Homemade Almond Milk

Homemade Almond Milk

Light, creamy, slightly sweet and so deliciously satisfying, homemade almond milk is an all-around family winner in my home. Almonds contain virtually no carbohydrates making them perfect food for diabetics like my son Matthew or people with other blood sugar issues. The way I make our almond milk is by adding a whole vanilla bean to the blender. This really gives an intense, vanilla flavor to the finished milk. Not to worry if you don’t have a vanilla bean, add some vanilla extract instead. The milk will still taste like vanilla, and, hey, it makes life easy.

With six grams of protein for every ounce and a mighty three grams of dietary fiber, the almond is a powerhouse of nutrition. Did I mention almonds have 80 milligrams of calcium per ounce along with a good dose of Vitamin E and phosphorus? Made into almond milk, eaten raw with your daily breakfast cereal or eaten as a snack with a piece of fruit, almonds make the perfect addition to your diet. By the way, this recipe is vegan friendly, gluten free, grain free, with no added, refined sugar or preservatives, colorants or chemicals. That’s truly a winning recipe. Enjoy!

Homemade Almond Milk

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds, plus 1 cup of filtered water

2 ½ cups filtered water (chilled)

2 Medjool dates, pitted

1 whole vanilla bean, chopped or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1/8 teaspoon sea salt (optional)

How to make:

Take a medium size bowl, add the almonds, pour over enough filtered water to cover them, place on lid or wrap with plastic and pop into the fridge over night or for 8 to 10 hours.

The next day take the almonds and rinse off the stale water and pour into a blender along with the chilled fresh filtered water, pitted dates, and chopped vanilla bean or vanilla extract.

Turn on the blender and blend on the highest speed for 1 minute or until you have a smooth and creamy texture.

Strain the almond milk through a nut milk bag over a large bowl or jug by slowly pouring the almond milk mixture into the bag. As the milk goes through the bag, gently squeeze the bottom of the bag to release any trapped milk.

Rinse out blender and pour the strained milk back in along with the cinnamon and sea salt and blend again for 30 seconds.

Pour the almond milk into a large jar with a tight fitting lid, label, date and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days, use as needed. Shake the jar very well before using as the mixture separates while sitting in the fridge.

*Nothing is wasted in this recipe as you can even use the leftover nut pulp in your oatmeal, homemade granola, cookie batter, hummus, or yogurt topping.