How do you milk an almond? Sounds like a nutty idea to me.
Ha, pun intended. But then again, some of the “nuttiest” ideas are often the most inspiring. And to be honest, there is nothing too crazy about this. It is so simple. As long as you are in reach of a blender (and no, it does not need to be the new Mega Version Vitamix 600), just a generic blender and some kind of fine mesh fabric. You are good to go. Just don’t forget the nuts.
What I love most from cooking from scratch is connecting to the very organic nature of each ingredient used in a recipe. I have such an interest to handle each ingredient and understand it’s textures, flavor profiles, its characteristics, and how it interacts with other ingredients to make something delicious. I find it very meditative and healing to use my hands in the process of making food that is going to nourish and satisfy my body – from washing, to peeling, to chopping, mincing, or mashing, to cooking, to eating. The phrase “made with love” really resonates with me when I think of the process of cooking for oneself. And thus, the premise of my blog and sharing all my recipes with you. It is my intention to inspire, evoke curiosity about food, with the know how to cooking in your very own kitchen. I am eager to know exactly what goes into my body, to differentiate flavors and textures, and to understand that as I make these recipes, everything can be simplified. Take away the processing, refinement, bleaching, treating, diluting, and adding. Most of these processes are not necessary, and they are doing more harm than good. Yes, your almond milk may last three weeks longer in the refrigerator but why? Don’t you ever wonder why something homemade generally has about a 1:3 ratio shelf life to store bought products? Am I the only one who asks that question?
|| The Answer ||
Aside from emulsifiers like carrageenan, gums, and added sugars to help keep natural separation of the milk occurring, most large scale production of nuts and seeds contain enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid. Phytic acid is a natural substance found in all plants but especially in seeds and nuts. It is necessary as it acts as a guard to help protect its residence until proper growing conditions are present. It is a natural substance that actually acts as an agent for the growth of the seed. Yet, phytic acid is often the reason why certain foods are hard for the body to breakdown and digest. It is known as an anti-nutrient or enzyme inhibitor, impairing critical mineral absorption for the body to break down. Ever feel like certain grains, legumes, root vegetables, or beans are hard to digest – leaving you bloated, gassy, or just major stomach discomfort all around? Phytic acid. It actually binds to minerals like zinc, in the body, causing nutrient absorption deficiencies.
To add to this list of inhibitors and inorganic additives. Most generic almonds and almond milk we find on the shelves are treated with something called PPO or propylene oxide, a chemical used in antifreeze. The forced pasteurization of almonds is most common in Central Valley’s California grown almonds. Which, unfortunately, is where most domestic almonds come from. This was mandated in all of California to grass almonds and treat for salmonella. Other organic almonds are steam treated. I do want to say with the utmost graciousness that we do the best we can. And I mean we, as in you, reading this post right now. This is not to bring about paranoia. Taking the interest in making your own almond milk is a huge step in directing consciousness into what you feed your body, into allowing your body to feel better, to be healthier. So give yourself a self high five. I write about the precautions of PPO as I have had some questions come my way about where I get my almonds and why. If you notice these brands in the store, perhaps you take a second glance or maybe not. You now have the knowledge to make that decision for yourself. Or maybe later on down the road once you got the whole milking almonds thing down. A list of almonds treated with PPO or steamed and not PPO treated include:
Diamond of California – PPO
Costco brand Kirkland – PPO
Blue Diamond – Whole Almonds are PPO treated. Sliced and slivered almonds are steamed.
365 Brand – steamed
Back to Nature – steamed
Superior Nut Company (Organic only) – steamed / non-organic – PPO
Trader Joe – steamed
|| Glass Half Full ||
Phytic acid is a natural substance that inhibits critical processes in the body but actually has a lot of healing properties… I can think of others. It has actually been researched that phytic acid may be the reason why grains cut the risk of colon cancer. It has a protective effect in the body. In order to have access to this beneficial effect, the phytic acid must be balanced by certain fat soluble vitamins like A, D, and E. And, what’d ya know, these fat soluble vitamins are found most commonly in fruits and vegetables. Like most foods, I find that with proper preparation along with how we eat these foods, we can help support the body to be better prepared when fed.
|| Soaking ||
This is where soaking and sprouting comes into play. Soaking most nuts and seeds in water breaks down the phytic acid, increasing the bioavailability of nutrients. You can literally see this natural occurrence. The seeds and nuts become plump and alive. Sometimes a little soggy but if you are using them for other things like granola, toppings on salads, or just to eat by the handful – dehydrating or roasting in the oven can bring back their crispy crunch. They even taste more flavorful. I guarantee that you won’t mind the soaked texture. Once your body realizes the benefits and feels the happy digestion happening, it will crave it. Sprouting goes a step further than soaking. After several cycles of soaking and rising the nuts or seeds, with exposure to the air, natural germination will occur. I won’t go into detail on sprouting as soaking is the necessary step for making your nut milk. The soaking process takes anywhere from 8 hours to a full day. When it comes time to make your milk. I always recommend just soaking on the countertop overnight. Then they are plump and happy and ready to go the next morning.
