I learned how to make almond milk because a few years ago I inexplicably became lactose intolerant! I am one of those people who enjoys the milk part of “cereal and milk” more than the cereal, so I was bummed when I couldn’t drink milk any more. Cookies and brownies weren’t the same after that, because without a tall glass of ice cold milk to go with them — what’s the point?
I first tried soy milk as a replacement but I just didn’t like it. But then I discovered almond milk! (I think my love of almonds is pretty well documented.) I quickly became a fan. But I have never been a fan of the price — it’s so expensive! And since I’m the only one who will drink it I always seem to end up wasting much of it.
Then I had one of those “lightbulb”moments when I came across a blog post on Cafe Zupas website (a great restaurant in Salt Lake City) titled “How To Milk An Almond”. I always have raw, whole almonds in the house (they are my go-to snack!) and I could have been making my own almond milk this whole time! Oh, I hate when I realize I’ve been missing out on saving money. Oh well — at least today I was able to rectify the situation. And what a DELICIOUS experience it was! So today I’m sharing this delicious discovery with you!
Almond Milk
- 1 cup whole raw almonds (not toasted or roasted, etc), enough water to cover
- 3 – 4 cups water, more if desired
- a pinch of salt
- honey, to taste
Soak the almonds overnight in a bowl with enough water to cover.
Drain and discard the soaking water.
Put the soaked almonds in the blender with 3 -4 cups of water.
Blend on high speed until smooth.
Looks beautiful, doesn’t it?
Lay a linen or cotton towel (not terry cloth) inside a bowl large enough to hold all the liquid.
Pour the milk into the towel, and squeeze out the excess liquid.
What’s left in the towel is called almond meal and is valuable, so don’t throw it away. :-) (More on that later.)
Taste the milk and if it’s a little too nutty for you, add a pinch of salt, and 1-2 teaspoons of honey. I added a little more honey because I like it a teeny, tiny bit on the sweeter side. You could even add some homemade chocolate syrup and make Chocolate Almond Milk!
Store your DIY almond milk in a glass jar or bottle. The liquid will separate between uses, so just be sure to shake it up before each use. Now go find something yummy to drink it with, or pour it on! Or better yet, when it’s nice and chilled enjoy a tall cold glass all by itself and savor the natural deliciousness homemade by YOU! :-)
Bonus: How To Prepare Almond Meal
Now, about that almond meal. I spread mine out on a cookie sheet and bake it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I then let it cool completely and put it in a Ziploc bag and throw it in the freezer for use at a later date. It’s delicious in a variety of recipes (gluten-free cookies, anyone?) and saves you a bundle compared to buying almond meal at the store.
More Ideas You'll Love
What’s your favorite dairy-free milk?
Can’t wait to try!! My son & I are switching to almond milk because of diet.Noticed how expensive it runs at the grocery.So this is going to be a real good money saver.Thanks so much for saving our family money with your homemade recipes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.heard that the soaking water has toxins and should be thrown out. making your own assures you whats in it, un like the store bought which has ingridents that some are sinsitive too. and yes i would be carefull about using laundred towles to strain it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.look for milk that is all natural meaning stright from the cow. Lots of people who are lactose intolerant have found that their bodies can handle it better. Its not the dairy that is the problem its the processing of the dairy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I was wondering if you could use a coffe filter instead of a towel to filter out the meal from the milk?. I think I would worry about bacteria even in a freshly wased towel or detergent residue. Has anyone tried this yet. And I was also wondering if this is cost effective since almonds are so expensive?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I see a few maybe, might be comments
Please log in or create a free account to comment.but has anyone actually checked the cost of almonds and how much this yields vs store prices?
I need to know if it’s healthier AND a savings before I add it to my list.
