Homemade Almond Milk (Super Easy!)
Making homemade vanilla almond milk has slowly become a Saturday morning tradition for me. It tastes so great and adds richness to so many dishes and drinks. I use it for making lattes, hot chocolate, puddings, smoothies, cauliflower puree, and so much more.
Store-bought almond milk doesn't even come close to what you can make at home not only in nutritional benefits but also in taste.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of almonds
5 cups of filtered water (2 for soaking, 3 for blending)
1 teaspoon on apple cider vinegar (for soaking, not to use in the almond milk)
vanilla extract (vanilla bean would be divine if you have on hand)
pinch of salt
1-2 dates or stevia extract for sweetness (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Place 1 cup of almonds into a glass or stainless steel bowl, cover with 2 cups of filtered water, add 1 teaspoon of vinegar and let stand overnight (or at least 6 hours). All nuts and seeds have naturally occurring phytic acid that binds to minerals in your body (like zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, chromium, etc.) in your GI tract. Soaking them with vinegar helps to neutralize phytic acid making them more "digestible".
2. In the morning, pour out the soaking liquid and rinse the nuts with fresh water to ensure any residue or vinegar is completely removed.
3. Place the almonds into a high speed blender, add 3 cups of filtered water, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and blend! I use Vitamix on high for about 30 seconds, but depending on power of your blender it can take anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes.
4. Use a cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or fine mesh strainer to strain out any of the particles.
5. That's it! Enjoy it fresh or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Have you made nut milk? Share your recipe below!
