Making non-dairy nut milk is simple. You need raw nuts, water, a blender and a nut milk bag, but that’s about it. I purchase ready-to-drink almond milk, which is available in many supermarkets, but cashew or hazelnut milks are harder to find. Plus, ready-made nut milks often contain carrageenan (a suspected carcinogen), vitamin A palmitate (artificial vitamin A), natural flavor (might contain MSG) and other undesirable additives. One of my children can’t eat almonds, so I make most other nut milks at home.
The recipe is simple: 1 cup raw nuts to 3 cups of water. You can add flavorings, cocoa, sweeteners, whatever you wish to this “milk,” but I think simple is best, so I usually go for plain old raw nuts + water.
You have to plan ahead to make nut milk because you need to soak the raw nuts overnight to get rid of phytic acid, which can inhibit your ability to absorb minerals. (This is mostly a problem for vegetarians.) Soak the nuts for eight or more hours, and then discard the soaking water. Blend the cup of soaked nuts with 3 cups of filtered water, add a pinch of salt if you wish, filter the nuts through a nut milk bag (or a fine-mesh permanent coffee filter), and your nut milk is ready to drink.
You can make larger quantities of nut milk by doubling or quintupling the recipe, but most blenders won’t be able to handle more than one cup of nuts and 3 cups of water. The nuts need room to move around and become completely pulverized. Make several batches if you need more nut milk. Because homemade nut milks contain no additives, they don’t last more than a couple days in your refrigerator. Nut milks can separate in the fridge, so you may have to stir the nut milk before using or drinking it.
If you don’t have raw nuts, use roasted nuts. Rinse off the salt, if salted, and blend the nuts with water. The resulting nut milk will taste just fine. You can also make nut milks from nut butters. Blend 1/2 cup of any nut butter with 3 cups of water for two minutes. Strain and refrigerate. You’re at the mercy of whatever additives (sugar, salt, usually) are in the nut butter, but it’s a quick way to make nut milk if you can’t wait to soak or roast the nuts.
Easy, delicious homemade nut milk requires only two ingredients: raw nuts and water.
Cover the cashews with water in a glass container with a lid, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, throw away the soaking water and rinse the cashews. Place the soaked cashews, 3 cups of water and salt, if using, in a blender or food processor. Blend until very smooth, about a minute or two. Pour the cashew milk through a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh coffee filter into a bowl. Squeeze out any milk left in the bag. Cashew milk will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Save the cashew meal in the freezer to use in smoothies or baking. If you want a sweeter milk, add a few drops of stevia. For flavored nut milk, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (or any other flavoring), or a few fresh berries or 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder while blending the nuts. For nuttier tasting nut milks, roast the nuts instead of soaking them overnight. Spread nuts in a roasting pan and roast them at 325 degree F for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Then blend with water in a blender or food processor. Dairy-Free Nut Milk
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Cover the raw cashews with water in a glass container, and soak overnight in the fridge.
Drain the cashews, and put them in a blender.
Add 3 cups fresh filtered water, and blend away for a minute or two.
Filter the cashew milk through a nut milk bag.
Add flavorings if desired, refrigerate, and your nut milk is ready to drink!
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