Almond milk is a healthy and inexpensive alternative to conventional dairy. Homemade almond milk is simple to make and you can easily adjust the flavor and the texture to your liking. I personally like to add in a teaspoon of cinnamon to this recipe and use it as creamer in my coffee. If you like a thicker more creamier milk, reduce the water in the recipe to 2 cups. Enjoy!
| Prep Time | 12 hours |
| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
| Servings |
quart
|
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 4 cups water
- 1 pitted date
- 1/2 vanilla bean
- pinch salt
Ingredients
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|
- Place 1 cup of almonds in a bowl and add 2 cups of water. Cover with a cloth and leave on the counter to soak overnight. The almonds will plump as they absorb water.
- Drain the almonds from their soaking water. At this point, the almonds should feel a little squishy if you pinch them. (It's best to discard the soaking water because it contains phytic acid, which inhibits the body's ability to absorb nutrients.)
- Place the almonds in the blender with 4 cups of water, 1 dried date (pitted), and 1/2 of a vanilla bean and a pinch of salt.
- Blend on high for 2-3 minutes. The almonds should be broken down into a very fine meal and the water should be white and opaque. (If using a food processor, process for 4 minutes total, pausing to scrape down the sides halfway through.)
- Poor the almond mixture into a mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth over a large bowl.
- Press all the almond milk from the almond meal. Gather the cheese cloth around the almond meal and squeeze to remove all the excess milk. You should get about 4 cups. (See Recipe Note for what to do with the leftover almond meal.)
- Store the almond milk in sealed airtight container for up to 5 days.
*Using the leftover almond meal: You can dry the left over almond meal and use it in recipes. To dry the almond meal, spread it out on a baking sheet and bake it in a low oven until completely dry (2 to 3 hours). Dry almond meal can be kept frozen for several months and used in baked goods.
*Also, If you like a thicker more creamier milk, reduce the water in the recipe to 2 cups.
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