Almond milk, a creamy and tasty drink that’s also high in calcium. It’s nutritious, made with 3 simple ingredients and ready in just 20 minutes.
Almond milk is one of my favorite kinds of plant milk. It’s more affordable than the store-bought ones, made with natural and nutritious ingredients and it’s absolutely delicious. Besides, almonds are higher in calcium than cow’s milk!
This vegan beverage is a wonderful alternative to regular milk. Of course, it’s vegan-friendly and great for those who are lactose intolerant or simply don’t want to consume milk at all. Almond milk is also very light and cholesterol-free, and it’s so easy to make.
This recipe is very simple and it’s so good you can drink it plain or add any kind of sweetener. Besides, you will be able to use the leftover pulp to prepare a great variety of dishes and new recipes.
Almond milk, flavorful, creamy and so good! It’s made with 3 inexpensive and easy-to-find ingredients and ready in 20 minutes. To make it you only need a blender and a nut milk bag, although a cheesecloth will also work. Enjoy it hot or cold!
How to make almond milk – Step by step
- Soak the almonds for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight (photo 1).
- Drain and rinse the almonds (photo 2). You can peel them, but that’s not necessary.
- Add the almonds, water, and dates to a blender (photo 3) and blend until smooth (photo 4).
- Strain the mixture using a nut milk bag, a cheesecloth, a napkin, or a strainer (photo 5).
- Serve immediately or enjoy it hot or cold.
Pro tips
- Any kind of raw unsalted almonds will do. You can either peel them or not.
- Feel free to add any sweetener you’d like or to make your almond milk unsweetened.
- Some people like to add a little bit of salt to their almond milk to enhance the flavor, but I like it better without it.
- Customize it with any ingredients you want to, such as vanilla extract, cocoa powder, or ground cinnamon.
How can I use the leftover almond pulp?
You can use the pulp to make plenty of other recipes, such as energy balls, chocolate truffles (you just need to replace the hazelnut for the almond pulp) or raw cacao bites.
On the other hand, you could even add it to your smoothies to give them a delicious flavor and a creamier texture, or simply use it to make all the recipes you’d like!
How long will this almond milk keep?
This almond milk is made with fresh and natural ingredients, so it’s completely preservative-free. That’s why you need to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge and it will last for 3-5 days.
How to serve almond milk
You can drink your almond milk plain, hot, cold, or with your coffee or cocoa. It will work great on recipes like vegan hot chocolate, matcha latte, avocado smoothie or mango smoothie.
Almond milk is also a good substitute for cow’s milk when baking. For example, you could use it to make vegan brownies or vegan pancakes, but also in some savory recipes like vegan Alfredo sauce. It really is a very versatile recipe!
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Almond Milk
- Prep: 20 mins
- Total: 20 mins
- 2
- Drink, How to
- American
- Vegan
Servings 2
Almond milk, a creamy and tasty drink that’s also high in calcium. It’s nutritious, made with 3 simple ingredients and ready in just 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw unsalted almonds (100 g)
- 2–4 cups water (500 ml – 1 l), I usually add 3 to 4 cups (750 ml – 1 l)
- 2 Medjool or 4 Deglet Nour dates (optional), pitted
Instructions
- Soak the almonds for at least 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Drain and rinse the almonds. You can peel them, but that’s not necessary.
- Add the almonds, water, and dates to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more or less water depending on how thick you want your almond milk to be. I usually add 3 to 4 cups of water (750 ml to 1 l).
- Strain the mixture using a nut milk bag, a cheesecloth, a napkin, or a strainer.
- Enjoy it hot or cold or use it to make recipes like vegan hot chocolate, matcha latte, avocado smoothie, mango smoothie, vegan brownies, vegan pancakes, or even vegan Alfredo sauce. Go ahead and get creative!
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Notes
- Any kind of raw unsalted almonds will do. You can either peel them or not.
- Feel free to add any sweetener you’d like or to make your almond milk unsweetened.
- Some people like to add a little bit of salt to their almond milk to enhance the flavor, but I like it better without it.
- Customize it with any ingredients you want to, such as vanilla extract, cocoa powder, or ground cinnamon.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup without dates (250 ml)
- Calories: 40
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2014, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in June of 2020.
