You could buy your almond milk at the store, but I like the organic process of creating my own, tasting the slightly pulpy imperfections of it, and savouring the result that little bit more. Some brands will include oils, preservatives, stabilisers, emulsifiers, sugars, other chemicals, and artificial colourings / flavourings. Apart from the fact these can be unhealthy, I personally don’t think such ingredients are necessary, and they certainly don’t add anything to the flavour, so when practically possible, I like to whip up a batch of my own! *
Flavours & sweeteners?!?
Nature has done a great job of giving us non-artificial deliciousness! I think you can supplement the taste profile of your home made almond milk quite easily, with just a tiny bit of extra work! The recipes below feature 3 different almond milk varieties with ‘twists’; the classic ‘plain’, a raw chocolate flavoured version & a fresh coconut tinged edition! When it comes to sweetening the almond milk I personally don’t think it needs it BUT if you have a bit of a sweet tooth I suggest adding dates, some vanilla pod/ vanilla extract, agave nectar or manuka honey. These options are all natural and rich in flavor so require very small portions (e.g. a couple of teaspoons of honey for each liter of almond milk you make!)
Plain almond milk
Ingredients
- 100g Almonds
- 400ml of Water (the amount of water you add depends on how thick or thin you like your milk. I personally like a thin consistency and therefore go for 2/3 water if not more.)
- A Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
- ½ vanilla pod / 1tbsp. Vanilla extract /2 deseeded dates
Chocolate almond milk
Ingredients
- 100g Almonds
- 300ml of Water (the amount of water you add depends on how thick or thin you like your milk. I personally like a thin consistency and therefore gor for 2/3 water if not more.)
- A Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
- 100ml Fresh coconut water
- 4tbsp raw Cacao nibs
Coconut almond milk
Ingredients
- 100g Almonds
- 300ml of Water (the amount of water you add depends on how thick or thin you like your milk. I personally like a thin consistency and therefore gor for 2/3 water if not more.)
- A pinch of pink salt
- Vanilla extract
- 100ml Coconut water
How to?
- Soak the almonds overnight in filtered water (8-10 hours soaking time minimum).
- Take them out of the fridge the next morning – warning, the water may look a little murky like some sort of pond – don’t worry, just rinse the almonds clean.
- Put the almonds, along with fresh water / coconut water (as per above suggested ‘Ingredients’ measures) into a high speed blender (I used my beloved Vitamix).
- Add a pinch of pink salt.
- Blend for circa 2-3minutes
- Strain using a straining bag, muslin or a tight sieve (as per photo) and ideally a cheese cloth. I save the left over pulp and use it for my healthy energy balls or granola bars, but you can also bake with it if you just dry it out and blend it again, to get Almond flour!
- Refrigerate the milk, and be sure to shake it each time you use it, as it tends to separate out :D Also I’d drink it within 3-4 days, so perhaps don’t go making 3 litres of the stuff in one go, or you may have some wastage on your hands!
N.B. When the almonds are soaked overnight, in the morning they may have split open, which releases the enzyme inhibitors. The enzyme inhibitors basically decide when the almonds sprout. When a nut or indeed seed start to sprout they are inheritantly using up some of the carbs and fats that are present, so this overnight process of maturation makes a huge difference to the nutritional content of the ensuing Almond milk!
Enjoy your accomplishment :D
Faya x
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*I recently chose to work with Blue Diamond on their Almond Breeze milk, as I think they’re a brand that do the very most they can to bring a healthy, natural approach to their products.
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