ALMOND MILK

Measure almonds into a container and cover with filtered water. Allow to soak overnight. This softens the nut considerably and makes it easier to blend, leaving less particles of nut in the finished milk (plus you get some of the benefits of soaking nuts too!).

Drain nuts and place in a blender. Add 4 cups of filtered water and blend until smooth, approximately 1 minute. A second blend may be necessary, since almonds are a tough nut and are hard to completely grind. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy cold.

Here’s where the biggest difference comes into play with homemade almond milk – straining is a must. Almonds will not completely grind up in the blender, even if they’re soaked, so you must strain out the larger pieces to achieve a smooth, chunk-less milk. The resulting almond meal can be dried (in an oven or dehydrator) and used in homemade granola bars, muffins, oatmeal or almond hummus! It will add an almond flavor without having to actually use whole almonds.

The resulting, strained milk is pretty thick on its own. Add additional water if you prefer thinner milk, or create vanilla almond milk by adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. You can even mimic the specialty milks by combining almond and coconut milk together.