While I love the convenience of store-bought almond milk, sometimes it’s fun to make it yourself!
This recipe allows you to control the amount of sweetness and infuse flavors as well as play around with the thickness. It’s my go-to when I’m craving homemade dairy-free milk.
Plus, it’s super simple to make, requiring just 2 ingredients, 10 minutes, and a blender!
How to Make Almond Milk
Making homemade almond milk starts with soaking almonds overnight in cool water.
The water is then drained out and the almonds are added to a blender along with fresh water, salt, and any additional add-ins (such as dates for sweetness or vanilla, cacao powder, or berries for flavor variations).
After blending the mixture for 1-2 minutes, the milk is poured through a nut milk bag into a mixing bowl. And then squeezed to extract all of the liquid.
Tada– that’s almond milk, friends!
What to Do with Almond Pulp?
If you’re curious what to do with leftover almond pulp, check out this article on how to turn almond pulp into almond meal, as well as our guide to delicious uses for almond pulp and meal!
How Long Does It Last?
How long it lasts will depend on a variety of factors such as how well you sterilize your equipment, the freshness of your ingredients, and the temperature of your fridge.
We find that on average, DIY almond milk lasts 4-5 days.
If it becomes sour before then, make sure to fully sterilize your equipment before use by running it through the dishwasher or pouring boiling water in your jars (make sure the jars aren’t too cold when you do this or they may crack). Also, make sure to soak your almonds overnight in the fridge rather than at room temperature.
We hope you LOVE this milk! It’s:
Fresh
Creamy
Slightly nutty
Versatile
& Super delicious!
How to Use Almond Milk
It can be used in many of the same ways you would use cow’s milk. Think smoothies, lattes, baking, and so much more!
Below are some additional recipes using almond milk:
1-Bowl Vegan Banana Nut Muffins // Fluffy 1-Bowl Sugar Cookies // Blueberry Almond Butter Smoothie // Super thick DIY Chocolate Almond Milk // Fluffy Cornmeal Pancakes // Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie // Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars // The Best Vegan GF Cornbread // Spicy Red Curry Cauliflower Wings //
Found this recipe helpful? Check out our Guide to Dairy-Free Milk!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
How to Make Almond Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds (soaked overnight in cool water // or 1-2 hours in very hot water)
- 5 cups filtered water (less to thicken, more to thin)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 whole dates (optional // pitted // or other sweetener of choice // omit for unsweetened)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional // or sub 1 vanilla bean, scraped per 1 tsp extract // omit for plain)
- 2 Tbsp cocoa powder (optional // for “chocolate milk”)
- 1/2 cup berries (optional // for “berry milk”)
Instructions
- Add your soaked almonds, water, salt, and any additional add-ins (optional) to a high-speed blender and blend until creamy and smooth. Keep it running for at least 1-2 minutes so you get the most out of your almonds.
- Strain using a nut milk bag or my favorite trick – a thin dish towel. Simply lay a clean dish towel over a mixing bowl, pour over the almond milk, carefully gather the corners, and lift up. Then squeeze until all of the liquid is extracted. Discard pulp, or save for adding to baked goods (especially crackers). Find more ways to use almond pulp here.
- Transfer milk to a jar or covered bottle and refrigerate. Will keep for up to 4-5 days, though best when fresh. Shake well before drinking, as it tends to separate.
Video
Notes
*This is not my original recipe but my take on many almond milk recipes I’ve found and tested.
*Recipe makes ~5 cups almond milk.
Nutrition (1 of 10 servings)
Elissa Freeman says
This was delicious! Thank you!
I peeled the almonds once soaked to reduce the amount of anti-nutrients, such as tannins and phytic acid. This did take a little longer. The skins come off the almond easily but took me about 20 minutes extra.
I added two dates but I found them both in a few pieces at the bottom of the blender. So essentially, this batch is unsweetened. I was thinking of soaking the dates first to see if that will allow them to blend better.
Do you or your readers have any hacks to successfully blend the dates enough to flavour the milk?
Now I’m going to try your 7-Ingredient Brownie Bliss Balls (Made from Almond Pulp!) and include the dates sitting at the bottom of the blender.
Another bonus is I’m contributing less to landfill by not buying tetra packs. (In Australia, all our non-fresh alternative milks come in unenvironmental packaging.) Once made, I poured the almond milk into a one litre clean recycled glass juice bottle, it didn’t all fit so I made a coffee with the remainder.
My day has been made!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Elissa! Thank you so much for the lovely review! If your dates are on the harder side, next time you could soak them in hot water for about 20 minutes to soften them! That should do the trick.
Kay says
Hi,
at what point do I add the vanilla extract? Thank you!
Hey Kay! Add it right at the beginning!
Erica says
I don’t have a traditional blender. Do you have advise for using an immersion blender, a nutribullet, or a food processor?
Hi Erica, a nutribullet will work! We wouldn’t recommend a food processor (the almonds won’t break down fully) and don’t think an immersion blender would work either. Hope that helps!
chloe says
can we freeze it ? will it taste the same if we do so…
just because it will save so much Time If we’re able to create a batch
Hi Chloe! You can freeze it, however we think the flavor is best when fresh!
Sally Graves says
I made the chocolate version of this and it was SO BITTER!!! Could you tell me what I did wrong? How is this supposed to taste like normal chocolate milk when there is hardly any sweetness in the recipe? I had to add a ton of honey and liquid coffee creamer so it would somewhat resemble chocolate milk. My 4th grader was really looking forward to this.
Oh no! We’re so sorry it turned out bitter, Sally. That does mean it needs more sweetener. Would you mind sharing the ingredients/proportions you used? We have two other recipes that are more specifically chocolate milk (hazelnut and almond versions) – we think your kiddo would prefer those!
Cardinal says
Could I skip the straining process?
Hi, if you want your milk to have a smooth texture (our preferred), we do recommend straining. It has a bit of a chalky texture if you don’t strain it. If using in smoothies or something similar though, that’s not an issue!
Mike Murphy says
Am I right in thinking that the total fats from the quantities you give in the article above are 27g? This matters to me because I am trying to work out how to substitute your almond milk for the coconut milk in a dairy-free ice cream recipe – coeliac and non-dairy wife loved the salted caramel we (well, she: I prepped the ice cream maker and weighed the sugar) made, but can’t deal with the coconut.
Thx in advance!
Hi Mike, it’s a bit tricky to give a precise value because some of the fat content is strained out with the nut milk bag. We aren’t sure what that exact amount is, but we estimate it would remove about half of the nutrition content. Assuming that’s accurate, then yes, a full batch (10 half-cup servings) would be 27 grams fat. Hope that helps!
CarolB says
So easy! I made 1/2 a batch this morning and had it with my oatmeal and frothed up some for a cappuccino. It worked very well. I added a touch of almond extract to enhance the almond flavor. Next time I may try the date for sweetness in the cappuccino. Thank you for such an easy recipe.
Yum, your addition sounds lovely, Carol! Thank you for sharing! xo
NuttyProfessor says
Do you have any suggestions for holidays coming up for an Almond Milk “Pumpkin” or “Eggnog”, like the versions in the store? Thanks again for this recipe :)
Hi, we have an eggnog recipe here and you can use homemade almond milk for the dairy-free milk. We’re not sure what you mean by almond milk “pumpkin” – perhaps similar to this? Hope that helps!