Homemade almond milk is as easy as blending filtered water, almond flour, or soaked almonds. Sweetened with 2 dates, vanilla, and a pinch of salt, which is completely optional.
Why Make Homemade Almond Milk?
I know what you are thinking…duh you can buy Almond milk…right? Have you looked at the label of purchased Almond milk? Most contain preservatives and thickeners. Since when is milk thick? Sure you can buy your own almond milk, but let me tell you once again that homemade is ALWAYS best. Besides, by the time you find your car keys to go to the store to purchase almond milk, you can have this recipe made and chilling in the refrigerator.
Using almond flour makes the process pretty quick. No need for soaking. If you don’t have almond flour, soaking 1 cup of almonds in water for 8-12 hours. Drain the water from the almonds and use in place of almond flour.
Quick Homemade Almond Milk:
- To a high-speed blender, add 4 cups of filtered water, 1 cup almond flour, 2 pitted dates (for sweetness), 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a healthy pinch of sea salt. Start with 4 cups of water so the lid of the blender doesn’t blow off.
- Allow the blender to run for 3-4 minutes. Making sure the dates and vanilla bean and ground down and mixed in well.
- Add the remaining cup of water with the blender on low speed. Omit the extra cup of water for richer almond milk.
- Optional Straining of Almond Milk:
1
3
5
2
4- Pour the milk into the lined strainer. The milk will flow through the cloth into the bowl.
- Use a rubber spatula to stir the remaining almond meal to release more of the nut milk.
- Gather up the cloth, twist and gently squeeze to release as much of the milk as possible.
- Reserve the almond meal for another use OR if you like thick almond milk with a bit of grit, by all means, leave it in.
- Ta Da! That’s it. Refrigerate until cold.
Quick Homemade Almond Milk
Simple almond milk made with almond flour. Sweetened with dates and vanilla. Almond milk in less than 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour 98 gr or 1/2 cup whole almonds
- 2 Medjool dates pitted
- 1/2 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract
- 4-5 cups water 960 mL
- generous pinch of sea salt
Instructions
-
Combine all ingredients in a blender with a tight-fitting lid. Blend on high speed for 3-4 minutes. Pour liquid through a cloth-lined strainer placed over a large bowl. Strain almond milk through the strainer. Reserve almond meal for another use. Refrigerate to chill.
Recipe Notes
- Hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, hemp seed, etc. may be used in place of almond flour or almonds.
- soak hard nuts overnight or 8-12 hours.
**Nutrition calories are based on leaving the almond pulp in. Calories are much less without the almond pulp.
This recipe was previously posted in 2014. Photos and a printable recipe card have been updated.
You May Also Love:
Just made this, but I opted to save my almond flour for other uses, and instead, ground a 1/2 cup each of raw almonds and raw pecans (for a little extra sweetness). After grinding to a fine meal, I soaked in 2-cups water for about 15-minutes, while occassionaly pulsing with my immersion blender.
I then dumped the slurry into a sprouting bag and squeezed out as much as I could. I then dunked the bag into 1 cup of fresh water and continued dunking and squeezing, and refilling the dunking cup until the milk ran more-or-less clear.
In all, I got 2 1/3 liters of milk out of 1 cup of nuts. I didn’t add anything else to it and the flavor, although not strong, isn’t weak by any means, but it is milder than store-bought almond milk.
I intend on drying and storing the spent almond/pecan meal as a fiber-rich additive/filler for other recipes.
Thank you so much for all of the information you have shared. Great suggestions and I love the addition of pecans.
Is there a use for the almond residue left after straining the milk?
Kinda’ late to the party, but Of course; there are a thousand uses. the best thng would probably be to just spread it out thinly on cookie sheets and pop it in your oven at the lowest setting until it’s completely dry or just mildly toasted.
You can add it to baked goods, scrambles, blend with some fresh almonds and a little coconut oil and cinnamon to make almond butter, mix into stews, sauces, gravies, lightly toast it and use as a dessert topping, toast it and mix with toasted baker’s yeast to make homemade nutritional yeast topping. Soak in grain spirits along with some fresh pulverized almonds and strain after 30-days to make an amaretto-like liquor, mix into tempura batter…I could go on and on.
You can also dry it and mix with white glue to make a light-colored wood putty filler.
Thank you so much for sharing the many uses for leftover nut pulp. What a great list of options.
Hi Janet, I don’t have any almond flour so wondered if i can use ground almonds instead?
Thanks
Jane
Almond meal will work just great.
