How to Make Almond Milk: A DIY Guide for Absolute Beginners

So, how do you milk an almond anyway? Turns out it's pretty easy. You just soak + blend + strain. Bonus: Making your own almond milk means no artificial anything added in, plus you get ground almond meal as a by-product. (I'll share recipes to use up the almond meal down below.) Read on to get my easy recipe for homemade almond milk, plus step-by-step instructions and helpful tips all along the way. Honestly, if I can do it, anyone can.

Get the recipe for Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

Yield: 24-30 ounces

• 1 cup organic raw almonds
• 1 whole vanilla bean
• 2 medjool dates, pitted
• pinch of sea salt
• 32 ounces filtered water

• blender
• nut milk bag

1. Soak

Place almonds and vanilla bean in a medium bowl. Add enough water to cover almonds completely, cover, and soak at room temperature 8 to 12 hours. Soak dates in a separate bowl.

Drain and discard the soaking water from the almonds. Rinse thoroughly. Keep the date water to add to the almond milk, if desired.

2. Blend

Add soaked almonds, vanilla bean, dates, sea salt, and 3 cups filtered water to a blender. Blend on high for 1 minute. Turn off the blender and let the foam subside, then add another cup of water. You might not use all 32 ounces of water, depending on the capacity of your blender. Add the soaking water from the dates for a little extra sweetness, if desired. Blend again for 1 minute.

3. Strain

Place nut milk bag in a quart-size measuring cup or large bowl. Pour blended almond milk into the bag, and lift to drain. Gently squeeze and twist the bag to extract as much liquid as possible. Save the almond meal to use in recipes (see below).

Homemade almond milk will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or you could freeze it. Either way, give it a good shake before using, because there aren't any additives to keep it emulsified.

• This basic recipe works for any nut milk: almond, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, etc.
• Soaking the almonds is a must to make them more nutritious and easier to digest.
• Adding the dates for sweetness is purely optional. You could also use agave syrup or honey, or leave out the sweetness altogether.
• You can purchase a reusable nut milk bag online or at a kitchen store. Straining the milk through a fine-mesh strainer or several layers of cheesecloth will also work, but the nut milk bag gives you a smoother finished product.
• Save and dry the almond meal for baking or adding to oatmeal. Spread it on a lined baking sheet and pop it in the oven at the lowest setting until it's dry. It might take 3 or 4 hours. Then whirl it through the blender or food processor until you like the texture.
• Guess what? You don't need a super-powerful blender to make almond milk. I used my ordinary unfancy blender, and got great results.

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