How to Make Almond Milk

Making creamy almond milk from scratch is quick and easy. All you need is a blender, water and almonds to get started with making this tasty beverage.

We go through a lot of almond milk because my whole family loves it. It’s much more affordable to make it at home than to buy at the grocery store on a weekly basis. Plus, the nutty flavor of homemade tastes so much better.

It’s incredibly easy to make too… easier than you probably think. You just dump everything in a blender, blend really well and strain. So, with just a little bit of time and effort, you can have deliciously fresh homemade milk every week in your kitchen.

If you want to learn the easiest way to make almond milk, follow this step by step tutorial below.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of water
• 1 cup of raw almonds
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)
• Pinch of sea salt

Tools

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Small bowl
• Fine mesh strainer
• High speed blender
• Nut milk bag
• Glass jar

By the Numbers: How to Make Almond Milk

Follow these simple steps to learn how to make your own almond milk with just a few basic ingredients.

Step 1: Soak Almonds.

The first thing you want to do is to place one cup of almonds in enough water to cover them and soak for at least one hour, or for up to 24 hours. Nuts that are soaked for longer will blend easier.

After they’ve soaked, go ahead and rinse the almonds under cold water in a fine mesh strainer. Discard the soaking liquid.

Step 2: Place Ingredients in Blender.

Next, put the soaked almonds, 4 cups of filtered water, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and a tiny pinch of salt in a high speed blender. You can also use a food processor if your blender isn’t powerful enough.

Step 3: Blend Ingredients.

Place the lid on your blender and blend the ingredients on high until the pieces of almonds are very fine. It will take a couple minutes.

Step 4: Strain Milk from Almonds.

Once the almonds are ground down, you’ll want to strain the fresh almond milk through a nut milk bag into a large bowl.

Step 5: Enjoy Your Almond Milk.

Once it’s strained, pour into a glass bottle or other airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Give it a good shake before each use as some separation may occur (since no gums are used like in commercial almond milk).

Tips for the Best DIY Almond Milk

Answers to all of your questions about making delicious almond milk at home.

1. How much does this recipe make?

This recipe makes 1 quart of almond milk. If you double the recipe (8 cups filtered water and 2 cups almonds), it will equal a half gallon. I don’t recommend making much more than that in one batch unless you’re planning on using it immediately because it doesn’t last long.

2. How long does almond milk last?

Unlike store bought almond milk, the homemade version does not have a long shelf life. It will last for about 3-4 days in the refrigerator. If it’s gone bad, you’ll know by the smell.

3. Alternative to using a nut milk bag?

When I first started making almond milk in 2008, I didn’t know about nut milk bags, so I’d use a few layers of cheesecloth lining a fine mesh strainer. It works really well, but not as well as the bags designed specifically for this purpose. I find that almond chunks get stuck in the cheesecloth, so if you’re planning to use the grounds for another purpose, you may not have as many to work with.

My favorite brand of Nut Milk Bag that I’ve worked with so far is Ellie’s Best (also available on Etsy). They’re really well made and filter the almond milk incredibly well. Plus it’s way easier to clean than some of the cotton bags I’ve tried.

4. Other sweetener options?

You can also use Medjool dates or honey, although honey isn’t recommended for kids under 1-year old, so that is why I recommend maple syrup.

5. How to make unsweetened almond milk?

If you include the optional vanilla extract and maple syrup, you will have a delicious vanilla almond milk. If you omit them, you’ll have a wonderful unsweetened almond milk.

6. How to make chocolate almond milk?

To make chocolate almond milk as a special treat, just add a teaspoon of cocoa powder to the blender. All cocoa powders have different potencies, so taste after blending and add more, if necessary.

7. Do the almonds have to be raw?

No, while I find the best almonds to use are raw, that is a personal preference. You can also use roasted or blanched almonds, but I recommend avoiding salted nuts.

8. What if it’s not creamy enough?

If you’re after the creamiest almond milk ever, all you have to do is use less water or more almonds. If you make it creamy enough, you can even use it as an almond milk creamer.

I also find the thicker, creamier batches make better almond milk ice cream. If, on the other hand, it’s too creamy, you can add a little water to thin it out a bit.

9. What to do with leftover almond pulp?

I’m not a fan of discarding useful foods, so I like to use all parts of everything (like how I make chicken stock from all of our chicken bones). There are plenty of ways to use the left over almond pulp too, including:

• Ground almonds can be a great topping for fresh fruit, yogurt or ice cream.
• Add the ground almonds to smoothies to give them more protein.
• Make homemade almond meal by spreading it on a baking sheet, drying it in the oven on the lowest heat then allowing it to cool. Keep in mind that some of the fats and moisture have been removed from the almonds to make the milk. You may need to alter recipes slightly to use this type of almond flour.

10. Uses for the soaking water?

While I typically discard the water I soak the nuts in because it’s not drinkable, you can also save it and use it to water your plants. The carbon dioxide that is released from the almonds into the water during the soaking process makes plants happy. Humans? Not so much.

11. Recipes that use almond milk?

Homemade almond milk tastes amazing in almost any recipe that calls for dairy-free milk or even dairy milk (unless it specifies otherwise). Here are some of my personal favorites:

• Avocado Chocolate Mousse
• Gluten Free Banana Muffins
• Peanut Butter Protein Shake
• Baked Oatmeal Muffins
• Homemade Hot Chocolate

12. Can you make other types of nut milks this way?

You can use this same method with other ingredients besides almonds to make various kinds of homemade nut milk. Here are the ratios of water to ingredients for several different types of dairy free milks.

• Oat milk: 4 cups of water to 1 cup of oats.
• Soy milk: 4 cups of water to ½ cup of soybeans.
• Coconut milk: 4 cups of water to 2 cups of shredded coconut.
• Cashew milk: 4 cups of water to 1 cup of cashews.
• Hemp milk: 4 cups of water to 1 cup of hemp seeds.
• Macadamia nut milk: 4 cups water to 1 cup macadamia nuts.

13. Is there an easier way to make almond milk?

If you want to up the convenience of making home made almond milk and other nut milks, the Chefwave Milkmade Non-Dairy Milk Maker lets you make 6 different types and cleanup is much easier.

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