Homemade Almond Milk
If you are avoiding dairy for health reasons, there are many options for milk available like Almond, Coconut, Soy, Hemp, Rice Milk etc. Almond milk seems to be enjoying the most success (#1 in alt-milk category).
The problem is if you are drinking a store bought Almond Milk; you are also consuming a lot of undesired additives which are not good for your body. Carrageenan is one of the most common additives in most of the nut kinds of milk, even the organic variety.
What is Carrageenan: Although derived from a natural source (Seaweed), it has been found to have a harmful effect on the digestive system. It triggers an unnatural immune response similar to that your body has when invaded by bacteria. It can lead to inflammation, ulceration, and bleeding in your gut.
Also, in store bought milk there are only about 2% almonds so basically you are paying that high price for just plain water and additives.
The good news is that it is very easy to make Almond Milk at home and it is cost effective too.
Here is a simple recipe :
HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw Almonds
- Pinch sea salt
- 4 cups water
- 2 dates
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the almonds for at least 12 hours in clean water with a pinch of sea salt
- Drain the water
- In a blender, blend the almonds, water, and dates
- Blend for 2-3 minutes until smooth
- Strain the milk by using a cheese cloth, nut bag or simple tea strainer
- Pour in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days
Notes
- If you don’t have dates, you can also use maple syrup as a sweetener
- You can add Coco powder or fruits like mango/berries/bananas to experiment with different flavors
- Tea strainer works fine but it is a little bit messy to use. It takes longer to strain and requires patience
- Add more or less water depending on the thickness you prefer (whole, 2% or 1%)
- Don’t throw out the pulp. It can be used in many recipes like curries and baking
If you try this recipe, let me know how it turned out. Did you try any variations? Please share.
Shobhna, will try this out. Is it important to keep the almond skin on before blending ?
Thanks. M
Madhvi – you can peel the skin before blending and get the same results. You won’t have to strain the mixture if the skin is off before blending. Since it is a tedious process to manually remove the peel that’s why we use this method and let the blender/strainer do the job. Hope it helps. Let me know how it turns out.