I just made this! I think I love it even more than store-bought almond milk (plus, no added anything!). I’m thrilled. Thanks, Jillee!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I recently became lactose intolerant as well. This year January, actually. I’ve noticed that taking probiotic supplements every day help SO very much, I almost eliminated the need to use Lactaid pills and have started using dairy again. I HIGHLY recommend starting to take these supplements if you haven’t already :)
Oh, and I love love love your site <3
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I found a 10lb bag of raw almonds on ebay with free shipping. I worked it out that it would cost a little over $4 a gallon to make it myself(if my calculations are correct). As it is I spend $5 a gallon on almond milk at Aldi(not bad) but I am definitely going to try this. THANKS
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used to make almond milk, but my method was a bit more complicated. I remember blanching the almonds (which would actually save you the time of soaking overnight) but then I popped the skin off of each and every one of them. That got to be a pain. I also remember the blending stage being more complicated than just “stick em in the blender and push the button.” I’m going to revisit this! I used and cheesecloth for the straining part and remember using the pulp for a facial scrub. LOVE the almond meal idea! I’m definitely going to revisit making almond milk.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Oh how I love you right now!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.lol! Wow! I love you too. :-) I’m guessing you like almond milk? ;-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you make body scrubs from scratch, you can use the Almond Meal in it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.There has to be something that can be done with the water you soak the almonds in. Can’t you reuse it and put it in the milk? As for the “almond meal”, can you put it on cereal and things like that? Or make almond butter? (My blender is 34 years old, so this will be a challenge!)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use the almond to water my garden/plants. They are so much better off.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hey Jillee! Love, love, love your blog! I’ve been following for a few months now. This sounds delicious, but I am allergic to almonds (and I like to breathe, so I can’t really try this…) any suggestions on what else I might try? Thanks so much, and keep up the good work!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love Love Love your blog!! I have been writing down all sorts of recipes these past few days. I do have a few questions about this one though. How long is the milk good for? Can it be stored in the pantry until ready to refrigerate? Very excited to try all these new recipes and homemade cleansers/detergents in our home! Thank you for this!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Love that you can get two uses out of it! We had been buying our almond milk for awhile. I just recently started making my own too! LOVEEEE it! I am going to starting getting my almonds in bulk and freezing them. Pure Maple Syrup is a great sweetener too! @ Heather could the nuts have been rancid?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this yesterday but it has a weird sour taste, is that normal? I let the almonds sit for about 24hours in water and discarded the water and rinsed them. Perhaps that was too long- any ideas?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.OMG!!! I cannot even being to tell you how much I LOVE your Blog! I swear I’m finding something new here everyday that I’m adding to my list of “Good things” Now this?! Oh I love it! Even more so that now I have had to eliminate dairy for most of my family. This is going on my list of need to do right away “good things”! I will be back to look for something to make with my almond meal as well!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I keep pinning stuff from you, it’s high time I follow you :-)…My children love almond milk and I am definitely going to make some and great no waste of the almond meal..You Rock..
Please log in or create a free account to comment.where were you able to find almonds that made this cost effective? When I broke down the cost, it was cheaper even to buy almond milk by the quart, and I found bulk almonds for 4.85 a pound. I guess if I was gluten free and used almond meal all the time, it would be worth it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jamie–a pound of almonds would make about three and a half servings of roughly 4 cups of milk, which would cost you much less than buying a half gallon at about the price you said you found the bulk almonds at. Plus, since almond meal runs at such a high cost, you’d also be saving a lot of money on that!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I too was wondering if this is actually cost efficient. I cannot find a good enough price on almonds to make it worth it. We use as many as 8 quarts a week of almond milk
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Can’t wait to try this. It looks so yummy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I can’t wait to try this! Thanks for the information.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.how much milk does it make?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Penni…what kind of almonds did you use? Mine were whole raw almonds that I had roasted (because that's what I always have on hand).
Kristie…you are welcome! So glad you like!
Anony…I found the homemade almond milk to be less thick than the store bought kind, but thicker than regular milk. Kind of in between. Did you try adding a little honey?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My almonds were also whole raw almonds. But I didn’t roast them. Does that make a difference?
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