This homemade almond milk is one of the best dairy alternatives. It’s healthier and less expensive than store-bought, and it’s super easy to make! Vegan, dairy-free, and plant-based, too!
It’s official – almond milk is now the #1 preferred non-dairy milk. Soy milk used to hold the bragging rights to the title that now goes to America’s second favorite nut.
Almond milk is healthy, creamy, mild in flavor, and works amazingly well as a dairy substitute in most recipes.
Personally, I like both almond milk and coconut milk. Almond milk wins out though for adding to coffee, making Bulletproof Matcha Lattes, and pouring over Cinnamon Granola. The slightly sweet, nutty flavor is delicious!
HEALTHY HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK RECIPE
The process for making this homemade almond milk recipe is very much like other non dairy milk with one big exception – straining is a must. Almonds will not completely grind up in the blender, even if they’re soaked, so you must strain out the larger pieces to achieve smooth, creamy milk with no chunks.
The resulting almond meal can be dried (in an oven or dehydrator) and used in homemade granola bars, muffins, oatmeal, or almond hummus! It will add an almond flavor without having to actually use whole almonds.
ALMOND MILK INGREDIENTS
What is almond milk made of? Just two ingredients. It couldn’t be simpler!
- Raw almonds
- Filtered water
HOW TO MAKE ALMOND MILK AT HOME
Step 1. Measure almonds and place them into a large bowl or container and cover it with filtered water. Allow to soak overnight. Soaking almonds softens them considerably and makes them easier to blend, leaving fewer particles of nut in the finished milk.
Step 2. Drain nuts and place in a blender. Add 4 cups of filtered water and blend until smooth, approximately 1 minute. A second blend may be necessary since almonds are a tough nut and are hard to completely grind.
Step 3. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, nut milk bag, or cheesecloth into a large pitcher. The almond pulp is great in homemade granola bars!
Step 4. Store liquid almond milk in the refrigerator and enjoy cold.
Use your almondmilk in smoothies, shakes, baked goods, oatmeal, or poured over granola!
NOTES FOR ALMOND MILK RECIPES
- For two cups, you’ll need: ½ cup of almonds, 2 cups of water
- For one cup, you’ll need: ¼ cup of almonds, 1 cup of water
- Add additional water if you prefer thinner milk.
- You can even mimic the specialty kinds of Almond Breese milk by combining almond and coconut milk together.
HOW TO MAKE SWEETENED ALMOND MILK
This recipe makes unsweetened almondmilk. Adding a natural sweetener or vanilla can enhance the flavor.
- Create vanilla almondmilk by adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup or honey.
- Add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
ALMOND MILK FAQS
How long will homemade almond milk last?
This homemade almond milk will last for up to 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Store in an airtight container.
Why is my homemade almond milk bitter?
If your almond milk tastes bitter, the nuts are to blame. Nuts have a very short shelf life and go bad faster than we think! Freezing nuts is the best way to store them long-term.
Is it worth it to make your own almond milk?
Yes! This milk only has TWO ingredients and is healthy. When you make your own almond milk, you will also get a creamy and rich flavor.
Is almond milk better for you than regular milk?
Almond milk includes many nutrients! It has vitamins and minerals that your body needs, like Vitamin E and magnesium. Making homemade almond milk means you get these vitamins from their natural source, rather than the synthetic versions you find in store-bought almond milk. Almond milk is also a great dairy free option for those who can’t have cow’s milk or are lactose intolerant.
Is there a downside to almond milk?
The only downside when using almond milk as a dairy substitute is the lack of calcium. Almonds are not a good source of calcium. However, you can still get plenty of calcium from other sources when you are dairy-free.
MORE PLANT BASED MILK RECIPES
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Homemade Almond Milk
This homemade almond milk is one of the best dairy alternatives. It’s healthier and less expensive than store-bought, and it’s super easy to make! Vegan, dairy-free, and plant-based, too!
- Prep Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Instructions
- Measure almonds into a container and cover it with filtered water. Allow to soak overnight. This softens the nut considerably and makes it easier to blend, leaving fewer particles of nut in the finished milk (plus you get some of the benefits of soaking nuts too!).
