Almond milk creates creamy golden milk, elevates a bowl of steel cut oats, and (my personal favorite) produces a brilliant foam for a morning latté. I drink a green smoothie every morning, and almond milk is the ingredient which gives many of them their silky texture and satiating flavor. It tastes nutty and slightly sweet, and can be used in place of milk in most recipes. 

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Almonds are a hard nut, and therefore need to soak overnight. If you find the nuts aren’t soft after 8 hrs, refresh the water, add some salt and a squeeze of lemon juice, and soak for a further two hours. Even though this recipe is a little fussy (because you need to strain the nuts twice), the end result is a creamy almond milk that’s perfect for lattés, smoothies and baked muffins.

Ingredients for Creamy Almond Milk:‍

• Water: 3 ½ cups cold filtered water, and 1 cup boiling water.
• Almonds: I use raw, organic almonds that have been steam pasteurized, a preferable method to ones that use harmful chemicals. The package will be labeled “steam pasteurized” if this process was used.
• Pure Vanilla Extract: I use pure vanilla extract which contains only real vanilla beans and alcohol.
• Maple Syrup (or Date Paste): Maple syrup adds sweetness, and can be used based on personal preference. If I have some on hand, I use date paste in place of syrup. Date paste blends smoothly into the almond milk, as opposed to regular Medjool dates, which are hard for a blender to break down.
• Salt: Adding a pinch of powdered Himalayan salt helps bring out the flavor of the nuts. Any kind of salt can be used, but I like to blend pink Himalayan salt into a very fine powder for use in instances where the salt texture needs to fade into the background of a dish, e.g. creamy homemade almond milk or home-made popcorn.

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How to Make Creamy Almond Milk:

STEP 1:

Soak almonds in water overnight:  Adding salt to the mix helps further neutralize the enzymes and increases nutrient absorption when eaten. I use 1 ¼ cup of almonds to make the almond milk extra creamy.

STEP 2:

Remove nut skins: The phytic acid in nuts (found primarily in the skin) is hard to digest, and inhibits the absorption of some minerals (zinc, magnesium, copper, iron to name a few). Removing the nut skins also creates a creamier nut milk. The skin should pop off easily after soaking 8 hrs, but if they are still sticking, give the almonds a couple more hours to soak.

STEP 3:

Blend and Strain: Add water and nuts into a high-powered blender and whizz for 20 seconds. Pour the blended mix through a nut milk bag, gently squeezing the bag until all the liquid has drained

STEP 4:

Repeat: Place the nuts that have been strained back into the blender with 1 ½ cups cold water and 1 cup boiled water. Blend and strain again. The warmth of the water causes the nuts to strain more easily the second time round. The mixture is strained twice to remove more nut pulp and extract more milk, resulting in a smoother milk.

‍STEP 6:

Blend one last time: Add half the milk back to the blender together with the vanilla extract, maple syrup (or date paste) and salt. Blend and pour back into the remaining almond milk. Pour the freshly squeezed almond milk into a glass jug that can be sealed.

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How to Store Creamy Almond Milk:

This dairy-free milk can be stored in a sealed glass container and refrigerated for up to four days. The milk will separate, so be sure to shake or stir before each use to ensure the milk is well incorporated.

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How Long Should Almonds be Soaked?

Almonds should be soaked for 8-12 hours or overnight in cold water. This causes the nuts to sprout, making it easier for our bodies to absorb their nutrients.  It also softens the nuts, resulting in a creamier texture when blended. I’ve sometimes soaked mine for up to 24 hrs, changing out the water every 8 hrs and placing them in the fridge if it is too warm indoors. The longer you soak them, the softer they get.