Can I just say homemade almond milk is like a dream! There is something about the taste and texture that beats any store-bought brand I’ve ever had. The taste reminded me of the almond milk I had in Italy. Incredibly flavorful, and fresh. Maybe I’m a little biased but Italians tend to get it right when it comes to food. 

I’ve always used store-bought almond milk because of the convenience. Over the holidays, I had some leftover raw almonds from baking and decided to take a crack at making my own. Let me just say it’s way easier than I thought and will make your coffee taste better than ever. 

The ingredient list is simple. The only odd item you might need to order is a nut milk filter. I didn’t actually have one on hand at the time I was making this recipe so I just used a thin linen dinner napkin to drain and it worked fine. BTW, I think I deserve points for resourcefulness. 

I’ve played around with the ingredients a bit and here is the recipe I use. 

Almond Milk Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds (soaked in hot water covered for 1 hour) 
• 4 cups water (filtered)
• 3-4 pitted dates (I prefer to remove the pit myself from Medjool dates) 
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• Blend in a high-powered blender until smooth
• Nut milk filter or I used a thin linen dinner napkin to drain mine

Directions: 

1. Soak the almonds. I prefer the fast and easy way to soak nuts by bringing water to a boil (enough to cover the almonds) and turning the water off completely once it is boiling. Add nuts and cover pot for 1 hour. It’s that simple. 
2. Use a high-powered blender (I prefer the Vitamix) and blend all of the ingredients on high for 1-2 minutes (almonds, water, dates, cinnamon)
3. Place your nut milk filter over a large bowl, pour in the combined ingredients, and gently drain the liquid out into the bowl. If you are using a large linen napkin as I did, drape the napkin over the bowl, slowly pour the liquid into the center of the napkin, and fold the sides up to form a bag. Gently squeeze the liquid trying not to lose any. 
4. Toss out the leftover almond meal or use it for baking 
5. Bottle and refrigerate your homemade almond milk (a large mason jar works well)

It’s best to use within a week.