Last week I had my first attempt at making my own almond milk. Delicious. Creamy. Homemade. Almond Milk. WOW! My answer to most questions nowadays is usually ‘Google has all the answers’ so I went to Google to ask how to make my first batch of almond milk, knowing full well that at least five of my dozens of cookbooks already have the answer for me in my bookcase. But I like to mix things up a little, so I went to Google. I found multiple recipes (of which I followed none and all of them, at the same time – you’ll learn that about me, I never EVER follow a recipe, even on the first try) and decided to start soaking some almonds immediately. I decided to soak 1.5 cups of almonds (pretty much all recipes only soaked one cup) in filtered water until they are more than covered – they expand as they soak so you want to make sure they’re totally covered, and then add a bit more water – and then sprinkled some salt into the bowl and gave it a good stir. I let these soak for about 40-48 hours.
Then I decided to put my awesome Vitamix to the test to make this delicacy I like to call My Almond Milk. I rinsed my soaked almonds really well in a strainer (they make the water murky and yucky, and the almonds will look like they’re starting to sprout) and then threw them into the Vitamix. Then I added about 4.5 – 5 cups of filtered water. And I threw in a sprinkle of salt. I only use pink Himalayan salt by the way, in all my cooking, so when I say salt, this is what I’m referring to.
So, back to the Vitamix. Almonds, filtered water, pink Himalayan salt. Blend as per your blender instructions!!! With my Vitamix I start on the lowest setting and then turn it up, and then onto max. It really gets quite warm as it blends on high for a couple of minutes, so keep an eye on this. I added ice (again, made with filtered water) to cool it down, then I whizzed again for another minute. Then the straining fun began….
I tried using a metal strainer and then cheesecloth for a time. Big mistake. Way too painful. Then I bothered to find my nut bag in one of our moving boxes (given to me from my gorgeous friend Ingrid last year for Christmas!) and boy did that make it easier! I enlisted the help (i.e. strong hand muscles) of my husband to squeeze the almond milk from the pulp in the nut bag. This again makes the task much easier when you don’t even have to do it yourself 😉
Once we have finished straining the milk from the pulp, there we have it…. Almost two whole bottles of delicious, creamy, homemade almond milk!!! YUMMO! It seriously is SO much better than the store bought crap in those tetra packs you find on the supermarket shelf, but it doesn’t last long (a few days in the fridge). So keep that in mind if you want to make everything in huge batches like me, this won’t make it past a few days.
So, for people you like written recipes, here goes:
1.5 cups almonds
2 teaspoons Pink Himalayan salt to soak almonds
Filtered water to soak almonds
4.5-5 cups filtered water
Small pinch Pink Himalayan salt
Instructions:
Throw almonds in a bowl (I used plastic, but I’m sure glass would also be ok) with salt and enough filtered water to cover the almonds well, bearing in mind that they’ll expand with time. Stir and then cover for up to 2 days. Soak for a minimum of a few hours.
Rinse soaked almonds really well under cold running water until clean and put into blender/vitamix. Add 4.5-5 cups of filtered water and the smallest pinch of salt. The less water, the creamier the milk will be, so add more water if you want it less creamy. Blend on high for a couple of minutes, adding ice if necessary to prevent the milk from getting warm.
Strain the milk through a nut bag and refrigerate until ready to use. I store my milk in old glass bottles in the fridge. Enjoy within a few days!
Leave a Reply