I wish I could say this was my recipe… but it’s not. It belongs to Lisa Bryan over at Downshifology. I cannot sing her enough praises. Lisa makes meal prepping and recipes easy. What I really appreciate about her is that she helps you to realize that being healthy doesn’t require a large bank account or too many gadgets or gizmos. Head over there for some wonderful tips and tricks to maximize your kitchen and try something new (she also focuses on travel and lifestyle).
Okay, so this almond milk recipe has proven to be a huge hit in my home and in my neighborhood. It’s so easy- it’s almost ridiculous. For my family, making almond milk is actually one way to save a little money and keep it clean. You would be surprised what’s actually in your almond milk to keep it on the grocery store shelf… when you make it at home though, you are only looking at a handful of ingredients.
Ingredients and Process
1 cup of almonds (raw and organic- plain ole almonds)
Once you’ve got your cup ready, put it in a glass container and cover the almonds with water. This glass container should have a lid so that you can seal them. I usually put in the refrigerator because I let them soak for 8-12 hours. See Lisa’s site for more tips.
Once they have soaked, rinse them with cold water and put them in a super powerful blender… I personally use a Vitamix (as does Lisa). Now pour in 4 cups of cold, filtered water.
Here is where you can get creative. I put a pinch of salt, 2 dates, and a splash of vanilla extract in. Alternatively, Lisa suggests you could use maple syrup or honey. There are lots of different ideas out there for you to try. I recommend the dates because the milk ends up being super thick and smooth! Once you have put it all together, fire up the blender for 1-2 minutes on high.
Now, to strain… you can use a nut-milk bag (which is a thing…) or if you have a cheesecloth on hand, that works too. Pour the mixture from the blender into the bag or cloth and strain it all out into a bowl of sorts. I use my very handy dandy Pampered Chef measuring glass that is meant for larger liquid things like pancake batter or homemade salad dressing. It’s perfect for a batch of almond milk. Then, I pour it into my glass jug and put the lid on before refrigerating. Voila- I am done!
I have found that my almond milk keeps for 5 days but it is recommended only at 3 days. To be fair, my refrigerator is incredibly cold- which I think helps keep it the extra few days.
If you are wondering what to do with leftover almond pulp, check out Lisa’s site, Downshiftology, for some great ideas.
The Salty Exchange 