I first tried soy milk as a replacement but I just didn't like it. But then I discovered ALMOND MILK! (I think my love of almonds is pretty well documented.) I quickly became a fan. But I have never been a fan of the price! It's so expensive! And since I'm the only one who will drink it...I always seem to end up wasting much of it.
A few days ago I had one of those "lightbulb" moments when I came across a blog post on Cafe Zupas website (a GREAT restaurant in Salt Lake City) titled "How To Milk An Almond". Let me see if I have this straight. I ALWAYS have raw, whole almonds in the house (they are my go-to snack!) and I could have been making my own almond milk this whole time???? Oh man...I hate when I realize how dumb I've been. lol. Oh well...no point in crying over spilt almond milk. At least today I was able to rectify the situation! And oh what a DELICIOUS experience it was!!
almond milk
1 cup whole raw almonds (not toasted or roasted, etc), enough water to cover
3 - 4 cups water, more if desired
a pinch of salt
honey, to taste
Soak the almonds overnight in a bowl with enough water to cover.
Drain and discard the soaking water.
Put almonds in blender with 3 - 4 cups water and blend on HIGH speed until smooth.
Would you look at that??? BEAUTIFUL!
Lay a linen or cotton towel (not terry cloth) inside a bowl large enough to hold all the liquid.
Pour the milk into the towel, and squeeze out the excess liquid. What's left in the towel is called ALMOND MEAL and is like GOLD...so don't throw it away. :-) (More on that later.)
Taste the milk and if it’s a little too nutty for you, add a pinch of salt, and 1-2 teaspoons of honey. I added a little more honey...I like it a teeny, tiny bit on the sweeter side. You could even add some homemade chocolate syrup and make Chocolate Almond Milk! :-)
Store in a glass jar or bottle. The liquid will separate between uses,
just be sure to shake it up before each use.
Now go find something yummy to drink it with, or pour it on! Or better yet...when it's nice and chilled...enjoy a nice, cold glass all by itself and savor the natural deliciousness homemade by YOU! :-)
Oh yeah......I almost forgot about the almond meal. I spread mine out on a cookie sheet and baked it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I then let it cool completely and put it in a ziploc bag and threw it in the freezer for use at a later date. It will be delicious in some gluten-free cookies! (Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal is $9.00 a bag!!!)
Almonds, water, a blender and a towel are all you need to make today's.....
Nice and super healthy !!
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Oh my! I can't believe that it is seriously this easy!!! WOW!!! Can't wait to try this out!!
ReplyDeletegatheredinthekitchen.com
Great tip! The almond meal will work well in my home-made granola.
ReplyDeleteJillee,
ReplyDeleteOH! This may be the answer! I have always been allergic to milk so I have never missed not having it, but my husband developed psoriasis about a year ago. I noticed it flaired from time to time and turned to the internet (can you believe we used to get along without it)and found that several food allergies can trigger it.
He stopped drinking milk for 2 weeks and his elbows and knees (where his psoriasis is) cleared up about 80%. He went back to milk and 3 days later it was back! He has been milk free for over a month and you can hardly tell he has psoriasis at all!
ANYWAY, the question...he likes soy milk (yuck), but this recipe has me excited. Can you tell me what it cost you to make? It made 32 oz right?
THANKS!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing. Love your blog... it is one of my favorites now! :)
ReplyDeleteOf all the blogs I read, yours and Pioneer Women's are my favorite. I look forward to it everyday. I love to read your style of writing, seems like we are sitting together sharing a cup of tea. Everything is so simple with your easy directions and step by step photos. You have inspired me to change so many things, from the kitchen to the bathroom. (LOVE the shower/tub cleaner...it is my go to cleaner) I could go on and on with all the stuff I have saved and pinned from your blog and use daily.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the research and testing you do to find the best ideas for your followers.
Blessing to you and yours
I have been drinking soy milk for years, long before coconut or almond milk were so readily available, but I am curious to try something different. can you tell me how much 1 cup raw almonds made?
ReplyDeleteI am so excited. Thank you so much for sharing!! I just cannot afford to buy the milk and especially the meal. I wonder if you could make almond floor out of the meal?
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome and I can't wait to try it (with and without the honey for those in our house who don't do sugar). Plus, being grain free, I use almond meal as a substitute for flour and bread crumbs in tons of recipes. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou can also do this with organic, raw coconut, to make coconut milk! Yummmmo! Google it for the steps, I would like it but I don't want to link to someone else's blog and drive you away from Jillee's...
ReplyDeleteOMG...thank you so much for this my daughter is 17 months is lactose and refuses to drink soy the only thing I can get her to drink is almond milk I but at least 2 cartons of it ever week and a half this will definitely save me money if I buy raw almond in bulk at cosco! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYummmmmmm...Who would have thought it would be so easy to milk an almond????? And Almond meal as a side benefit!
ReplyDeleteLOVE almond milk! I made this once before and was a little blah so thanks for the advice on sweetening it.
ReplyDeleteso excited to try this! I buy this stuff by the case! now maybe I can just buy the almonds by the case and have the best of all worlds in almonds.
ReplyDeleteSQUEEEEEEAAAAL! I am so excited that this is possible. The husband and I have recently made the switch to almond milk and it is soooo expensive! Love love love your blog!
ReplyDeleteA friend and I were just talking about Almond Milk last night and she said it was easy. I cannot wait to try your recipe!!
ReplyDeleteBOOKMARKED!
