Cait’s Home Made Almond Milk

Step 1: Place 2 cups of raw almonds in a large mixing bowl and cover the nuts completely with filtered water. If the weather is cool and comfortable, you can leave it on your counter overnight to soak. But if it was HOT HOT HOT like the day I made it, it will do just as good in the fridge overnight (anywhere from 8-24 hours is plenty of time). Once soaked long enough, drain the almonds in a strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water.

Step 2: Now is the fun part! I used my Ninja blender to make the milk, and did it in two batches. Place half the soaked almonds in your blender with 2 cups of water. Pulse 3-5 times to break up the nuts, and then blend thoroughly for 1-2 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the color is milky white and you don’t see large fragments of almond floating around.

Step 3: Now line your strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour your blended mixture right onto the cheese cloth. Now twist it until it resembles a small pouch, and you will see the almond milk start to leek out. Now keep squeezing until you can’t get anything else out of it. Reserve the almond meal in a separate bowl and I’ll tell you what to do with that later ????

Finish up the second batch of soaked almonds the same way and combine all of the milk. Done! Yup, that’s it. Now store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Just be sure to shake thoroughly before each use, as the almond and liquid may slightly separate while sitting. I love storing mine in mason jars for that reason!

Feel free to use this in place of cream in your coffee, and anywhere else you would use a milk product.

Other Tips:
– Plain milk not your thing? Try naturally flavoring this almond milk with some cinnamon, local honey, and a splash of vanilla extract. Blend, and enjoy!
– Don’t toss that left over almond meal! You can spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 2-3 hours (check it at 2 hours, if not completely dry continue to bake until thoroughly dried out). Now, toss it in the blender and you’ve got yourself some home made almond flour. It’s gluten free and super versatile. It’s also preservative free, so be sure to store it in the fridge or freezer.

ENJOY!

Not everyone drinks almond/soy/coconut/rice milk because they are lactose intolerant, or vegan. Some folks just like it. Like me! I like the taste and the fact that I’m getting some of the health benefits of almonds whenever I use it. Almonds are a great source of healthy fats, magnesium, fiber, protein, and Vitamin E. Unfortunately, many store bought brands contain a laundry list of hard to pronounce funky ingredients, masking the nutritious benefits of the almond, and making some raise the question – Is this really better for me than cows milk? It’s a controversial topic, and not the purpose of this write up, so we will move on the main focus of this post. Home made almond milk! It has 2 ingredients and tastes fantastic. You can use it in your coffee, smoothies, oatmeal, and anywhere else you would use other milk products. Cheers, to the incredible, edible (and drinkable), almond!