At this point, many of you are probably thinking, “I don’t have time.” If you have time for anything at all in the kitchen, it’s making your own almond milk. It literally takes all of 3 minutes hands on time and 2 just watching the magic happen. It’s something you can have going while your morning coffee is brewing. And… it’s economical. It’s cheaper to make than to buy carton after carton (trust me, I have very carefully factored this and researched many an almond retailer), and it’s friendlier to our planet. Just a little bonus for you.
So grab your bag of nuts, blender, some water, a bowl, fine strainer, and a glass.
|| Step 1 ||
Soak as many nuts as you would like overnight. And can I just note that you can make literally any kind of nut milk you wish. To name a few of my favorites – macadamia nut, hazelnut, walnut, brazil nut.
Generally, 4 cups of nuts allocates to about 16 ounces of milk. Place nuts of choice in a bowl and cover with filtered water and let soak overnight on the counter. If you are worried about little critters crawling in or your cat finding it appetizing, simply place a towel over the bowl. Do not use a tight fitted lid or anything that would be suffocating. Goodnight.
|| Step 2 ||
Wake up.
Start brewing your morning tea or cup of joe. In the meantime, drain and rinse your soaked almonds (or nut of choice) and place in a blender with 2:1 ratio of water to nuts. The almonds will be more plump and larger in size so the 4 cups will actually be about 6 cups. Pour in 10-12 cups of filtered water. Press blend.
Using a fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or nut milk bag (See below for my favorite nut milk bag). Place in a large mixing bowl. Pour almond pulp and milk into strainer. Tighten the top of the bag or use a rubber band around the top to keep from spillage. Squeeze milk into bowl. Now you are literally milking almonds :D.
Rinse your blender out then pour the fresh milk back into the blender. Add your favorite spices. To give some ideas, cinnamon, all spice, vanilla bean, even medjool dates are amazing for some natural sweetness. You can use anything you’d like. Even better, you don’t have to use anything at all. It’s delicious as is. Give it another whirl of the blender to incorporate flavors and just to give it a frothy top.
Pour over tea or coffee and you got a latte ; ) … Did you see what I did there?
Store in a mason jar or airtight container for, typically, up to one week. It often depends on the nut and environment you live. This may vary anywhere from 4 days to 7 days. Just give it a little sniff if you are unsure. It was smell a little acidic but nothing like spoiled milk… trust me on that.
But wait…
|| Use the entire buffalo! ||
You can actually keep the pulp from the almond that’s in your strainer right now. Don’t throw it away! You can store the pulp in the freezer in a bag if you think you want to give it a try once you find the time and courage. One possibility is to actually thaw the pulp, roast it in the oven to dry it out then plop back into a food processor or blender to turn it into a fine meal = almond meal. That really expensive stuff that you can buy at the grocery store that’s in A LOT of Hannah’s homecooked.love recipes. Yea, that stuff.
But if you do decide you don’t have time for that, compost.
My personal favorite strainer to use is Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag. I use it for not only making nut milk but for making juices, straining broth, and making ghee. You can each one of these items on Amazon or even Target for as little as $4.
homecooked with love
Yields About 16 ounces
1 minPrep Time
4 minCook Time
5 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 4 cups almonds (steam treated preferred)
- Filtered water to cover almond for soaking
- 10-12 cups filtered water
- Mesh sieve, cheesecloth or nut milk bag
- 1/2 Vanilla Bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse almonds and place in a bowl
- Cover almonds with filtered water and soak on the counter overnight or at least 8 hours
- Drain and rinse almonds
- Place soaked almonds in a blender with 2 parts water (10-12 cups)
- Blend for 1 minute until pulp separates from milk
- Strain the pulp and milk mixture through strainer into a separate bowl
- Using a rubber spatula, your hand, or if you using a nut milk bag - give a little squeeze to help all the milk through
- Discard pulp*
- Pour milk back into rinsed blender and add vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and salt
- Pulse for a few seconds to incorporate spices and all the milk to become nice and frothy
- Use right away or store in mason jar or airtight container from 4 to 7 days.
Notes
As noted in the post - you can use the almond pulp to make almond meal for cookies, cakes, granola bars, etc. Place in a bag and freeze for later use.
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