Almond milk, a creamy and tasty drink that's also high in calcium. It's nutritious, made with 3 simple ingredients and ready in just 20 minutes.
Almond milk is one of my favorite kinds of plant milk. It's more affordable than the store-bought ones, made with natural and nutritious ingredients and it's absolutely delicious. Besides, almonds are higher in calcium than cow's milk!
This vegan beverage is a wonderful alternative to regular milk. Of course, it's vegan-friendly and great for those who are lactose intolerant or simply don't want to consume milk at all. Almond milk is also very light and cholesterol-free, and it's so easy to make.
This recipe is very simple and it's so good you can drink it plain or add any kind of sweetener. Besides, you will be able to use the leftover pulp to prepare a great variety of dishes and new recipes.
Almond milk, flavorful, creamy and so good! It's made with 3 inexpensive and easy-to-find ingredients and ready in 20 minutes. To make it you only need a blender and a nut milk bag, although a cheesecloth will also work. Enjoy it hot or cold!
How to make almond milk - Step by step
- Soak the almonds for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight (photo 1).
- Drain and rinse the almonds (photo 2). You can peel them, but that's not necessary.
- Add the almonds, water, and dates to a blender (photo 3) and blend until smooth (photo 4).
- Strain the mixture using a nut milk bag, a cheesecloth, a napkin, or a strainer (photo 5).
- Serve immediately or enjoy it hot or cold.
Pro tips
- Any kind of raw unsalted almonds will do. You can either peel them or not.
- Feel free to add any sweetener you'd like or to make your almond milk unsweetened.
- Some people like to add a little bit of salt to their almond milk to enhance the flavor, but I like it better without it.
- Customize it with any ingredients you want to, such as vanilla extract, cocoa powder, or ground cinnamon.
How can I use the leftover almond pulp?
You can use the pulp to make plenty of other recipes, such as energy balls, truffles, or raw cacao bites.
On the other hand, you could even add it to your green smoothies to give them a delicious flavor and a creamier texture, or simply use it to make all the recipes you'd like!
How long will this almond milk keep?
This almond milk is made with fresh and natural ingredients, so it's completely preservative-free. That's why you need to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and it will last for 3-5 days.
How to serve almond milk
You can drink your almond milk plain, hot, cold, or with your coffee or cocoa. It will work great on recipes like vegan hot chocolate, matcha latte, avocado smoothie or mango smoothie.
Almond milk is also a good substitute for cow's milk when baking. For example, you could use it to make vegan brownies or vegan pancakes, but also in some savory recipes like vegan cashew Alfredo sauce. It really is a very versatile recipe!
Looking for more plant milk recipes?
Did you make this almond milk recipe?
Please leave a comment below, share it or rate it. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and PINTEREST. I’d love to see what you cook!
Almond Milk
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw unsalted almonds
- 2-4 cups water, I usually add 3 to 4 cups (750 ml – 1 l)
- 2 Medjool or 4 Deglet Nour dates, optional, pitted
Instructions
- Soak the almonds for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Drain and rinse the almonds. You can peel them, but that's not necessary.
- Add the almonds, water, and dates to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more or less water depending on how thick you want your almond milk to be. I usually add 3 to 4 cups of water (750 ml to 1 l).
- Strain the mixture using a nut milk bag, a cheesecloth, a napkin, or a strainer.
- Enjoy it hot or cold. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Notes
- Any kind of raw unsalted almonds will do. You can either peel them or not.
- Feel free to add any sweetener you'd like or to make your almond milk unsweetened.
- Some people like to add a little bit of salt to their almond milk to enhance the flavor, but I like it better without it.
- Customize it with any ingredients you want to, such as vanilla extract, cocoa powder, or ground cinnamon.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in June of 2020.
Elaine says
I always wonder about throwing away the soaking water from things. Isn't that throwing away nutrients?
And how about the strained almond pulp. Is it completely valueless now?
Iosune says
Hi Elaine! I prefer to discard the water, but it's up to you. You can use the pulp to make smoothies and soups and add extra fiber, to make burger patties, energy balls, almond flour, and so on!
Violeta says
Hi Iosune, why do you need to peel the almonds? I love you blog!
Iosune says
Hi Violeta! You don't need to peel them, I don't peel them anymore 🙂 Thanks a lot!
Laura says
This was my first attempt ever making Almond Milk. Great recipe it's really simple, I must say I'm pleasantly surprised about the final product and I didn't add any sweetener. I'll never go back to store bought, too many additives and not enough almonds. My only suggestion would be to use the strainer and cheese cloth, I did it twice, unless you prefer a more gritty like texture. Thanks Iodune!
Iosune says
Hi Laura! You're so welcome 🙂 So glad you liked it!
kristen says
Can this recipe be substituted with any nut to make milk, like cashew, etc?
Iosune says
Hi Kristen! I think any nut will do. Just try the milk and add more water if needed 🙂
Summer says
Will this (or soy milk) freeze and thaw? I'd love to eliminate store bought containers since they're no longer recyclable in our city, but I can't make scratch recipes every three days!!!
Iosune says
Hi Summer! I've never frozen soy or almond milk myself, so I don't know, sorry!
Vinitha says
Hi .. can we heat homemade almond milk to prepare a hot chocolate?
Iosune says
Hi Vinitha! Yes, you can 🙂 Hope you like it!
Colette Lefebvre says
Yesterday I made my first batches of homemade almond milk and loved it. I froze a few bottles as well. I have been using commercial unsweetened brands for years and recently found out that they contain very little almonds. I'm also concerned about the additives mostly carrageenan. I have IBS and was never bothered by the commercial brands. After drinking about 1/2 cup of my first homemade almond milk, pulp and all, I now have an IBS flare up with diarrhea. Are you aware of any negative side effects to homemade almond milk? The almonds that I used were organic, very expensive. Thank you.
Iosune says
Hi Colette! I'm not, I'm so sorry! Homemade almond milk is so healthy, but maybe it's not for you... You could try other non dairy mik. Have a nice day!
Faiz Ahamed says
Luv your blog.... Do have any recipes for mixed nut milks, Is mixing nuts like almonds, cashews, soy and rice.... Is it ok to mix, or does it give any complications to health.........
Iosune says
Hi Faiz! Thanks a lot 😉 We have more plant milk recipes, but we prefer not to mix nuts because we you mix them the milk is harder to diggest. Here are the recipes: http://simpleveganblog.com/9-easy-plant-milk-recipes/ Have a nice day!
Virginia J. says
Almond milk is so expensive in my country, and it still has a lot of chemicals. This is recipe is a life (and money) savior since only one cups of almonds can yield so much milk. I'm definitely switching to making my own from now on.??
Iosune says
Hi Virginia! I'm so glad to read that, hope you like it!
Shane says
Why list honey in a 'vegan' recipe on a supposedly vegan blog?
That was not required.
Iosune says
Hi Shane! This was one of our first recipes and we were transitioning to veganism at that moment. I've just edited the recipe. Thanks for your help!
Kaloyan says
Hello,
With the ingredients described what is the actual amount of milk we will have finally?
Thanks
Iosune says
Hi Kaloyan! About 2 cups or 500 ml 🙂
Julie says
I am a new vegan and tried this and I don't like store bought almond milk but this was really nice. I only put one date in as I wanted it less sweet. Now I have found the perfect substitute for dairy in my cup of tea. Gonna try the Spanish omelette next. Thanks guys.
Iosune says
Hi Julie! I'm so happy to read that! Homemade plant milks are soooo good 😉 Hope you like the omelette!