I never thought I’d reach the day where I would ‘milk’ nuts…and then try and encourage others to do the same! Well I haven’t gone nuts (yet) and that is exactly what I am doing today. Introducing Homemade Almond Milk!

Making homemade almond milk is actually an incredibly easy and quick process. That’s two reasons why I tried this in the first place and have never looked back since.

Fresh homemade almond milk trumps store bought versions in numerous ways. Firstly it contains live enzymes, alkalizing the body and easing digestion, there are no additives, preservatives or chemical nasties and it’s so much cheaper. It’s a low glycemic alternative to rice milk and unlike soymilk, it doesn’t cause issues with hormone levels.

Thanks to its white, silky texture and a subtly sweet flavor, this milk is a little piece of nutty heaven. Add it to your smoothies and shakes, cereals, pancakes and baked goodies.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Serves: 1 litre

What you need

– A standard blender or food processor
– A nut bag, which you can buy online or local health food store. If you don’t have one immediately at hand, a fine sieve will do temporarily or kitchen towel
– A gorgeous glass container for storing in the fridge is a must

Ingredients

– 1 cup of raw organic almonds (soaked, drained and rinsed)
– 4 cups filtered water
– 1 date (pip removed)
– Pinch of sea salt
– Optional extras: ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract or pinch of cinnamon

Method

– Soak the almonds for at least 12 hours (overnight) in water with ½ teaspoon of sea salt. This process ‘activates’ the nuts, by removing the phytic acid on them (natures very own pesticide to protect the nut from being eaten by wildlife). This makes them much easier to digest and increases the availability of the nutrients. Plus it makes the end result of the milk creamier.

– Drain and rinse the almonds well and add to your blender or food processor along with the remaining ingredients.

– Blend on the highest setting for a couple of minutes until smooth, creamy and frothy.

– Strain mixture into a large bowl (ideally with a pouring spout), through the nut bag and with your hands squeeze out all the milk. You will be left with the almond pulp in the bag. See ‘tip’ below on what to do with the pulp.

– Pour the milk from the bowl into your glass bottle and store in the fridge for up to a week and don’t be surprised if you need to give it a shake before using.

Money saving tip

Save the leftover almond pulp, that remains in your nut bag and cook in the oven on low heat to dry them out for about 30 minutes, then blitz in a processor to turn into flour. Voila you now have almond meal! The bonus here is you’re using ‘activated’ almond meal rather than the normal almond meal bought in shops, which is harder to digest and far more expensive. I use the activated meal to make loads of great healthy gluten-free treats including vitality balls, cupcakes, cookies, breads and pancakes. Basically when a recipe calls for almond meal, this is now what you have, it’s just a much more superior quality. It can be stored in the fridge for a week.

Recipe of the week

Banana buckwheat pancakes with almond milk

Try my delicious and nutritious pancakes that are gluten and dairy free. You’ll need 1 cup of your homemade almond milk to make these. This recipe does come with a health warning – there will be a fight over who gets the last one!

Recipe >>

Do you enjoy almond milk? How do you use it? Please share your creations in the comments below.