I’m a new vegan and still failing a few days so please be gentle. I don’t like 2% milk as it tastes like water, I liked the full fat variant because it has a creamy full taste and it filled me up and I drank less of it. How do I make my almond, or other vagan milk, to get more to the texture and flavor of full fat milk? Because right nowI cannot get this through my daily diet as it is just too watery.
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Hi! I recommend you start by making coconut milk! It’s the thickest vegan milk 🙂
Hi, thanks for sharing this. I made the almond milk and it came out superb. I had added in a couple dates, vanilla and cinnamon. As I had made more for a few days, I kept the remaining in the refrigerator. However, it got spoilt in one day – could it be due to the vanilla/cinnamon that I added in initially?
Hi! That’s rare! Maybe you don’t keep it in an airtight container, or yes?
Thanks a lot for the step by step process to make the almond milk.
Is it alright to add sugar ?
Thanks a lot for the informative post.
Let’s hope for the best.
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Hi! Feel free to add sugar if you want but, we prefer to add dates instead of sugar 🙂 Have a nice day!
Can you make almond flour with the leftovers from this like you could make coconut flour after coconut milk? Thanks
Hi Trish! Yes, you can 🙂
I always wonder about throwing away the soaking water from things. Isn’t that throwing away nutrients?
And how about the strained almond pulp. Is it completely valueless now?
Hi Elaine! I prefer to discard the water, but it’s up to you. You can use the pulp to make smoothies and soups and add extra fiber, to make burger patties, energy balls, almond flour, and so on!
Hi Iosune, why do you need to peel the almonds? I love you blog!
Hi Violeta! You don’t need to peel them, I don’t peel them anymore 🙂 Thanks a lot!
This was my first attempt ever making Almond Milk. Great recipe it’s really simple, I must say I’m pleasantly surprised about the final product and I didn’t add any sweetener. I’ll never go back to store bought, too many additives and not enough almonds. My only suggestion would be to use the strainer and cheese cloth, I did it twice, unless you prefer a more gritty like texture. Thanks Iodune!
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Hi Laura! You’re so welcome 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Can this recipe be substituted with any nut to make milk, like cashew, etc?
Hi Kristen! I think any nut will do. Just try the milk and add more water if needed 🙂
Will this (or soy milk) freeze and thaw? I’d love to eliminate store bought containers since they’re no longer recyclable in our city, but I can’t make scratch recipes every three days!!!
Hi Summer! I’ve never frozen soy or almond milk myself, so I don’t know, sorry!
Hi .. can we heat homemade almond milk to prepare a hot chocolate?
Hi Vinitha! Yes, you can 🙂 Hope you like it!
Yesterday I made my first batches of homemade almond milk and loved it. I froze a few bottles as well. I have been using commercial unsweetened brands for years and recently found out that they contain very little almonds. I’m also concerned about the additives mostly carrageenan. I have IBS and was never bothered by the commercial brands. After drinking about 1/2 cup of my first homemade almond milk, pulp and all, I now have an IBS flare up with diarrhea. Are you aware of any negative side effects to homemade almond milk? The almonds that I used were organic, very expensive. Thank you.
Hi Colette! I’m not, I’m so sorry! Homemade almond milk is so healthy, but maybe it’s not for you… You could try other non dairy mik. Have a nice day!
Luv your blog…. Do have any recipes for mixed nut milks, Is mixing nuts like almonds, cashews, soy and rice…. Is it ok to mix, or does it give any complications to health………
Hi Faiz! Thanks a lot 😉 We have more plant milk recipes, but we prefer not to mix nuts because we you mix them the milk is harder to diggest. Here are the recipes: http://simpleveganblog.com/9-easy-plant-milk-recipes/ Have a nice day!
Almond milk is so expensive in my country, and it still has a lot of chemicals. This is recipe is a life (and money) savior since only one cups of almonds can yield so much milk. I’m definitely switching to making my own from now on.??
Hi Virginia! I’m so glad to read that, hope you like it!
Why list honey in a ‘vegan’ recipe on a supposedly vegan blog?
That was not required.
Hi Shane! This was one of our first recipes and we were transitioning to veganism at that moment. I’ve just edited the recipe. Thanks for your help!
Hello,
With the ingredients described what is the actual amount of milk we will have finally?
