almond milk made with soaked almonds and water

How to Make Almond Milk

By Swasthi on September 14, 2023, Comments, Jump to Recipe

Learn How to make Almond Milk at home in 2 ways. Homemade Almond Milk is pure with no additives, tastes fresher than store-bought and is easier to make. Then why use store-bought that has fillers and additives. Make your own and enjoy fresher & healthier Almond Milk with little effort.

Almond milk made with soaked almonds and water

In its simplest form, Almond Milk is water and almonds blended together with or without the pulp strained out, leaving behind a milk-like, opaque liquid. This liquid is creamy and similar to dairy milk and is much loved by vegans, lactose-intolerants or those just seeking an alternative to dairy milk.

About Almond Milk

Almond Milk is lactose-free & vegan since it is plant-based and not produced by an animal. A lot of people choose to use plant-based milk for a variety of reasons.

Many years ago I was looking for an alternate to homogenized dairy milk for my 1 year old baby. Fortunately he did very well with homemade almond milk. Since then we have been using it on & off.

In general, Almond Milk is low in calories, sugar and high in many vitamins and nutrients and contains no cholesterol or saturated fat. Its nutritional profile can vary greatly depending on whether it is homemade or store-bought.

Store-bought one is fortified with vitamin A, vitamin B-12, vitamin D & a few other nutrients to closely match the cow’s milk. Though Homemade Almond Milk is not fortified you can still make it nutritious & healthier by not straining the pulp after blending.

If you are going to use the almond milk in your cereals, oatmeal, porridge, puddings, soups, curries, shakes and smoothies, simply skip straining it. This way there is zero wastage.

How is Almond Milk Made?

So basically there are 2 ways you can make almond milk at home. One is by straining and the other is without straining. In this post I have shared 2 ways using a blender and using a cold press juicer.

Almond milk is made by simply blending soaked almonds with water either in a blender, nut milk maker or slow juicer (cold press juicer). The pureed mixture is wholesome almond milk. Based on the personal preference, pulp can be separated.

Almond milk can be sweetened with honey, agave, dates or other sweeteners to mimic the natural sweetness in dairy milk.

It can also be processed with cocoa powder, berries or other fruit to create a flavored drink. You can also blend in some cashews to increase the creaminess.

Almond milk is the best vegan milk

How to make Almond Milk (Stepwise photos)

Preparation

1. Add almonds to a large bowl and rinse them well at least thrice.
Drain the water and pour fresh drinking water and soak them for 6 hours.

soaking almonds in water

2. Avoid covering the bowl unless you keep them in the fridge. Air circulation keeps the almonds fresh while soaking. I use a mesh food cover.

cover the almonds with a mess basket

3. During soaking time they absorb lot of water and swell up.

soaked almonds

4. After 6 hours drain the water completely and rinse them a few times again with clean water.

drain the water

Make in Blender (single serving)

5. Add the nuts to a blender jar. You can peel the almonds if you prefer not to strain the pulp. It is up to you but I prefer to peel them if we intend to consume the pulp. This was another time I made a single serving. I have added only 1 ounce of almonds here, 30 grams/ 23 to 24 almonds to make 1 serving. Pour 1/3 cup water and blend as smooth as possible.

peeled almonds in a blender

6. Avoid adding a lot of water at one time as this won’t blend the nuts well unless you use a high speed blender. So add 220 ml in 2 to 3 batches & blend until as smooth as possible.

Homemade almond milk made in blender

7. Transfer to the serving cup right away or pour it over your cereals. You can also add to your porridge or oatmeal. Do not add almond milk to hot porridge. Let it cool down and then pour the milk.

frothy almond milk in a cup

The other ways of consuming this is to just add your favorite fruit like banana, mango, strawberries, blueberries etc to your blender and blend to a smoothie. Adjust the amount of water depending on the fruit you use.

8. However if you prefer to strain it you can pass the milk through a nut milk bag or a fine double mess strainer. Run a wooden spoon to press down the pulp against the strainer.

straining the mixture

Make in Cold Press Juicer

Making 4 or more servings of almond milk is easier in a cold press juicer or nut milk maker since it needs no straining. Almond milk made in cold press juicer is much creamier and flavorful than the milk made in a blender.

9. Start your juicer. Add 1/3 cup of nuts & 1/3 cup water to the chute.

adding nuts to cold press juicer

10. Then add another 1/3 cup nuts and pour 1/3 cup water.

pour water

11. Repeat this until you finish all of the nuts and 3 cups water. So for 1 cup almonds you will use 3 to 4 cups water depending on how you prefer. 1 cup of raw almonds will come up to 1¾ cups after soaking.

add almonds

12. Towards the end I add back all of the pulp to the chute and then pour ¾ to 1 cup water.

pour more water

13. Fill the almond milk straight away to the pitcher and then to the serving cups.

almond milk in slow juicer

Add your favorite sweetener and serve it right away.

how to make almond milk

Similar recipes
Badam milk
Almond yogurt
Almond halwa

Pro Tips

Ensure you rinse the almonds well before & after soaking. This makes a lot of difference to the flavor, color and shelf life of the almond milk.

