This week, I’m getting back to healthy eating.
If you didn’t know, I recently came back to Spain and was on the hunt for an apartment.
Sadly, there’s something about living out of a hotel room and my suitcase that made it super difficult to find wholesome food – I really missed having my kitchen.
Happy to report that I have moved in to a great place in the Malaga region, so if you’re in the area, let me know.
How to make homemade almond milk
I was reminded about the Homemade Almond Milk that I made over the summer back in Canada at this event I hosted over the weekend.
The event was at this amazing Vegan Restaurant that I’ve been wanting to try called the Woodstock Café Bar.
I’m not a Vegan or Vegetarian, I pretty much eat everything, but I have become more aware of what I consume in terms of food, drinks, and even personal care products.
Anywho, here is the recipe. Let me know how it goes!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds, preferably organic
- 2 cups water, plus more for soaking
- Sweeteners like honey, brown sugar, agave syrup, or maple syrup (optional)
Equipment
- Bowl
- Strainer
- Measuring cup
- Blender or food processor
- Sieve, Fine-mesh nut bag or cheesecloth
Step 1: Soak the Almonds overnight or up to 2 days.
Place the almonds in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water.
They will plump as they absorb water, so not to worry.
This process also gets rid of any toxins within the almond itself, so let them stand on the counter, covered with a cloth, overnight, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. The longer the almonds soak, the creamier, more nutritional almond milk.
Why? Because soaking removes any anti nutrients and toxic chemicals (a natural defence mechanism from insects) from the almonds. You should always try to soak almonds before eating them as a best practice.
Fun Fact! All grains have anti nutrients and toxic chemicals, that’s why we soak first!
Step 2: Drain and rinse the almonds.
Drain the almonds from their soaking water and rinse them thoroughly under cool running water.
I used a sieve, but if you really don’t like the pulp I’d say you want to invest in a nut bag or cheese cloth (see ingredient list).
At this point, the almonds should feel a little squishy if you pinch them. (Get rid of the soaking water because it is not good for you! It contains phytic acid, which inhibits the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.)
Step 3: Combine the almonds and water in a blender or food processor.
Place the almonds in the blender or food processor and cover with 2 cups of water.
Step 4: Blend at the highest speed for 2 minutes.
Pulse the blender a few times to break up the almonds, then blend continuously for 2 minutes. The almonds should be broken down into a very fine meal and the water should be white and opaque.
(If you’re using a food processor, process for about 4 minutes total, pausing to scrape down the sides halfway through.)
Step 5: Strain the almonds.
As you can see, I just poured the almond mixture into the strainer.
For better results (i.e. less pulp), line the fine-mesh strainer with either an opened nut milk bag or cheesecloth, or even a paper towel, and place over a measuring cup or big bowl. Then pour the almond mixture into the strainer.
Step 6: Press all the almond milk from the almond meal.
I took a spoon and pressed the almond milk out until there was only pulp left.
If you’re using a paper towel, nut bag or cheesecloth, gather it around the almond mixture and twist close. Squeeze and press with clean hands to extract as much almond milk as possible.
You should get about 2 cups.
Sweeten to taste.
Taste the almond milk, and if a sweeter drink is desired, add sweetener to taste.
Recipe Notes
Using the leftover almond meal: What to do with the leftover almond meal? I like to bake with it personally, but you can add it to oatmeal, smoothies, and muffins or cookies as it is. You can also spread it out on a baking sheet and bake it in a low oven until it’s completely dry (2 to 3 hours). Fun Fact! Dry almond meal can be kept frozen for several months and used in baked goods.
Storage: Store the almond milk in sealed containers in the fridge for 2-4 days. It tastes soo good, I don’t think you’ll have a problem drinking it within 2 days.
Until next time!
Get the Insider News & Blog updates right to your inbox.
[wd_hustle id=”email-subscribe” type=”embedded” css_class=””]
