Unless you’ve got a nut allergy, almond milk is one of the best dairy alternatives out there. It’s incredibly easy-to-make and has a similar consistency to that of milk. You can also flavor it however you like, should you choose to do so.
Now you could go out and buy pre-made almond milk which is now sold in both tetra-paks as well as in those milk cartons in the refrigerated aisle, however I’ve got a few reasons why it’s better to make your own:
- Almond milk at it’s simplest is TWO ingredients: Almonds and water. Everything you buy in the store is loaded with other junk.
- The packages that hold your almond milk (aka. tetra paks) aren’t recyclable in most areas making them highly wasteful.
- It just takes better.
If you aren’t yet on the non-dairy bandwagon yet, I’ll tell you this much…
If you’ve still got digestive problems even after going gluten-free, then consider taking ALL dairy out. Dairy proteins can also cause inflammation by elevating your immune system since they are very similar to that of gluten. Plus, there’s a whole slew of other reasons why it’s really not the best food of choice which you can check out here.
You can also make milk from other nuts or add in other nuts to your almond milk. Sometimes I’ll add some Brazil nuts to the mix as they are a good source of Selenium and other nutrients. Either way, you’ll have a great base milk for all of your cooking needs: breakfast, adding creaminess to coffee or tea, cooking, baking, etc. And yes, you can add almond milk to things that are savory when you want more creaminess. I will add it, rather than cow’s milk, to pasta sauces which ask for a bit of cream such as my Bolognese Meat sauce.
[Need help going dairy-free? CLICK HERE for my easy ways to rid dairy from your diet!]
One note about the almonds:
You’ll want to buy raw almonds rather than roasted or blanched. Buy a package which is sealed rather than in the bulk nut aisle since you can easily purchase food which is contaminated with gluten. Once you find them (I tend to buy a larger pack since bulk buying will save you a bit of money in the long run), store them in the freezer as I suggest in my GF Freezer Guide.
All the supplies that you’ll need include:
- High-speed blender or really powerful food processor
- 1 Large glass Mason jar
- 1 Nut Milk Bag
Without further adieu, here is the simplest recipe of Almond Milk out there!
Pin This Recipe And Save It For Later
Gluten-Free Almond Milk
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Raw almonds Soaked for 8-12 hours in cool water
- 4 Cups Cold water
Instructions
- When you’re ready to make your almond milk, discard soaking water and rinse almonds very well.
- Place them in your blender (I have a Vitamix). Add 2 cups of water and begin to puree on the highest speed possible for a minute or 2 until you see that everything has been really pulverized.
- Turn machine off and add remaining 2 cups of water and blend on HIGH again for a minute or so. Then shut off and you’ll see that there’s a lot of foam that will have formed on the top of the milk. That’s normal.
- Now wash your hands well and use your nut milk bag and run the almond milk through it. I like to do this in 3 or 4 batches because the pulp will run into the bag and you’ll need to squeeze the bag to get the excess milk out. I usually will squeeze the milk into a pyrex measure glass and then pour it into the mason jar.
- Once it’s all done, you’ll want to store in the fridge with the lid on. I’ve found my almond milk can stay just fine for 4 or 5 days in the fridge. Note that it will begin to separate a bit, so just shake up the jar before you use it.
- As for the pulp, you can either toss it, or you can dehydrate it and then use it as almond flour.