All-Natural Almond Milk Recipe
By Dr. Ben Kim on February 06, 2009
Updated on February 6, 2009
For people who have trouble tolerating milk from cows, almond milk is an excellent substitute. But not all commercially prepared almond milks are equal in quality. Some brands add enough sugar to their almond milk to make it a poor choice for people who struggle to keep their blood sugar and insulin at healthy levels. Other brands add synthetic vitamins and minerals to their almond milk to make it resemble dairy when comparing nutrition facts panels.
Fortunately, it's quite easy to make your own almond milk with all-natural ingredients, and for a fraction of the cost of store-bought varieties. Here's our simple recipe for all-natural almond milk:
Ingredients:
1 to 1 ½ cups of raw almonds
4 cups of filtered or spring water
3-8 dates (optional)
Directions:
1. Soak almonds in water for at least six hours.
2. Drain soaked almonds, and blend with 4 cups of fresh water until you get a milk-like consistency. Blend with dates (that have been soaked for at least an hour) if you like a hint of sweetness to your milk.
3. Strain once to remove almond granules.
The result is a delicious, creamy milk that's free of added oils, concentrated sugars, and synthetic nutrients. This all-natural almond milk keeps for four to five days in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator.
Please consider sharing this almond milk recipe with people who aren't aware of the many health problems associated with eating pasteurized dairy products.
For a look at this recipe in pictures, please feel free to view:
How to Make All-Natural Almond Milk
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almond milk
I finally tried the almond milk and it really is creamy! I wasn't so sure about that claim, but it turned out really good. I'm wondering what can be done with the remaining almond "meal" that is left after filtering out the solids? Surely it still has some nutritional value and shouldn't be wasted. Any ideas would be welcomed. I'd also like to know the nutritional profile of almonds.
Thanks again for a great idea.
Marilyn
Try putting it in a salad or
Try putting it in a salad or soup (after cooked)
I don't know how much nutritional value is left,
there is probably some, but it does have value as fiber.
I was wondering the same
I was wondering the same thing after making almond milk for the first time. My friend and I made 'granola' with the left over almond pulp. We simply spread it out evenly on a cookie sheet and baked it for about 10 minutes at 300F to get rid of some of the moisture. Then we searched the cupboards for other ingredients to add. I had on hand and added: flax seeds, wheat free muslix that contained some craisins, sunflower seeds, vanilla extract, cinnamon and honey. After removing the almond pulp from the oven, we combine all ingredients, spread the mixture out onto the cookie sheet and baked it for another 25 minutes or so. (We first set out to make granola bars, but didn't have enough honey to make all the ingredients stick together...I'll try that in the future.) Our homemade 'granola' tastes great with soy yogurt and fruit! Happy experimenting!
recipe for almond meal
I use this recipe from Mike Adams (The Health Ranger) for my leftover almond milk meal, he calls them Slap Cookies:
6 cups raw almond pulp
2 cups applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp stevia
1/2 cup agave nectar (I've also used honey)
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups brown rice flour (I've used oat flour, buckwheat flour)
1 cup brown rice protein (I use my protein shake powder)
3 Tbsp guar gum or xanthan gum
1/2 cup pecan pieces
3 Tbsp Chia seeds
3 large eggs
Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Slowly add water until dough reaches your desired consistency.
With your hands, grab a big scoop of dough and slap it down on a non-greased cookie sheet.
Bake 300 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
I have also added raisins, carob chips, bananas....
Almond meal leftover from making milk
There are a ton of different things you can do with the almond meal left over after making milk. We have made some really delicious cookies (sweetened with Stevia and Agave) replacing flour with the almond meal. You could also use it in muffins. One last idea is mix it with a little honey or agave in a food processor, spread it out on a baking sheet and bake until it is crunchy. These make great "almond clusters" in homemade granola!
Almond Milk
My stomach is sensitive to cows milk. So I shifted to fresh goats milk. While I respond well to goats milk, I realized it has a higher fat content. Thus I just tried almond milk and found it to be a very good alternative - even much tastier. Are there adverse effects for taking almond milk every day or twice a day? Can almond milk be used to make yogurt and kefir?