ReplyDeleteI use almond milk daily, especially in my morning coffee - very tasty. I can't wait to try making your recipe!! I great plans for that "leftover" meal too. lol
I've also read about making rice milk pretty much the same way although I have never tried making it either. I've been so inspired to try so many of your cleaning products that I might just give the almond milk a shot.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, from Missouri: Oh wow! I've never tried Almond milk, since one: it's too expensive to sample, and two: I'm iffy on trying new things. I am lactose intolerant, though not as much as I used to be. I completely eliminated dairy from my diet for two whole weeks, and then slowly added it back in a tad at a time (harder to do than you think) seems to have made the worse of my allergy to away, though not completely. Milk still bothers me from time to time, but not as much as it used too.
ReplyDeleteI definately have got to try this! My mom is also allergic to gluten, so the almond meal would come in super handy!! Love your blog! thanks so much!!
Hi there, I am so glad I found your blog. I love it. So informative and interesting. I was wondering how long this almond milk will last in the refrigerator please?
ReplyDeleteSandra nz
You are amazing!!!! Thanks for the info on almond milk. Will try it for Dad.
ReplyDeleteI've never 'followed' a blogger before... until now. I discovered your blog through Pinterest (imagine that) and, like a lot of people, I am hooked. I check in every day and can't wait to see what you have in store. Simple. Practical. Awesome. Thank you!! (Oh- and by the way, I love that you are 'transplanted' to Utah from Cali, looks as though you are "recovering" well). :)
ReplyDeleteJillee,
ReplyDeleteI just read an article today about raw milk. I have been doing some research on it. This lady claims her lactose intolerant husband can drink it. Here is a link, let me know what you think.
http://mylifeinapyramid.com/2012/03/my-raw-milk-conversion-why-how-i-decided-to-embrace-fresh-local-milk/
Who would have thought it's so simple to make?? Thank you! I can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteInstead of discarding the soak water, would it be useful in some kind of body product? What if you just splashed the water on your face for natural almond oil moisture? I don't know if it would work but it's and idea! Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteOk. Definitely doing this. I am so sick of paying $3.79/half-gallon of almond milk (sometimes more) for my lactose intolerant 2yo!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis works out to be $4.28 per half gallon of homemade almond milk (assuming there are 3.5 cups/ lb of raw almonds and you pay $7.50/ lb raw almonds.) I buy Silk Pure Almond for $3.18/ half gallon at my local grocer. However, the almond meal yield (or pure curiosity!) may make this worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see this asked but about how long does this milk last? I prefer Almond Milk over any other kind but it usually takes me about 7-10 days to drink a 1/2 gallon. Do you think that it will last that long?
ReplyDeleteThe almonds I purchased were $3.33 a pound at Costco. Since there are approximately 3 1/2 cups of almonds in a pound of almonds...that means the one cup of almonds I used in this recipe cost me approximately $1.11. The recipe made 32 ounces. Double that and it would be $2.22 for 64 ounces...or 1/2 gallon.
ReplyDeleteFor those wondering about how long it will last...it should last 7 to 10 days in the fridge...same as regular milk.
since i've been pregnant i haven't been able to drink milk so i switched to soy and almond milk. my hubby and i always joke about how you 'milk' and almond. lol. thought it was funny this popped up on pinterest today since we were just talking about it!
ReplyDeleteThis is fantastic! I have eczema, so soy and milk have always made my skin flare up. Almond milk from the store is so expensive. This is definitely worth a try. :]
ReplyDeleteAs a vegan who avoids dairy, I make this ALL the time- almond milk is my go to milk. I save the leftover almond meal in a glass jar and add to my oatmeal in the morning. I don't even sweeten my almond milk, it's just fine as it is. :) For anyone out there willing to experiment, even hazelnuts and cashews can be 'milked'. Hazelnut milk is especially delicious with (pure) cocoa. :)
ReplyDeleteOkay I have NO idea what I did wrong, but my almond milk tastes kind of "yeasty" and has a weird smell. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteJust made this and it is SOOO flippin YUMMY! I'll never buy storebought again. It does smell "nutty." which the previous poster may be referring to, but I sweetened it with a bit of honey and it is DIVINE and so "Silky" smooth! DELISH! Thanks for the great play by play.
ReplyDeleteThis tastes really good but the texture is watery... I even reduced the amount of water I used... is this normal and how it's supposed be? Am I just used to the thicker/ creamier store bought and need to adjust or am I doing something wrong?
ReplyDeletePenni...what kind of almonds did you use? Mine were whole raw almonds that I had roasted (because that's what I always have on hand).
ReplyDeleteKristie...you are welcome! So glad you like!
Anony...I found the homemade almond milk to be less thick than the store bought kind, but thicker than regular milk. Kind of in between. Did you try adding a little honey?
This did not taste right to me... it needed a ton of sugar and ovaltine to make it drinkable for me. It wasn't thick enough either. i think I'll stick to the Silk stuff
ReplyDelete@Anon's 3/25@2:58pm & 3/22@8:48pm - Reduce the amount of water until you reach the desired resultant thickness. This might take some experimentation to figure out how much water is just right for you. And understand, the almond milk product you're used to drinking is probably shelf-stabilized and/or thickened with guar gum or carrageenan. The modern Western palate has been trained by processed food manufacturers to equate a product's texture with how 'rich' it is.
ReplyDelete@Anon 3/25@2:58pm (and anyone else who didn't think it was sweet enough) - use more honey, or reach for the agave syrup, which is twice as sweet.
If you or your family drink a lot of milk, consider contacting your local natural foods grocer to see if you can order almonds in bulk. Some stores will offer a bulk purchasing discount if you buy an entire bulk bag. If you don't have a natural foods grocer, start your own community food co-op; then you can get an account with big natural foods vendors (like Tree of Life, among others) and buy anything you want in bulk.
Store almonds in the fridge for 3 months or the freezer for 6 months.
I really want some almond milk chai, now...
how much milk does it make?
ReplyDelete