Almond milk is one of those things that we still buy at the mainstream grocery store.  It is a food which I would put under the ‘processed’ category.  So in attempts of ridding the fridge of processed food, I made some homemade almond milk.  It is so easy peasy I think I’ll continue to experiment with making it regularly.   I didn’t follow a particular recipe and just decided to wing it. (I am the worst at taking the time to follow recipes.)

So here’s how it goes down.  Most recipes suggest soaking the almonds overnight.  I soaked mine for about 12 hours or so.  It is pretty amazing how much they plump up.  Soaked almonds taste really good!  So make sure to eat a couple.

1. Soak almonds for 8 hours or more.  Rinse and add filtered or distilled water.

2. Add desired spices and/or sweeteners.  I added 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of vanilla extract.  In the past I have used dried dates as a sweetener but this time I left it unsweetened.   Other possible additions are nutmeg, cocoa powder, honey, maple syrup, or I just got the idea to use pumpkin spice for fall inspired drinks!  Or almond extract!  Why didn’t I think of these additions when I was actually making the milk??  Oh well, next time!

3. Blend with filtered or distilled water until almonds are completely blended.

4. Strain.  I used a cheesecloth and mesh strainer combo.  It was a bit messy but doable.  I might have to invest in a nut milk bag (a special bag used to strain out the nut pulp.) but first I have to think of another name to call such a thing.  Pulp strainer, milk filter…I don’t know but nut milk bag just sounds wrong.

I saved the leftover pulp and added it to some zucchini bread I made.  I couldn’t even taste it in the bread.  I bet it would work in pancakes, muffins, or any other baked good.  You can also dehydrate the pulp and use it like almond meal.  To dehydrate cook in a low oven (probably about 200 degrees) for an hour or so.

5. Enjoy!

This is about 2 cups of almonds.

The water looks gross because I added cinnamon.