Janet,
Thank you for posting this recipe.
I have recently become aware of some of the details of my food choices.
I am removing As much lectin as I can and blanched almond flour has the skins removed. I have made milk by soaking/blending/straining for years. I wish I had thought of this method sooner.
I know I won’t be adding vanilla or dates, though.
That won’t do well for my mashed potatoes! Almond milk makes great mashed potatoes.
Thank you again.
I’m so glad you like the almond milk. It’s such an easy recipe! Thank you for commenting.
Thank you so much for this recipe. Will try it for sure! Someone says , thAT SHE’ s been using her juicer to stran her almond milk with success. Ain’t that smart!
Absolutely brilliant! I hope you love this almond milk.
Such pretty pictures on your site. I have some almonds soaking now, but I will definitely try making almond milk with flour too!
Thank you so much. You have made my day. I hope you love the almond milk!
hi. how long does this milk last?
I try to use the milk up within a week. After that, it can go sour. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
As a lifelong vegan, and Having served as a consultant to two non dairy milk producers, I have to take an exception to some of what you have said. However first of I want to commend you for recommending almond flour as a suitabLe for almond milk, why more blog sites do not is beyond me.
Now, most almond milks, the vast majority of which i am aware of never use any pReservative. Thickeners are gEnerally natural such as kappa carragEEnan (not to be confused with carrageenan) xantham gum, gellam Gum, guar gum, or locust gum. They serve more than simplY a thickening agent as they are An emulsifying agent which naturally reduce the separation that also naturally occurs.
Thank you so much for clarifying. My daughter has an autoimmune disease and these types of thickening agents cause havoc on her poor little body.
I learned that Xanthab gUm has been fermented. Anything fermented causes havic for me as weLl.
That’s why I make my own almond milk. No preservatives or thickeners in this almond milk. Who likes thick milk anyway…unless it’s chocolate milk? 😉
no, then there is something wrong in your gut. fermented foods are vital for flora health.
MMMMM! Looking to find a recipe for almond milk from almond flour, this one came up. Reading comments and variations, why not add berries, fruit, other nuts, seed, and even favorite granolas well soaked and blended?
I agree. Why not? That’s a brilliant idea. All of your ideas are brilliant and would be delicious!! Thank you for sharing your ideas.
I love this idea. I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now and I can’t imagine using any other ~ it’s so quick, easy and delicious. Your suggestion opens up a plethora of variations one could make. I can see strawberry, blueberry, banana… maple granola, even adding cocoa powder to make chocolate almond milk. Great suggestion!
I’m thrilled you like the almond milk. It’s a keeper for sure
Does the recipe that includes the almond flour and then straining still have as much calcium in the end? I’ve learned that store bought almond milk is fortified with the “wrong” calcium (carbonate) versus the better calcium citrate so I am thinking i’ll add a calcium citrate to fortify this one—-unless the natural calcium after straining is significant. (This is of concern for osteoporosis).
I believe that strained almond milk is lower in calcium and protein than regular milk or store-bought milk that usually has calcium added. Even if you don’t strain. If you are concerned about calcium, I think you’re smart to add the calcium citrate to your homemade almond milk. Thank you for bringing this up. It’s a great conversation that needs to be addressed if one is concerned about their calcium instake.
If you’re concerned about osteoporosis I’d definitely recommend reading dr. mcdougall’s start solution – there’s a whole section on it that’s very interesting.
I HAVE QUINOA FLOUR WHICH I UNDERSTAND IS A SEED AND NOT A GRAIN DO YOU THINK I COULD MAKE QUINOA MILK?
I don’t believe quinoa flour will work. It’s different from a nut flour. I believe you’d end up with more of a slurry.
Hi, just happened to run across your comment, and you can Use quinoa. You just have to cook it first. Check out youtube for a how to..
Awesome! Thank you so much. I will give it a try.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I think I’ll try this in my soy milk maker. I can do blanched almonds in it, but have never tried almond flour. I really like this recipe. I had given up on almond milk, because of all the additives and thickeners. I like almond milk to taste and be all natural. Since I’m diabetic, I subbed a few drops of Stevia for the dates.
Thank you so much. The additives and thickeners are the reason why I started making my own, too. I wish the nut milk industry would stop thickening their milk. Who wants thick milk with additives. I hope you love the almond flour method.
Hi i was wondering what the difference in terms of storage and lifespan is between almond meal and almonds? does almond milk using almonds go bad faster and separate more?
