What You Need to Know and How To Make Excellent Homemade Almond Milk

Have you tried commercial brand Almond Milk?

It’s a great start into the nut milk family, BUT have you noticed any funny flavors and or texture explosions in your mouth? Perhaps you just can’t quite get over them to drink almond milk on the regular.

We don’t blame you. There are some doozies out there.

Those unique flavors are caused by a number of additives and vitamins used to “enrich” and thicken the milk to make it similar tasting to regular cows milk.

But it doesn’t work. So why do they enrich milk?

What it means to enrich, add, or fortify milk.

Enriching milk is adding back what has naturally been taken out during the production and pasteurization process.

FIRST

Companies have to “enrich” or “fortify” milk by adding thickeners such as guar gum, carrageenan, locust bean gum, etc. Vitamins lost during the pasteurization process are supplemented back into the milk. The idea is to 1. thicken nut milk so it’s similar to the dairy milk we’ve become accustomed to; 2. fortify it back to a natural state as if we were to consume it raw.

SECONDLY

Sugars are added to milk to give it the same natural sweetness found in cow and goats milk. Even in breastmilk.

According to the Almond Board of California, the majority of commercial almond milk contains only 2% of almonds. That is less than a handful of almonds per half-gallon of milk!

Insanity.

That’s why it’s important when using a commercial brand, to opt for the unsweetened kind.

A trick we use when we haven’t been able to make it homemade is to grab our favorite non-GMO brand of unsweetened and original milk, and mix the two together. Then I’ll pour it back into the containers and we are a little closer to a normal amount of sweetness.

Real and fresh made almond milk tastes so much different.

If you struggle to get past the flavors and textures of commercial milk but are in need of a dairy alternative, you HAVE TO TRY our homemade milk!

It’s completely different than anything found in stores because it’s made simple and clean.

We promise.

The Ingredients: Clean and natural

No fillers, no crap, no additives, no substitutes, no extra sweeteners, and definitely no maple syrup (sorry but yuck).

Our almond milk is crafted with only the following ingredients:

Almonds, dates, vanilla bean, reverse osmosis water, and Himalayan sea salt.

THAT’S IT!

The finished product of homemade almond milk is flavorful, light, and refreshing, with the perfect amount of vanilla and sweetness.

If you’re thinking “oh man, dates are so sweet!”, you’re right. They are, and they are used sparingly.

What does almond milk pair well with?

Our six and three-year-old LOVE it. At the Farmers Market, our customers’ children would always ask their parents for an 8oz bottle and drink it straight!

This always made our hearts happy 🙂

Otherwise, our homemade almond milk pairs deliciously with the following: our Peanut Butta Energy Balls, is freaking delicious in all cereals (yup, still a cereal girl), hot chocolate, coffee, matcha, tea, cookies, baked goods, pancakes, waffles, or anything else that requires milk!

The Moka Nutty Nitro pictured below is almond milk paired with Belgian Chocolate and one of our favorite local shop’s Nitro on tap. It’s the cleanest most delicious cold brew ever!

It’s challenging to go back to popular pre-mixed cold-brews found in stores and gas stations after tasting this guy. Find the recipe for Nutty Nitros Here.

The Benefits of Homemade Almond Milk

FATS: It’s lower in fat and calories than reduced-fat cow’s milk. Because it doesn’t come from an animal, almond milk contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. This may be beneficial to those on a heart-healthy diet.

PROTEIN: Commercial almond milk is lower in protein with a quart containing only about 2% of almonds. The rest is water and fortification. Protein can be controlled with homemade almond milk via the almond to water ratio. We purposefully make the ratio higher (2 water : 3 almond) to create a rich, creamy, and filling almond milk.

VITAMINS: Commercial almond milk is supplemented with vitamins and minerals, which can also be done at home. Add in drops of vitamins D, A, and B12 to a pitcher (if not already a part of one’s daily regimen). Almond milk does not provide the complete daily requirements of protein or calcium, so be sure to get it from other sources.

SUGARS + FIBER: There are no refined or added sugars. We only use dates and nothing more to sweeten almond milk. To make unsweetened almond milk, omit using dates in the recipe.

ALMONDS: Commercial milk is typically made from blanched (skinless) almonds so the fiber and antioxidants have been removed. We use whole/raw almonds with the skin on to include as many microparticles of fiber and antioxidants as possible.

RICH IN: Almond milk is rich in the following; Vitamin E, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Zinc, and healthy fats.

The Supply List

• A Nut Milk bag – this one on Amazon and is the most durable and efficient brand we’ve found.
• Organic raw almonds. Kroger has a great selection as does Fresh Thyme if there’s one near you.
• Medjool Dates. We love the ones at Costco or Terrasoul through Amazon.
• Organic Madagascar Vanilla Bean OR Organic Vanilla extract.
• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.
• Cinnamon if desired.

PREPARING ALMONDS

We prefer to sprout the almonds. This breaks down the nuts for better absorption and digestion.

However, if I don’t necessarily have time to sprout, I will at least soak them for 15-18 hours at room temperature in a mason jar with a cloth covering the top for airflow. If the airflow is restricted they will instead begin to ferment and rot.

Soaking and/or sprouting allows the almonds to become soft enough to blend/triturate, enhance digestive properties, and creates super creamy milk.

Don’t skip some kind of soaking.

Storing Almond Milk

Almond milk may last anywhere from 5-7 days stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator. This will vary upon individual refrigeration capacity.

FOR IMMEDIATE USE: Store almond milk in mason jars (or glass pitchers) filled all the way up to the top (ONLY if storing in the fridge). Limiting air in the jar reduces the breaking down of cell walls providing longer-lasting milk.

Calculate how much milk is used in a 2-3 day period. We use about 32oz every 2-3 days. Therefore I keep one 32oz jar in the fridge door and take one out to defrost on day 2. Store according to your family’s consumption.

32oz mason jars can be found at Kroger, Big Lots, Target, or any local grocery store.

EXTRA/OVERFLOW STORAGE: Store any excess milk unable to be consumed within 3-4 days in the freezer.

Be sure to leave a minimum of a 2-3in empty gap to the top of the jar so there is room for the milk to expand. It will since the primary ingredient is water. 

Don’t Throw away almond milk pulp! Use it.

Head to this post on how to turn leftover almond milk pulp into almond meal/flour. It can be used in a variety of different recipes!

You’ll find a few recipes we’ve made in the post, and you might find some good ones on Pinterest too!

If you haven’t the time to do that now, freeze the pulp in gallon bags to use later.

The Recipe: Homemade Almond Milk

If you decide to give the recipe a try please share your experience or comments with us below!

We never want you to feel as though you’ve wasted a precious and costly ingredient, so please contact us here via messenger, and we’ll do our best to answer questions during the process!

Best,