Almond milk is one of the most popular non-dairy milks. And why wouldn’t it be? It’s so creamy, nutty, delicately flavored, and refreshing! Plus it’s super easy to make. I love to drink almond milk as is or use for making hot chocolate. It works wonderfully in haldi-doodh (turmeric milk) too. Of course, there are many other uses for it as well: make desserts, pour over breakfast cereal, use for baking, make tea/coffee, or add to vegetable soups.
Almond Milk
Preparation time: 10 minutes + soaking time*
Yields: 4 cups (around 600 ml)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almonds
- 4 cups water, plus more for soaking
- A big pinch of salt
Method:
1. Place the almonds in a big bowl and cover with warm water. Add a pinch of salt. Soak overnight.
2. Drain and discard the soaking water and rinse the almonds.
3. Blend the almonds with 1 cup of water until smooth and creamy. Add another cup of water and continue blending. Strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer or porous cotton cloth.
4. Repeat Step 3 with the residual pulp and the remaining 2 cups of water. Your almond milk is ready! It keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days.
If you wish, you can remove the skin from the almonds after soaking. In this case, there is no need to strain the milk.
The residual pulp can be added to roti dough, smoothies, or cake/cookie batter. You can also make almond flour using this method.
*Why is it important to soak seeds and nuts in salted water before consumption?
Seeds and nuts are high in phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that interfere with the absorption of essential nutrients. Soaking seeds and nuts in salted water for a few hours helps break down the phytic acid so that the nutrients can be absorbed properly. Soaking also makes the seeds and nuts easier to digest. More on this here.
So easy, I am going to try it right away!
Do try, it’s very easy 🙂
I do make almond milk at home but didn’t know about adding salt while soaking. Why is that done?
Soaking the nuts in salted water helps breaks down the phytic acid, making them easier to digest. More on this here: https://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/69542/That-s-Nuts-A-Complete-Guide-to-Soaking-Nuts-and-Seeds
Coffee with almond milk curdles. Any solutions?
Almond milk is quite delicate. It should not be boiled or heated at a high temperature. Try heating it on low-medium setting on the stove while stirring with a spoon. After that, proceed as usual!