How to Make Almond Milk | Downshiftology (2024)

Learn how to make almond milk at home! All you need are almonds, water, and a blender. That’s it! Homemade almond milk has a simple ingredient list and doesn’t contain gums, thickeners, and emulsifiers, like many store-bought options.

We’re getting back to basics today with homemade almond milk. Almond milk is a popular dairy-free, vegan-friendly nut milk, and I’m thrilled to show you just how easy it is to make almond milk at home.

When it comes to nut milk, I’m personally a fan of my homemade cashew milk recipe. But I also understand that some may have a sensitivity to cashews and depending on where you live in the world, cashews can be more expensive and harder to find.

Almonds on the other hand are readily available, cost-effective and this almond milk recipe is just as easy to make. There’s only one slight difference – you need to strain it.

Almond Milk Ingredients

There’s just two ingredients in homemade almond milk – raw almonds and water! But you can tweak the recipe to your liking with a splash of vanilla extract or sweetener, like maple syrup, honey, or pitted dates.

Which Almonds are Best to Use?

The best almonds for homemade almond milk are organic, raw almonds. You don’t want almonds that are roasted or salted, as that oil and salt will end up in your milk, altering the flavor. But you can always add a pinch of sea salt to your milk, if that’s your preference.

How to Make Almond Milk

You’re going to love how easy this recipe is! And there’s really just three steps to making almond milk at home – soaking, blending and straining. Here’s how you do it:

1. Soaking: Place the raw almonds in a glass bowl and cover fully with water. Remember that the almonds will absorb some water as they soak. Let them soak overnight, then drain and rinse them.
2. Blending: Add the almonds to a high-powered blender, like my favorite Vitamix, along with 4 cups of fresh, cold water. If you’d like, you can add a splash of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and a sweetener of your choice, like maple syrup, honey or 1-2 soaked dates. Or you can keep it unsweetened. Turn the blender on high for 2 minutes and blend until it’s creamy and smooth.
3. Straining: Use a nut-milk bag or cheesecloth to strain the almonds into a bowl. Then pour the almond milk into an airtight container and store it in the fridge.

Do you really need to soak the almonds overnight? I think overnight is best for the creamiest almond milk. But you could get away with soaking the almonds for a minimum of 4 hours. Alternatively, you could soak the almonds in boiling hot water for 1 to 2 hours.

How to Store Almond Milk

Homemade almond milk will last for up to 3 days in the fridge (though it’s best fresh). So I don’t recommend making a large batch or more than you’ll think you’ll use in a couple of days. And it’s so easy to make when needed, there’s really no need to make extra!

Common Questions

More Dairy-Free Milk Recipes To Try

• Cashew Milk
• Oat Milk (that’s not slimy!)
• Banana Milk
• Hemp Milk

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this easy homemade almond milk recipe. Make sure to let me know in a comment below! Your comment will help others in the community.

Recipe originally posted September 2018, but updated to include new information.