Easy Homemade Almond Milk

by Muriel Gravenor
original recipe at The Plantiful Coach

I’ve recently settled into a satisfying plant-milk routine:

• When I’m out, I’ll get oat milk in my coffee – it’s the best by far;

• At home, I make my own almond milk for tea and coffee – it’s the most creamy, and works 100% every time (whereas homemade oat milk can get a weird glutinous texture).

• I sometimes get store-bought soy milk for cooking or baking, or just to have on hand – it’s cheaper than other store-bought plant milks, has a higher protein content, but is too laborious to make from scratch.

Homemade almond milk is really easy to make, and relatively affordable if you buy your almonds in bulk. Plus, it’s a good deal more nutrient-dense than storebought almond milk, which has a low percentage of actual almonds and a whole lot of additives. Remember to keep the leftover pulp to add to smoothies, oatmeal or muffin mix – your gut bugs will thank you!

Homemade Almond Milk

Ingredients

• ½ cup raw almonds

• 2 dates

• pinch salt

• ¼ tsp soy lecithin granules (optional, see Notes)

Directions:

1. Soak the almonds in fresh water overnight (or in hot water for 2 hours).

2. Rinse, and place in a blender with two cups of fresh water, dates, salt, and soy lecithin.

3. Blend for a minute.

4. Pour through a nut milk bag (see Notes) and squeeze out all the liquid.

5. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to one week.

6. Keep the fibrous remains for your next smoothie, or to bake it into muffins.

Notes:

• The soy lecithin is an emulsifier, helping to ensure that the almond milk stays super creamy and properly mixed, so that it doesn’t separate in your coffee, for example. If you can’t get hold of lecithin, just give the milk a good shake before pouring and it should be fine.

• You can also use a large piece of muslin, folded into 2-3 layers, or an old clean t-shirt.