- Drain nuts and place in a blender. Add 4 cups of filtered water and blend until smooth, approximately 1 minute. A second blend may be necessary since almonds are a tough nut and are hard to completely grind.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag. The pulp is great in Homemade Granola Bars!
- Store milk in the refrigerator and enjoy cold.
Notes
- For two cups: ½ cup almonds, 2 cups water
- For one cup: ¼ cup almonds, 1 cup water
Thanks for this… I’m recently off dairy (feel so much better!) and have been drinking almond and coconut milk. I’ll try this recipe, but I use Califia Farms brand. It’s also carrageenan-free and non- GMO. I’ll definitely try the homemade version.
Hope you like it, Lisa!
Do you have a recipe for almond milk condensed milk? I’m completely dairy intolerant and unfortunately and strangely enough coconut milk (the easiest alternative) effects the same way too 🙁
Hi Misty!
Yes, we have a recipe for dairy free sweetened condensed milk. Although we used coconut milk in this recipe, you can try substituting it for almond milk (and switch out the coconut sugar for another sweetener if you need to). Let us know how it comes out for you. 🙂
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/dairy-free-sweetened-condensed-milk/.
I know what you mean, Mary Jo! This is considered almond meal, and can be added to granola or dried and used for these thumbprint cookies: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/healthy-thumbprint-cookies-recipe/
My mother would buy these large bags of whole, shelled walnuts and almonds from Costco. The first time l made almond milk, one or two almonds, swollen from an overnight soak, sprouted (absolutely delightful, if only l can plant them, but alas it’s too frigid here to grow them), the skins easily popped off, revealing the creamy white flesh. Making this milk is a bit messy and time consuming to strain the meal from the liquid. The milk itself is well…. Unsatisfying. I actually don’t like drinking dairy Milk, but am accustomed to the full fat or 2 percent variety. Almond milk is surprisingly rather low fat, thin, only a little bit thicker than skim milk and rather neutral in taste (l make mine unflavored and unsweetened). I was sorely disappointed! Soaking two or three walnut pieces and tossing it into the blender with the almonds made ALL the difference. The taste and texture was thicker, creamier and richer on par with cows milk. No thickeners or extra starches needed. Now This is the stuff I’d like to drink and eat cold cereal with! It was absolutely delightful!
An alternative to expensive Almonds are most definitely soy beans. They contain both fat and protein. The resulting milk is substantial with a naturally richer mouth feel. It’s a little more work on the sense you have to boil the beans first but it’s totally worth it. It is her important to throughly wash and soak them as well of course.
Thanks for the tip on the walnuts! I hadn’t thought of that, but they do have more fat so it makes sense!
Do you have a recipe for making granola with the homemade almond milk? Sorry ahead of time if you have this posted, I am very new to your site and learning but loving what I have read already!
Hi Rebecca! Do you mean a recipe that has almond milk as an ingredient? Or a granola recipe that uses the leftover ground almond?
Two things…
1) I usually/frequently make almond milk from almond butter and water — quicker that way — but do also make it starting from soaked almonds. Either way, I “never” strain it.
2) The one exception — when I do strain it — is if I want to make almond milk plus almond yogurt. If I’m doing that, I’ll start with soaked almonds, filter it through a nut-milk bag, but don’t press/squeeze really hard, then put the pulp in a bowl with (if needed) enough of the milk or some plain water until it’s a “yogurt” consistency. Then, I’ll add 1-2 Tbsp of store-bought, unsweetened, live-cultures yogurt, stir to mix, then put it into my yogurt maker to incubate it 8-12 hr, then refrigerate it.
Wow – that’s great thinking JSC! I’ve also heard that adding a probiotic capsule + gelatin can make DF yogurt, but I haven’t tried that one yet!
I’ve been making almond milk for a couple of months now and we like it so much better then store ones. I’ve been wondering though, do you have the nutritional value of homemade vs store bought? I know their won’t be fake/synthetic vitamins, but what else is there? Do I just look up almond’s nutritional value and then “thin it out” to account for the water or is there something less (or more)…? Thanks for the help!
That’s what I would do Nathalie. If you know how much almonds you start with, and then how much pulp you have at the end, you can determine how much almonds and water you actually have in the batch and use that to find the nutritional info.