im sure you will love them so much you will blog about them in a future post! So environmentally friendly as they are reusable. I have 2. One I use for my cold brew coffee and one for nut milks.
I’ve never thought to make my own almond milk before! What a great idea, and so easy, too. I bet this tastes SO good!
OMG. I am slapping MY forehead. WHYYYY have I been buying Almond Milk all this time when it is SO gosh darn easy to make yourself? I feel stupid. ;) Well, stupid NO MORE! I can’t wait to try this, Kate! I mean, it’s too easy NOT TO! Thanks so much for sharing, dear friend! Cheers!
P.S. Happy New Year!! xo
I’ve had a lot of fun making my own milks the last year. I don’t think people realize how easy it is. I was surprised when I made it for the first time too. Thanks for sharing!
Yep, the label-reading part is the worst! Haha. So happy that you showed us how easy it is to make almond milk. YUM and yum! Hope you have an awesome weekend! :)
Thanks my friend! xox
I’ve considered making homemade almond milk, but haven’t been brave enough. You’re inspiring me to give it a try :)
It’s a snap, Megan – you’ll love it! :)
I have recently decided to consume only almond milk as the healthiest alternative! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Agness – what a great goal to have! Hope this recipe helps! :)