Posted by Dr. Lori Arnold
Basic Homemade Dairy-Free Almond/Nut Milk
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Sugar-Free, Paleo, Vegan
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups Organic RAW Almonds (or cashews)
4-8 cups Filtered Water
Optional:
1 Tbsp Pure Organic Vanilla Extract
1-2 packets Stevia
Special Appliances:
High-Powered Blender (like Vitamix or equivalent)
Nut Bag or Cheesecloth (I prefer Nut Bags… much easier, less messy)
Instructions:
Soak 1 1/3 cups RAW almonds in a bowl or container with plenty of filtered water, at room temperature for 12-18 hours. Soaking will make the almonds softer and more digestible and rinse off any potential chemicals.
Drain the almonds in a colander and rinse with fresh water.
Place the almonds in a high-powered blender. Add 4 cups filtered water and blend until the nuts are pulverized.
Strain through cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. If using cheesecloth, use a spoon to scrape the almond meal around and allow as much liquid to drain through.
Transfer to a glass jar or pitcher and refrigerate, covered for 4-5 days. You can use the remaining pulp in hot steel cut gluten-free oats cereal, fruit or other great vegan recipes. You can even dry the pulp in the oven and use it as almond meal, or freeze in a Ziploc bag for future use.
For a little sweetness, add 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract and 1-2 packets Stevia.
Modifications:
Almond Milk with Coconut Water: Soak almonds in regular water, but use 4 cups coconut water to blend with soaked almonds.
Almond Milk sweetened with Dates: Follow same directions above, but blend soaked almonds with water and 8 pitted dates. Add 1 Tbsp Vanilla for extra flavor.
Makes: 4-6 Servings