Healthy Recipes Healthy Drink Recipes Homemade Almond Milk 5.0 (1) 1 Review This almond milk is so creamy and flavorful, you'll want to drink it on its own. Store-bought almond milk is convenient, but homemade almond milk is relatively easy to make and less expensive too. Plus, making your own almond milk at home allows you to control sweeteners and other additives. Apart from the dates, which are inherently sweet, this recipe is unsweetened—add a little honey, maple or agave syrup for sweetness, if desired. By Michelle Edelbaum Michelle Edelbaum Michelle Edelbaum leads the digital content strategy, editorial and social teams for EatingWell, Food & Wine, Liquor, Serious Eats and Cooking Light. Before that, she oversaw digital editorial teams for EatingWell and Allrecipes. Under her leadership, EatingWell has grown to attract millions of followers on social media and its website. Michelle joined EatingWell as an editor in 2008 and has written about and interviewed Michael Pollan, Jamie Oliver, White House executive pastry chef Bill Yosses and several Olympians. Over the years, she has also participated in hundreds of taste tests in the EatingWell Test Kitchen—an admitted perk of the job, but also an opportunity to get an inside scoop on food trends and new cooking techniques. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 21, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Prep Time: 15 mins Additional Time: 8 hrs Total Time: 8 hrs 15 mins Servings: 6 Yield: 6 servings Nutrition Profile: Dairy-Free Egg Free Gluten-Free Low Carbohydrate Low Fat Soy-Free Vegan Vegetarian Jump to Nutrition Facts One of the most ubiquitous of all nondairy beverages out there is almond milk. You can buy it sweetened (or not), flavored (or not), refrigerated or shelf-stable. The choices are endless. So why the heck would you make it yourself? If you're a fan, it turns out that there may be plenty of good reasons—and it's easier than you think. Read on for why you should give almond milk a try, why making it yourself could be beneficial and how to make it at home. Why Almond Milk? If you're vegan or lactose intolerant, almond milk offers a great alternative to skim milk. But if you're none of the above, it still touts plenty of advantages. It's relatively low in calories (about 30 calories per cup depending on the brand for the unsweetened variety versus 80 calories for 1 cup of skim milk), and with virtually no sugar (again, for the unsweetened stuff) it has almost no carbohydrates. If you're looking for protein, almond milk is lacking (it has around 1 gram per cup) but if you're using it in smoothies, adding nuts, lentils or protein powder can give it a boost. Nutrition aside, its mild, nutty taste is never intrusive and it's a great starting point for people trying nondairy beverages for the first time. Why Should You Make Almond Milk Yourself? Almond milk is everywhere, so why make it yourself? Well, you may be surprised to learn that almonds are only one of the ingredients in store-bought almond milk. Stabilizers, flavors and additives are all common ingredients in store-bought almond milk. What are the main ingredients in homemade almond milk? Almonds and water. Plus, making it yourself gives you some creative liberties that you wouldn't otherwise get. You can use spices like cinnamon or cardamom to give it flavor all your own and choose whether or not to add a sweetener like maple syrup, honey or agave at the end to sweeten it up. Is Almond Milk Good or Bad for the Environment? Unfortunately, with its growing popularity, large-scale production of almond milk is negatively impacting our environment. Two of the biggest factors revolve around excessive water use in drought-stricken areas in California where almonds are grown, and the use of pesticides in growing the almonds. Making your own at home can lessen the burden if you use organic almonds, which won't have been produced with synthetic pesticides. Plus, almond pulp, a by-product of making your own almond milk, can be composted or added to smoothies or baked goods, thus eliminating any waste. Equipment for Making Homemade Almond Milk You can make almond milk with common kitchen equipment but if you really LOVE making your own almond milk and want to speed up the process, there are some products to consider. The Almond Cow cuts down on time and mess by grinding and straining the almonds all in one handy machine. You go from almonds to milk in just 5 minutes. (You still have to start with almonds soaked overnight.) If you're not ready for a new appliance, a nut-milk bag to use in place of cheesecloth is a cheap and easy investment. It's a fine-mesh bag that's perfect for straining pulp and is reusable. Ingredients 1 cup raw whole almonds 5 whole pitted dates 1 cinnamon stick 5 ½ cups water, plus more for soaking 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon Honey, maple syrup or agave syrup Directions Combine almonds, dates and cinnamon stick in a large bowl. Cover with water and let soak at for least 8 hours or overnight. Drain almonds and dates; discard cinnamon stick. Rinse almonds and dates. Puree the almonds, dates and 5 1/2 cups water in a blender until finely ground. Strain the almond milk through a sieve lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth (or a nut-milk bag) into a large measuring cup or bowl. Gather the cheesecloth (or the nut-milk bag) and squeeze to extract as much almond milk as possible. Discard the pulp or reserve for another use (see Tips). Whisk vanilla, salt and sweetener, if using, into the almond milk. Tips To make ahead: Refrigerate the almond milk for up to 3 days. Tips: To prepare in an Almond Cow machine, place almonds in basket of the machine. Pour water into the base, up to minimum line, adding more if necessary. Close and grind for 1 minute (2 cycles). Discard almond pulp or reserve for another use (see below). Place dates in the basket, grind for 1 minute. Discard date pulp. Whisk vanilla, salt and sweetener, if using, into the almond milk. You can add the leftover almond and date pulp to hot cereals and smoothies. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 10 Calories 1g Fat 1g Carbs 0g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 10 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 1g 0% Dietary Fiber 0g 1% Total Sugars 0g Protein 0g 1% Total Fat 1g 1% Vitamin A 0IU 0% Folate 1mcg 0% Sodium 104mg 5% Calcium 7mg 1% Magnesium 2mg 1% Potassium 5mg 0% Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs. Powered by the ESHA Research Database © 2018, ESHA Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved