Wednesday, March 21, 2012
![]() |
Thrifty, Healthy Eats: Easy DIY Almond Milk |
Almond milk is a delicious alternative to dairy milk. I like a splash of this creamy, sweet "milk" in my tea and oatmeal. The best part- it's incredibly simple to mix up a batch! (In my case, it was easier than walking to the store for some milk. Ha!)
First, gather your ingredients. You can use a vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract, it will give your milk that extra kick of delicious vanilla flavor. You can use any and as much sweetener as you like. I like to use two packets of stevia, a healthy plant-derived zero calorie sweetener that doesn't affect blood sugar levels. I like to soak my almonds overnight before I blend them up.
Blend together all of your ingredients. Once done, pour the mixture through your fine mesh strainer. This will separate the blended "milk" from the remaining pulp.
The messiest part of this process is squeezing the milk out of the remaining pulp. Pour the pulp into your cheese cloth and squeeze and squeeze until the pulp is bone dry. I save the dry pulp in the fridge for future recipes.
Behold the product of your labors, a delicious pitcher of sweet, creamy almond milk for your munching needs. I'd stopped buying milk a while back when I abandoned my cereal-for-every-meal days and love this alternative!
Good luck! Do you make or buy fun milk alternatives? Any other thrifty, easy recipes to share?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I told you it was easy to make it!
ReplyDeleteAlso another hint if you want a creamier texture you should have more almonds versus the milk I use 1 cup versus 2 of water, is less watery and yummier haha.
ReplyDeleteAh ha, that's good to know! Thank you for the tip!
DeleteIt certainly looks easy to make! I already buy almond milk since cow's milk makes my body do some not so nice things.
ReplyDeleteI've actually just never been a fan of cow's milk, so this was an easy swap.
DeleteYum, yum, yum. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNo problem. I want to write more super thrifty and healthy/vegetarian/vegan recipes in the future. And general tips on eating frugal but healthfully.
DeleteI would have never thought to do this. Good idea and I always buy almonds in bulk anyhow. thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI always happen them on-hand in bulk too, makes this super easy to pull off!
DeleteTwo questions...you soak the almonds in water? (I know--dumb question!) and what "other" recipes do you use the pulp for?
ReplyDeleteYep, soak 'em in water in the fridge overnight or for 4 to 8 hours.
DeleteI'll post about recipes for the pulp soon. You can blend the pulp with ginger and wrap it in nori (seaweed sheets) with slices of cucumber and carrot to make a delicious "ginger almond nori" pate- recipe on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ab7HbUFCic
You can also add it to your oatmeal and salads for some extra protein and nutrition.
This sounds soooo good. I'm not a fan of cow's milk - I never buy it because it goes bad before I can use it all. I've got to try this...bet it would be awesome in coffee!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely makes coffee amazing! I stopped buying cow's milk long ago too, even with the smallest size it would go bad before I could use it with just me living here.
DeleteI've stopped drinking pop/soda and now buy "plain" sparkling water and drink with sliced lemons and/or limes.
ReplyDeleteI cut the soda, but miss fizzy goodness at times. I'll have to try your sparkling water idea. I just drink tea and water with splashes of the almond milk here from time to time.
DeleteForgot to mention it's good for mixing tastier hemp or protein shakes, too.