How to Make Almond Milk

Looking for an alternative to dairy milk? Homemade Almond Milk is a delicious, nutritional option. It's great used in baking, poured in cereal, or enjoyed plain in a tall, cold glass. And it's actually much easier to make than you might think.

My youngest son was diagnosed with a severe milk allergy when he was about five weeks old. For the first year of his life, he had to have a formula that was both dairy-free and soy-free due to both his milk allergy and his soy allergy. From there we tried rice, coconut, and eventually almond milk.

The almond milk seemed to be what he liked the best, but there were some brands that were making his stomach sick and causing him a great deal of tummy discomfort. What in store-bought almond milk was making him sick? When I looked at the ingredients for the almond milk from the store, I was shocked to see all the additives and ingredients with names that didn't sound healthy or natural. Something on the ingredient list was making my little guy sick, so I decided to try my hand at making some from scratch. (There is one store-bought brand we've found that doesn't make him sick. If you'd like to know which it is, I'd be happy to share it with you privately. Just send me a message through e-mail or social media. BUT if you'd like to make your own, read on to learn my recipe.)

Was it a crazy notion--making my own? I was convinced it was going to end up being hard and complicated. I quickly learned how wrong I was though! It turned out to be a super simple process that required only a few ingredients and a nut milk bag. The best part? I knew exactly what was going in the milk.

Still don't believe me on how simple it is to make your own? Oh, I promise! It's one of the easiest recipes you'll ever try. The longest part is soaking the almonds, but that can be prepped and left overnight. You can keep your ingredients as simple as just using almonds and filtered water or get creative with additional ingredients to make a variety of flavors. From plain almond milk to chocolate and even vanilla to chai, the flavor possibilities are plentiful. Whichever flavor you choose, this truly is a simple and delicious drink to try.

Making your own almond milk has a lot of added benefits over buying it from the store. You get to enjoy this nutritional, tasty drink without the added ingredients found in store-bought almond milk. You remember? The ones that were making my little guy sick. Yea, those! Who can even pronounce all of those ingredients? When you make your own, you know exactly what you’re drinking, and you have the option to create whatever flavor you’d like. Homemade almond milk is also fresher and creamier than the kind you get from the store.

Ready to give this a try for yourself? Here’s how to whip up your own batch of creamy, delicious almond milk.Homemade Almond Milk Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds
• 4 cups filtered water (You'll need some for soaking your almonds too.)
• pinch of salt
• flavoring* (optional)

You'll also need a nut milk bag. We use this one!

Directions

1. Pour 1 cup almonds and water into a large bowl. Add a cover and let it sit overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the almonds. Pour the soaked almonds into a blender and add 4 cups of filtered water. Blend for 1-2 minutes until the almonds are ground into a fine pulp.
3. Strain and squeeze the mixture through a Nut Milk Bag to separate the milk from the pulp. Add a pinch of salt to the milk. (The pulp can be turned into almond flour for baking.)
4. Whisk any desired flavorings into the milk. Cocoa and a sweetener like sugar or agave nectar make a delicious chocolate almond milk. Cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar are another great combination.
5. Pour the milk into a container and keep it refrigerated. If the mixture separates simply shake or stir before serving. Use and enjoy within three days.

*Flavor options: cinnamon (1/4 tsp.), cocoa powder (2 tbsp.), granulated sugar (1 tbsp.), agave nectar (1 tbsp.), honey (1 tbsp.), maple syrup (1 tbsp.), vanilla extract (1 tsp.), coconut sugar (1 tbsp.)

Happy milking!

Disclosure: Affiliate links have been provided to help you find everything you need to make your own almond milk.

Note: I originally shared this recipe on Clean and Scentsible.