I am allergic to milk. I always have been. As a child I was sick all the time from drinking milk and eating cheese. I am a HUGE cheese lover. So being allergic to milk just about breaks my little heart. I started drinking soy milk as an adult and then oat milk when that first came out. Back then it was on the shelf not in the refrigerator section of the store. We have so many options now for alternatives to cows milk! It is easy to just grab a carton from the store. But the downfall is that there are additives in there that not all people tolerate well. There is also a lot of sugar.  It was during my first time eating 100% raw that I discovered how to make fresh almond milk. I was and am still amazed at how fast and easy it is to make! Fresh homemade almond milk tastes amazing and you get to control what is in it.

Once you have the basic almond milk down you can then begin to add all kinds of goodies to it to change the flavor. Think chocolate milk using raw cacao or strawberry milk with fresh organic strawberries.

I use my almond milk to make smoothies and I pour it over my homemade granola. Delicious!

I use my Vitamix Blender to make my almond milk. It only takes about 30 seconds of blending! But before I had it I used a regular blender. It takes a little longer but it can work. I also us a nut milk bag. You can find the one I use on my resource page under Gadgets I Love.  I love the nut milk bag! It is easy to use and easy to clean. You can use cheesecloth but I highly recommend the nut bag.

A quick note about raw almonds and nuts in general. Raw nuts can turn rancid. It is best to buy them from a store that keeps them refrigerated. I get mine from Natural Grocers. They have a wide selection of raw nuts and seeds that are in the refrigerated section. I then store them in my fridge or freezer.

Raw Homemade Almond Milk

Ingredients

• 1 Cup raw almonds
• 4 Cups purified water plus more for soaking
• 3 pitted dates
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla optional

Instructions

The night before you want to make your milk take one cup of almonds and soak them in enough water to cover them. By morning the almonds will be softer and the water will be very cloudy.

 

 

 

Put the soaked almonds in a strainer and rinse them well.

Put 4 cups of filtered water in your blender. Add the nuts, dates, and vanilla if using. The dates help give a little sweetness to the milk. You can use the amount that works right for you! I like three. It gives me just the amount of sweetness I like. You can use more or less.

 

Blend until there are no chucks of nuts left. In my vitamix this takes about 30 seconds.When I used a less powerful blender this took two to three minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Find a bowl big enough to hold all the milk. Then pour the milk into the nut milk bag while holding the bag over the bowl. The milk will start straining out as soon as it is poured in! Squeeze and twist the bag until all the liquid is out and you are left with just the pulp in the bag.

 

 

Next pour the milk into an airtight glass pitcher or container that is easy to pour out of and enjoy! The milk will stay fresh for about three days in the refrigerator.

The pulp can be used for other recipes! You do not have to just throw it out. Spread the pulp out onto a baking sheet and dry it out in the oven on its lowest setting. If you have a dehydrator that works even better! I use the pulp to make crackers and as a nut flour in baked goods. Watch for upcoming recipes!

I have made this recipe in the morning before work. It is that fast! From start through clean up it only takes about ten minutes!

Helpful Hints:

Always clean your blender and your nut milk bag as soon as you are finished using them. They are so easy to clean if you do it right away. If you leave them to dry out first you will have a lot more trouble and spend a lot more time cleaning!

I clean my blender buy filling it half way with warm water, adding a few drops of dish washing liquid, and blending for 20-30 seconds. Then rinse well. Its fast and easy!