Thanks
Hi Kaloyan! About 2 cups or 500 ml 🙂
I am a new vegan and tried this and I don’t like store bought almond milk but this was really nice. I only put one date in as I wanted it less sweet. Now I have found the perfect substitute for dairy in my cup of tea. Gonna try the Spanish omelette next. Thanks guys.
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Hi Julie! I’m so happy to read that! Homemade plant milks are soooo good 😉 Hope you like the omelette!
Hi Iosune,
Very nice post, I have made almond milk and it was delicious! with some honey!!
I have a webpage with benefits of almonds, and I would like to add your recipe almond milk at the section with almond recipes!!
Do you agree? Of there will be a baclinkbaclink to your page.
Hi Philips! We’re vegans, so we don’t eat honey 🙂 Sorry, but we’re not interested, we prefer our recipes to be only in our blog. Have a nice day!
Hello Iosune,
I am wondering, how long does the straining process take?
Thank you very much for sharing your recipes. It is very generous and thoughtful of you.
My deepest gratitude to you.
Hi Dana! It takes just a few minutes, it’s really easy 🙂 Thanks a lot for your kind words 😀
Thank you very much for your fast reply, Iosune. I deeply value your time and efforts. 🙂
Have a nice day Dana! 🙂
Great info. I have made almond milk and was delicious. I have added some honey too.Thank you for sharing this. Just a handful of almonds daily and you become healthier.
There are many benefits of eating almonds!! Or drinking aalmond milk!!
Thanks a lot for sharing the link Ben, it’s so interesting!
Quick question – where it says “Store the almond milk in a sealed container in the fridge for three or four days”, do you mean wait for 3-4 days before drinking, or drink within 3-4 days?
Hi!! I mean drink it within 3-4 days 🙂
1. Is adding sweeteners (dates, syrup, etc) a must or only optional?
2. I’ve read previous recipes that it needs to be simmered on stove after blended. But your recipe doesn’t! Which makes it sooo much easier, but out of curiosity, how come?
3. When you said refrigerate for 3-4 days, did you mean a) refrigerate it for 3-4 days AND THEN it’ll be safe to drink, or b) consume within 3-4 days?
Thanks so much!
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Hi Inessa!
1. It’s optional
2. You should try this recipe, it’s super easy and it tastes amazing! You don’t need to simmer it at all.
3. You should consume it within 3 or 4 days.
Thanks for your comment!
Hi! I just had the same question, I have simmered them on stove (all of them!); the texture is creamier and to me the flavor seems enhanced. but I’m concerned about the nutritional part, will they lost their nutrients if simmered?
wow this is so easy and delish 🙂 we didnt peel them just blended them and used the pulp in our fruity bars so no waste absolutely love it, going to try prunes instead of dates next time as less calories and carbs 😉 lol
thank you x
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Hi cadoline! I have to try the recipe without peeling the almonds too! 🙂
It’s difficult to find educated people about this topic, but you seem like you know
what you’re talking about! Thanks
Thanks a lot for your answer Iosune :). I actually made more yesterday with the skin one and indeed it was still delicious and white ;). By the way, the site is not slow to me.
Great!!! Enjoy the almond milk 😉
Dear Iosune,
I totally love your blog. It’s so healthy!!!
I made this almond milk this weekend with dates and it’s totally worth it.
I have a question regarding the outside brown skin of the almonds. Can we leave this outside skin without peeling the almonds before straining the blended almond mixture? I made 500 ml of milk but since I like it, I would like to make more and it can take quite long to peel them all… I guess it would just be a darker milk. Thanks a lot in advance.
Thanks a lot Magali! You don’t need to peel the almonds, your milk will be delicious and white too 😉
Why soooooo many calories in a cup? Commercial almond milk has 40-60 calories per cup.
Hi Darlene! Sorry, but the nutritional information in this recipe is wrong 🙁 I have to recalculate it again. Thanks for your comment!
Also, there are virtually NO almonds in commercial almond milk!
Thanks for your comment Nina 🙂
Do/can you use the pulp for anything?
You should read this post: https://themamasgirls.com/8-ideas-for-the-leftover-almond-pulp-from-making-almond-milk/ It’s so useful! 😉
If milk could look gorgeous, this is it! I love how creamy it looks, I love Almond Milk but have never tried making it at home, I can’t wait to try out this recipe!
You need to try this recipe!!! It’s sooooo creamy and it tastes awesome! 🙂