For best health benefits, blend the nuts and consume almond milk as early as possible instead of storing it for later.

Use a nut milk maker or a high speed blender if you don’t want to strain the pulp. Regular blenders cannot puree almonds to smooth milk.

Almond milk that is not strained is not good to heat or even to stir in coffee and tea. The pulp separates as soon as the milk becomes slightly hot. Unfiltered almond milk is great only for cereals, smoothies, soups, curries and shakes.

The strained pulp is almost tasteless but still is edible so it can be used in curries and soups as a thickener.

Easier steps

Soaked almonds keep well in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. You can soak them once in 3 to 4 days and make fresh milk every day.

If you want to make more than 2 servings of almond milk, peeling the skin is not practically possible every day. If you still want to peel the skin, an easier way is to freeze the nuts and add them to warm water. Within 20 to 30 minutes the skin will loosen on its own. Remove them.

How to use Almond Milk

The easiest way to incorporate almond milk into your daily routine is to include it in your breakfast. Serve it plain as a drink or pour it into your cereals, porridge or soups. A large majority of people use it in their coffee and tea as well.

Another great place to incorporate almond milk is in your morning smoothie. Simply blend the almonds with water first to make the milk, then add your favorite fruits and blend.

Using pulp

If you decide to strain the pulp after making almond milk, you can refrigerate or freeze it and use in a lot of ways. It can also be dehydrated and stored for further use.

But If you are making a lot of almond milk regularly then dehydrating so much of the pulp is not really practical. So you can add it to curries, chutneys, soups or stir fry veggies.

If you bake often you can add it to a batch of cookies. You can also make crackers, granola or energy bites!

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Almond milk recipe

How to Make Almond Milk

Homemade almond milk is so much tastier, fresher and healthier than store bought almond milk. With zero additives and zero wastage you can make this plant based milk easily at home.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time6 hours 10 minutes
Total Time6 hours 10 minutes
Servings4 cups
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 3 to 4 cups water


Instructions

  • Rinse almonds well in lots of water at least thrice. Drain the water and soak them for 6 hours. Do not cover the bowl.
  • Drain the water after 6 hours and rinse the almonds well a couple of times. If you are making a single serving you can also easily peel off the skins.

With blender

  • Add them to a blender jar along with water. Blend them until smooth. If you do not have a high speed blender, then blend them only with â…“ amount of water and make a smooth puree. Then pour the rest of the water and blend.
  • If you intend to use the almond milk in your cereals or porridge then simply use it straight away without straining the pulp. Avoid pouring this to hot foods. Alternately to strain the milk, place a nut milk bag over a pitcher and then pour it. Squeeze to extract most of the almond milk from the pulp.

With cold pressed juicer

  • Start your cold press juicer and add â…“ cup almonds & â…“ cup water to the juicer chute. Add another â…“ cup nuts and pour â…“ cup water.
  • This way add nuts and water alternatively until you finish all of the nuts and 3 cups water.
  • Once done add back all of the pulp to the chute and pour ¾ to 1 cup water. This is optional. This milk has less flavor so you may use this for cooking.
  • Fill the almond milk to the pitcher and then pour to the serving cups. Add your favorite sweetener and serve it right away.


Notes

  • We don’t prefer any flavorings or sweeteners in our almond milk. If you want you may add vanilla dates while blending if you prefer.
  • After blending the almonds you can add your favorite fruit like banana, mango, strawberries, blue berries etc and blend to a smoothie. Adjust the amount of water to blend the almonds if using fruit.

Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
How to Make Almond Milk
Amount Per Serving
Calories 206 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 9mg0%
Potassium 252mg7%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 8g16%
Calcium 100mg10%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

© Swasthi’s Recipes

This recipe was first published in January 2013. Updated & republished in November 2022.

How to Make Almond Milk

About Swasthi

I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me

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5 stars
Can you soak the almonds for a week or
More?

5 stars
Very well explained. Thank you.

5 stars
Well explained.

5 stars
Great recipe…which blender do u use? Can u tell me the model name…I was searching for a glass blender for a long time

5 stars
Love all your tips. I just started to make this. It’s been a week and feeling so good about switching to homemade milk. But the downside can’t use it in our tea or coffee. Will be trying your almond yogurt soon. Thank you for sharing this.

I think this is easy and fast

Thanks for receipe

amazing….ur recipe…..fantstic

UR RECIPE S TOO GOOD ……..

Please easy made

I JUST NEED TO KNOW IF WE CAN GIVE ALMOND MILK 12 MONTH CHILD

In our badam milk we can add boost hot milk and sugar pls tell me swati..

nice presentation with clear pictures. thanks for useful information. <br />

yummy and tempting chicken

Very healthy drink for kids. I will try this recipe for my princess.

Hi Swasthi;<br /><br />Thank you and it was very useful to me because all this while I was wondering on how to make batches and keep them in the fridge. You made my day!!!! Have a womderful day ahead. Wishing you and your family Happy Boghi and Sankranthi.

nice write up swasthi..

Lovely post… I have to try this one out<br />Reva

nice post….. loved your pics.

Such a healthy drink served in cute bottles is sure to win hearts!!

Nice one Swasthi…