Creamy tasty unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I never thought that I would see the day when homemade almond milk would be a staple in home. But for many years now it has been. The thing with almond milk is although it’s a healthier alternative than milk, it can get expensive. In addition, I prefer the refrigerated variety so I can’t get it through Amazon Prime. Be that as it may, vanilla almond milk was a staple on our grocery list. I never once thought that I would be making my own homemade almond milk.
However recently, I was doing some reading on gut health when I came across an article on phytic acid. Since I consider myself a self proclaimed gut specialist after healing my own gut issues, I was intrigued. Phytic acid is a compound found in foods like nuts, legumes and grains that can bind to needed minerals and decrease their absorption.
Different seeds have varying amounts of phytic acid. But, from all the seeds listed in this chart, guess which seeds have the most phytic scid listed? You guessed it almonds.
Now there are bigger nutritional issues than phytic acid but, the fact that I use almonds everyday in everything from smoothies, to grain-free cereal and even as a travel snack…there was some room to make a change. Not to eliminate phytic acid from my diet totally but, rather decrease the amount ingested.
I was also surprised to find out most varieties of almond milk have way less almonds per bottle than you think. So essentially, you’re paying for fancy water. Of course brands vary but, the really good stuff is even more expensive. What you get in the end is a watered down product with synthetic vitamins added back in.
So I set out to make my own almond milk and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was the homemade almond milk more affordable, contained less phytic acid, healthier and creamier…homemade almond milk was much tastier too.
Apart of phytic acid, gum fillers/additives like acacia, guar gum and carrageenan come with their own set of problems too. Especially for people that already have or are prone to gut issues. It’s just something to be mindful of.
When you make your own almond milk at home, you have none of that to worry about.
Benefits of Making Homemade Almond Milk
- Less phytic acid
- More affordable
- East to make
- More nutritious
- Know the origin of your food
- No artificial flavors or synthetic vitamins
- Creamier
- Tastier milk
Why You Should Make Homemade Almond Milk During Crisis
During a crisis, whether it be a natural disaster or something like a pandemic (like the coronavirus), it may not always be possible to go the grocery store.
Shelf stable raw almonds are easily available even when other items like milk is running out at the grocery store and you need an alternative. Make it a practice to keep raw almonds in your pantry, you can limit to trips to the grocery store and make almond milk any time you like.
Before you go and make your own homemade unsweetened almond milk, here are a few things I recommend that will make it so much easier and smoother.
- Try to soak the almonds for 2-3 days in the refrigerator first and then toss the water before blending.
- Get the right tools to make the unsweetened almond milk (detailed list at the bottom of this post).
- Your almond milk may separate upon settling. That’s totally normal. Shake well before each use.
Homemade Almond Milk
Creamy, delicious homemade almond milk that's easy to make.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted almonds
- 2-3 pitted dates (depending on desired sweetness)
- 3 1/2 cups water for blending
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Soak almond in minimal water to cover them for 24-72 hours (max) in the fridge. The longer it soaks the creamier the final product will be.
- Drain the water and rinse.
- Add the almonds, salt, dates and vanilla to a high powered blender and blend twice.
- Pour milk into nut milk bag or sieve.
- Gently squeeze and reserve the almond milk.
- Can save the pulp for later use.
- Store any almond milk in glass containers for use in the refriderator within 3-4 days.
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Original Post: June 23, 2018. Updated March 21, 2020
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