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Almond, soy, rice, hazelnut, and cashew milk — alternative milk options — make the diet more diverse and healthier while also being much easier for the body to digest than cow’s milk. These plant-based milks are made with raw ingredients, meaning they retain their vitamins, minerals, and enzymes without undergoing heavy processing.
A common question is, "Where can I buy nut milk?" Soy and coconut milk are widely available, especially in the Asian foods section of grocery stores. However, making alternative milk at home is incredibly simple. Most nuts and seeds need to be soaked overnight in drinking water and then blended until smooth. More water creates a thinner, milk-like consistency, while less water results in a creamy nut yogurt. That’s it! Well, almost — here are seven recipes for nut-based milk, including almond, poppy seed, rice, pumpkin seed, cashew, hazelnut, and a delicious mixed version.
All nut milk should be strained through cheesecloth, a fabric filter, a fine cotton towel, or a fine-mesh sieve for a smoother texture.
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Nut Milk
- 1 cup (standard 250 ml) of mixed nuts (raw almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, etc.)
- 3 cups of water
- a pinch of salt
Rinse the nuts, soak them in water overnight, then drain and blend with 3 cups of drinking water until completely smooth. Pour the milk into any container, straining it through a towel, cheesecloth, or special fabric filters. Transfer the milk to a clean bottle, seal it, and store it in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
For variety, you can later add spices to the milk according to taste — vanilla, cardamom, cloves, or cinnamon.
How-to from My New Roots blog
Almond Milk
- 100 g almonds
- 350 ml wate
Soak the nuts overnight and blend them in the morning with 400 ml of water, or 300 ml for a thicker consistency. If you use blanched, skinless almonds, the milk will be silkier and smoother. However, I wouldn’t recommend peeling the skin off whole raw almonds, although many do. First, it’s not that simple — pouring boiling water over them, letting them sit, and then peeling each almond is possible, but it won’t significantly affect the taste. Nutritionally, it may even be slightly detrimental, as the skins and nut coatings contain beneficial elements.
Poppy Seed Milk
- 1.5 cups poppy seeds
- 2 cups water
- sweetener
Soak the poppy seeds for at least 6 hours. Blend them with water, adding a little sweetener — honey, agave syrup, Jerusalem artichoke syrup, or maple syrup. Strain through cheesecloth. This milk is delicious when frothed to a yogurt-like consistency and served chilled with fresh berries.
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Nutella Milk
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 3 cups water
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. cocoa
Soak the hazelnuts in one cup of water and leave overnight in the refrigerator. Blend with the remaining 2 cups of water and a sweetener. If you can’t achieve a perfectly smooth consistency or find the skin particles bothersome, strain the nut milk through a sieve or cheesecloth.
Cashew Milk
- 100 g raw cashews
- 350 ml water
- 1 tbsp. honey
- a pinch of vanilla or seeds from 1 vanilla pod
The creamiest and smoothest milk. Soak the cashews in 200 ml of water and leave them overnight in the refrigerator. Add another 100 ml of water and blend until smooth. Use as a milk alternative or, even better, as a yogurt substitute.
Following the same method, you can try making milk from pumpkin seeds, oat porridge, rice, or shredded coconut.
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Rice Milk
- 1 cup rice
- 4 cups water
- sweetener of choice — stevia, agave, honey, sugar, or maple syrup
Cook the rice until fully done, then blend it with water and a small amount of sweetener.
Pumpkin Seed Milk
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 cups water
- 3–4 dates
Soak the seeds in water for 1–2 hours, then drain. Add fresh water, toss in the dates, and blend.