Homemade Almond Milk

In October 2014, I tried a 21-day detox, which required me, among other things, to cut dairy from my diet. Of all the great things I learned from the program, one of the most lasting takeaways for me was how much of an adverse reaction my body was having when I over-consumed dairy products like milk, cream sauces and cheese.

I've largely cut dairy from my regular diet now (except for the occasional pizza or hard cheese treat! :), and depend on almond milk for baking, coffee and tea, and morning shakes. My skin, in particular, has noticed a huge difference! Goodbye terrible acne flare ups!

Almond milk is pricey, and in the U.S. contains a stabilizing food additive called Carrageenan that has been outlawed by Europe's food agencies.

Pedro and I researched a way to make our own almond milk and have discovered a cost-effective, delicious way to make a homemade version. It's also nice because we know what ingredients are going into our milk, and the finished product is super silky (not chalky or powdery like so many store-bought soy or almond milks can be). Also, for the cost of a 3-lb bag at Costco (pictured below $17), you can make double the amount of almond milk you'd have to buy in tetrapaks at Walmart. In other words, homemade almond milk costs about $1 per quart. The leftover pulp from the almonds makes a great face scrub as well.

To begin, soak a cup of almonds in water overnight. You'll notice the almonds grow large and fat as they absorb the water. This process also releases certain enzymes as the almonds prepare to sprout.

In the morning, drain and rinse the almonds and place them in a vitamix, blendtec or other high power blender. 

Begin blending the nuts with a couple cups of water. Once the major chunks are blended, add two more cups of water.

Then pour this mixture into a nut bag (available from amazon, and pictured below) to strain the fiber. You can repeat the blending process and still get a lot of good milk from the nuts. Simply add another ~4 cups to the pulp you return to the blender. You can play with these proportions depending on how thick or light you prefer your milk.

This milk will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for approx. 4-5 days. Enjoy!