Plant milk, or mylk, is becoming increasingly popular. They’re not only better for you and the plant but lots of them, such as my Homemade Almond Milk are also super easy to make yourself!
More and more people are starting to realise the benefits of less dairy and more plant based options. In the Euromonitor data from May 2020 it was forecasted that dairy milk’s market size was likely to decline by 5.3% overall in 2020, while the plant milk market was forecasted to grow 9.2%. See the full article here.
These days there are so many different plant based milks on the market such as soy, oat, rice, hazelnut, hemp, coconut and of course almond, plus many more! All of these can be good options if you are wanting to make the switch.
The reason I’ve decided to share a recipe for my homemade almond milk with you today is because it’s one of the easiest plant based milks to make yourself at home and also one of the lowest in carbohydrates. This makes it a great option if you’re looking for a plant milk alternative but also wanting to watch your carb intake.
I love making my own as it’s really great being able to control the ingredients. If you’ve ever bought a bottle of almond milk and looked at the ingredients you will have likely noticed there actually aren’t that many almonds (usually somewhere around 4%), there’s often added sugar, and a whole lot of fillers and preservatives. Making your own means you can control the amount of almonds and actually make it more almondy, and you don’t need to add sugar or anything else. In fact this recipe is made simply using almonds and water, and if you like a little bit of vanilla extract for some flavour.
Not all nut milks are created equal
As I mentioned there are SO MANY different types of plant based milks which is great but it can be a bit overwhelming and some are better or worse than others.
It’s going to be impossible to compare every single plant milk, but here are a few things worth noting.
- Seed milks are generally the lowest in carbohydrates.
- Oat milk and plant milk are 2 of the highest in carbohydrates.
- Price varies a lot – soy, rice and oat are on the lower end whereas cashew, hazelnut and hemp are on the higher end. Also plant milk tends to be more expensive than cow’s milk (this may depend on where in the world you live, but at least that’s the case here in NZ)
- They all have different tastes, and my favourite plant milk will likely be different from your favourite plant milk.
- This is a big one for me – if you are planning to enjoy plant milk in your coffee or hot drink some are better than others! Personally I find soy to be the best in coffee, but coconut milk, oat milk and almond milk also work well. But then it changes again if you are wanting to froth your milk, in which case I have found soy and coconut to be the best options.
- All plant milk has less environmental impact than cow’s milk (and is of course better for the cows!), but some are better than others. For example some use more water or land or have less ethical farming methods. I’ll let you do your own research, but for now here’s a handy little infographic.
Source: Poore & Nemecek (2018)
How do I make Almond Milk?
It’s probably a lot easier than you’d expect, and no you don’t need to painstakingly squeeze all the liquid out of each almond!
All you need to do is put some almonds in a blender along with some water and blend it up, then strain to eliminate the pulp. You can add flavourings if you like such as vanilla or cinnamon but it’s totally optional.
My recipe uses 1 cup of almonds and 4 cups of water. I tried with 3 cups of water (25% almonds) but found it to be just a little too thick for my liking, but feel free to try this if you want more almond content in your milk, or alternatively add more water if you want less almond content or simply want to save a bit of money (almonds aren’t exactly cheap!)
Can I use the leftover almond pulp?
Yup! You can turn it into an almond meal and then use it for baking things like energy balls, cakes or breads.
I like this recipe from Minimalist Baker on how to turn your almond pulp into almond meal.
What kitchen tools do I need to make Homemade Almond milk?
You will need:
A blender, such as this one or you can use a NutriBullet like I did
Something to strain the almond milk – either a cheese/nut milk cloth or a mesh sieve.
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Ingredients
Instructions
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First, soak the almonds in boiling water for at least half an hour. This will help them to blend up easier.
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Drain the almonds and put into a blender along with the other ingredients. Add 1-2 tsps of vanilla depending on how much vanilla flavour you want, or leave it out completely. NOTE: depending on the size of your blender you may have to do half at a time. Blend until well combined.
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Strain the milk to get rid of the almond pulp. You can do this using a cheese or nut cloth, or if like myself, you don’t have one of those you can use a normal mesh sieve. If you are using a normal sieve, strain the milk again twice more (so 3 times in total). As a cheese or nut cloth is a lot finer than a sieve you will only need to strain the almond milk once if you are using one of those.
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Once you have strained the milk the appropriate amount of times, add it back into the blender and blend again. This is to really get as much of the almond pulp out as possible and to make it as creamy as possible.
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Repeat step 3.
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Once strained again, your almond milk is ready! Store it in a large jar with a lid or a sealed bottle or container and consume it within approximately 5 days.
Notes
You'll find you get a creamy, thicker layer on the top of your almond milk - just stir or shake it before you use.
As this recipe doesn't contain any preservatives, make sure to store it in the fridge in a sealed container and consume within 5 days.
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