Homemade almond milk is easy to make, and you can be done in just one day. The longest part of the process will be soaking the almonds. Soaking the almonds can take up to 24 hours, but after this part of the process is complete, making your almond milk may only take a few minutes.
Consider pre-soaking your almonds the night before you want to use them to ensure they are ready to make your homemade almond milk the next morning.
Making your almond milk at home can also help you keep track of what flavors you enjoy most in your beverage. You can make your almond as sweet or bitter as you want, add flavor extracts, or thicken it with cornstarch.
There are endless possibilities to create stunning and useful almond milk for every type of dish, drink, or dessert. For example, making bitter almond milk without sweeteners can help in savory pasta dishes and make a creamy alfredo sauce that doesn’t have a sweet aftertaste.
Ingredients
To make a basic almond milk recipe, you will need two foundational ingredients: almonds and purified water. You can add other ingredients like vanilla extract, coconut extract, or raspberry extract. You can also use pure cane sugar to make your almond milk sweet.
Some sugars are made using bone char, which comes from the bones of fish or other animals. To ensure your almond milk is vegan, try finding a sugar that is bone-char-free.
A sweetener can be useful for almond milk you intend to use for desserts or iced coffee. Using sweetened almond milk can help balance out the bitterness of the soaked almonds and create a comprehensive and robust flavor. The nuttiness of the almonds will always remain but adding sweeteners or flavors can help in sweet recipes.
If you can’t find bone-char-free sugar, consider using agave nectar to keep your almond milk vegan without sacrificing the sweetness it can provide to your drinks or recipes.
Method
You must first soak your almonds overnight. These almonds will have to sit in water for at least 12 hours, but 24 is ideal to make smooth and creamy almond milk. To soak your almonds, place them in a bowl and cover them with plenty of water. The almonds will expand, so ensure there is enough water to cover them after they double in size. Cover the bowl and place them in the fridge.
When the soaking process is done, drain the water and place one cup of almonds and two cups of water in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Use a cheesecloth over a bowl or container to strain out the remaining chunks of almonds at the bottom of the mixture. Repeat the draining process several times until there are no more chunks and the beverage is free of any almond pieces.
Finally, add any additives to your blender. These additives can include sugar, agave nectar, or flavor extracts. Blend with your beverage until the ingredients are well incorporated.