Using whole almonds makes richer almond milk. That’s about the only difference I have noticed. Both almond meal and whole almond milk last about the same time and both will separate.
This is a terrific recipe! So quick, easy and delicious! Much better than store bought, and at a fraCtion on the price. Thank you!
Thank you so much. I agree that it is better than store-bought.😉
thanks for the great recipe–i never thought to use my almond flour! after trying this recipe, i found that If you have a magic bullet, run it on 5 cycles of 1-minute each to make a super creamy half-n-half substitute; using this method, I don’t need to strain it through my nut cloth — it comes our frothy and creamy, so good. it’s the first SUBSTITUTE i’ve found suitable for replacing dairy in my coffee.
Wahoo! I love your ideas and comment. Thank you so much for sharing this great idea for coffee creamer.
Thanks for the info on using a bullet blender.
HI, JUST READ ALL. WHAT ARE THE PROPORTIONS YOU WOULD SUGGEST FOR ALMOND FLOUR AND WATER, SINCE ONE COMMENT MENTIONED THE DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT. HOW WOULD YOUR RECIPE READ NOW?. THANK YOU
Hi Rachel. I still use 1 cup of almond flour to 5 cups water or 1/2 cup almonds. I made the correction in my recipe as shown. I hope this answers any questions you may have. Please let me know if you have more questions.
1 cup of almond flour and 1 cup of whole almonds do not weigh the same. One cup of whole almonds may weigh 230 grams grams as given in your recipe, but one cup of almond flour weighs much less. I made this almond milk today and weighed the almond flour using your 230 grams. It made an easy rich almond milk, but used over 2 cups of almond flour, so I decided to check what 1 cup of almond flour should weigh. Was I surprised to learn that 1 cup actually weighs only 96 grams! then I realized I used more than twice as much almond flour as needed for the almond milk
I like weighing ingredients in grams. This is much more accurate than using measuring cups, but 1 cup of almond flour by weight in grams is vastly different than the weight of 1 cup of whole almonds.
Thank you for pointing this out. I will make the changes. I agree to weigh ingredients is a much accurate method. I don’t like rich almond milk so the 1 cup of almond flour is ample for my taste. One can always add more if they prefer rich almond milk.
Wow, quick and SIMPLY so good is right!! I was a little skeptical of the dates at first, but I trust you… all of your recipes are amazing, so I had to try it! and it was phenomenal — as all of your recipes are! I will never buy store-bought almond milk ever again
Thank you so much. I’m glad you went for the dates. I love the sweetness they give the almond milk. Yum 😋
Thanks so much for your almond milk recipe. I never liked the store bought kind and don’t like Dairy milk. Sometimes afterwards I make chocolate almond milk by blending raw Cacoa powder in it with stevia or BIRCH bark sugar. Soaking the almonds just takes too much time.
Thank you so much, Donna. I love your chocolate almond milk idea. I’m going to try that. 😋
Thank you for posting this recipe. This is the only recipe I have ever used to make almond milk, and thanks to you, I make it regularly and it is so good! I purchased an organic cotton nut milk bag from Amazon. I spread the pulp on a cookie sheet in a 200F oven for about 40 minutes and then grind it back into flour and store it in a jar in the fridge. I use it in making homemade bread and muffins. I love that this recipe allows for little to no waste, and it’s so much quicker and easier than soaking almonds for hours ahead of time. I have shared your recipe with others who all shared the same sentiment regarding the use of almond flour: Why didn’t I think of that?!
Thank you so much, Karen. What a kind comment. Thank you for sharing. You just made my day. I love using almond flour instead of whole almonds because it’s not as rich. 🥰
Can you soak almond flour over night and then strain without having blended in a blender?
I have never tried soaking the almond flour overnight. If you have a hand emersion blender, that will work. From my research, I believe the almond flour or almonds DO need to be blended. A food processor or hand emersion blender will work if a blender is not available. You can try it and play with soaking almond flour. Please let me know if you do.
Reading some of the other comments reminded me of some ideas i’ve had that might apply here as well.
for example, YOU COULD PROBABLY COLD BREW THE ALMOND FLOUR IN THE WATER IN THE FRIDGE OVERNIGHT EITHER WITH IT IN A NUT MILK BAG OR LEFT IN THE BOTTLE TO DRINK OR STRAIN LATER.
another option could be to use a dedicated coffee bean grinder to coarse grind the almonds (being careful not to make butter), then blend it in the water. not sure if pre-soaking would still be necessary but if so, you shouldn’t have to soak them as long as you would with whole almonds.
great idea! although i have the tools at hand to strain (nut milk bag & flour sack cloths) i may just do the same. no need to worry, the bag and cloths still would be useful for other things. Thanks!
