How to Make Almond Milk
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
Almond Milk Recipe Video
While it’s easy to make this almond milk, it always helps to watch a quick tutorial video. Just click play below!
Can You Do Anything With the Leftover Almond Pulp?
Yes! Place the leftover almond pulp (also known as almond meal) on a baking tray and bake at 200°F (100°C) for 2 to 3 hours until it’s dry. Then it can be used as a topping on yogurt, chia pudding and used in homemade granola and other baking recipes.
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!
How to Make Almond Milk
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight
- 4 cups cold filtered water, plus more for soaking
Optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup, honey, or 1 to 2 soaked and pitted dates
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- After the almonds have soaked overnight, drain and rinse them. Then, place the almonds in your high-powered blender along with the water and any optional add-ins.
- Blend the ingredients on high for 2 minutes, or until creamy.
- Strain the almond milk through a nut-milk bag or a few layers of cheesecloth into a bowl or large measuring cup.
- Pour the almond milk into an airtight storage container and place in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Lisa’s Tips
- These are my favorite glass jars for storing homemade nut milks and this is my favorite nut-milk bag. I also recommend this brand of raw, organic almonds.
- When I’m straining the almond milk, I prefer to strain it into a large measuring bowl as it’s easier to pour into a storage container without spilling.
Nutrition
Recipe originally posted September 2018, but updated to include new information.
Thank you for these great tips, including what to do with the almond meal. I might also use the almond meal in a vegetable loaf. Your how-to and tips are really appreciated. I haven’t made my own almond milk YET, but I’m going to go soak my almonds right now and make it in the morning.
Love this recipe! It is very easy and knowing there is not any extra crap going into it. Thank you
Glad you’re loving this almond milk recipe Dinah!
I really enjoy you site. You are very creative, organized, and keep things very simple. Your portions and recipes make it easy for a single person to eat healthy and not feel over whelmed with guilt of wasting food. I have recommended your site to many clients looking for guidance in a healthy life style. Thank you.
Thanks so much! I’m glad you’re enjoying my website and recipes. :)
Just a word of warning. This recipe is absolutely delicious, the best almond milk ever and easy to overdo it. I learnt this the hard way after about a month. I thought I had found a dairy replacement for life. I used it in smoothies, coffee, recipes. After a few weeks are started having chronic joint pain in my knees and ankles, then one morning I could not stand or put weight on my joints. After a trip the the ER it was deemed that I had high oxalate levels. Cut out the almond milk and it returned to normal in a few days. Your body can get rid of the oxalates but in high levels they can cause an adverse reaction. The shop-bought almond milk has barely any almonds in it. The homemade version is the opposite. The moral of my experience is ….practice moderation!!
Happy to hear you found a much better alternative with this homemade almond milk! And yes, it’s all about testing different things to see what makes your body feel good and happy.
Thank you! Some of us need to know that because of kidneys! I have a kink in my kidney and it can get stopped up. I try to use low oxalate as much as possible. Do you know if it is just almonds that are high in them? I have a problem with walnuts too! I go easy on the spinach as well.
what can you use if you don’t have a vitamix but a regular blender?
As long as it’s a high powered blender, it should be okay!
Great recipe!
How did you determine the calories for this drink (milk vs pulp) ?
I am strictly tracking calories and want to make sure I am not exceeding my calorie allotment.
The nutritional information is for the recipe as is (milk and pulp not separated).
This recipe makes creamy and clean tasting almond milk! I do have a question. How much sweetener would you recommend starting with so it’s not too sweet?
I think the recommended amount of sweetness is a good start. It’s not too sweet :)
Very good!!! I recommend the pinch of salt for make it more tasty.
Also i did a chocolate version with 2 tbsp cacao and 1 tbsp maple sirup… Delicious and healthy hot chocolate 😋
With the pulp I found a really good recipe of cookie, it gives me about 8 cookies.
Do you use the same water to blend with as the water the almonds soak in? Or after 24hrs, strain the water out and add fresh water? Just wondering
Use fresh water when blending.
Just bought my first Vitamix 6500 and I am excited to make your almond & cashew milk’
My husband likes cow’s milk in his coffee and I would love to make milk for him to use in coffee.
Do you have any suggestions Lisa?
I am also wondering whether this almond milk can foam. I’d live to make my cappuccino with it…
Thanks for sharing, very informative. Where can I get those juise Jar…
You can find them linked in the Shop page on my website :)
Waooo,with these simple methods we can make our own almond milk shake easily. Thank you
Love this thank you !
Best Almond milk I’ve EVER tasted!
I just made my first batch, and don’t think I’ll be able to go back to buying it from the store now! Have you ever tried mixing almonds with some cashews for the milk?
simple to make
it is more cost effictive for me as I dont like regular milk
and i don’t drink alot of milk.
It is good Thank You Lisa
So simple thank you I do not need to buy the one in the supermarket any more
Happy to hear you enjoyed this almond milk recipe Yvonne!
Hi!
I just made this and something is wrong I think. I followed the recipe exactly. I put it into my A3500 Vitamix and put it on high for 2 minutes. After straining it, it looked good but when I tasted it, it had a soapy taste! Do you know why that happened?
Hi Teri – the only thing I can think of is if you had some soap residue in your container.
Love this recipe! Just made almond milk for the very first time! Question: I dried the pulp, but how do I store it until I have enough to make cookies?
I actually haven’t tested using the pulp to make cookies yet. But if you do, please let me know!
Do you peel the almonds?
No need to peel the almonds.