So glad to see this. Was thinking of making almond milk with almonds, but one of my local grocery stores sells almond flour, so i thought that it should be easier and quicker with that and did a search for some recipes which is how i wound up at this site. glad to see a recipe as otherwise i would have had to guess and experiment with it. thanks for posting this site!
Thank you for all of your comments and ideas. So helpful and useful for all almond milk lovers.
Do we need to soak the almond flour for sometimes before BLENDING it ?
No need to soak the almond flour. That’s why this is a quick version.
I make almond milk like this regularly. It tastes so much better than store bought and is so easy. I never strain it (too lazy), and I never even notice the pulp, even when i drink it straight up,I just give it a good shake and know that all the nutrition is in there.
Thank you for posting this!
I really like leaving in the almond pulp for the nutrition. Completely makes sense. I’ll start doing that. Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention. Homemade is so much better than the thick stuff from a carton.
great idea! although i have the tools at hand to strain (nut milk bag & flour sack cloths) i may just do the same. no need to worry, the bag and cloths still would be useful for other things. Thanks!
Also, do you think you could use other nut flours?
Sure, why not? I used a combo of hazelnut meal and almonds flour to mix it up or a unsweetened coconut milk in the blend.
Do you think it would freeze well? I buy a cartoon a week of nutmilk for chia pudding and smoothies- so it would not be drunk on its own but blended into something else. Thoughts?
I have actually never frozen nut milks before. The shelf life refrigerated is only about 5-7 days. Freezing it is surely worth a try.
This was really great, thanks!
You are so welcome. I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for the comment.
This was the best recipe I have came across, considering I didn't have any whole almonds but instead bags of almond flour. It tastes so much better than store bought, and is obviously a lot cheaper and less packaging waste.
It tastes delicious and sweet without all the unhealthy cooked preservatives.
Thank you! (The only problem was finding a container to fit it in – maybe I'll keep the plant milk containers and fill them)
This made 1L for me and was very quick ( 5 minutes)
I'm with you, Stephanie. I hate purchased almond milk because of the thickeners and preservatives. The plant based milks are way to thick for my liking. I'm glad you like it. I use old glass milk bottles to store my almond milk. I'm switching to using glass more and more. Thanks for your comment and sharing your success.
I found this wonderful recipe first and have made it a bunch of times. I once read another blog that didn't bother straining out the almond meal, she called it rustic. I am going to try that now. I just made a jar of overnight oats using this recipe but I didn't strain it. Since I always incorporate the milk into a recipe, instead of a beverage by itself, I imagine I won't taste/feel the grit and maybe it will be more nutritious. Will let you know the results tomorrow. Thanks!
I'm anxious to hear about your results. I would think it would be great on soaked oats and add more nutrition. Yum.
I recommend reserving one cup of water from the recipe. I blend that with the damp meal for a few seconds and strain.
It is a very effective way to achieve maximum extraction.
This tip is probably more helpful for those who use whole almonds, but it should be helpful when using almond flour as well.
Fabulous tip! Thank you so much.
I just made almond milk literally 6 minutes ago! After I was done, I thought to myself "why not almond flour, instead". Praise Google! Yours was one of the first relevant search results. Thank you.
I am also looking into making the almond flour myself.
I know! It's faster than running to the store to purchase almond milk and so much better. Thanks for your comment. Making almond flour is a great idea. I'll start researching.
What is the purpose of the dates? Can it be made without?
The purpose of the dates is just for sweetness. It can be made without.
When Im pressed for time I use two tablespoons of almond butter that I buy at my local supermarket in the healthfood section. Its a quick, no mess, no straining method which tastes great. I
FABULOUS idea. Thanks for sharing this quick tip. I'll definitely give it a try.
Thank you so much for your almond flour to make almond milk, You are the only one that has posted this recipe all the ones that I have seen are made of raw almonds not flour. My daughter has bags of blanched almond flour and would like to try making milk out of it…..Thank you
You are so welcome. The almond flour makes making milk a snap. I hope you love it.
I've used a recipe in the past where you place the blended almond and water in a pan and heat it up to 180 and hold it there for at least a minute, before cooling/chilling it.
Don't know about the 'necessity' of that…. seemed like a way to help it hold in the fridge for a touch longer (by inhibiting bacterial growth) than it would otherwise, since it doesn't have any preservatives?
That's interesting. I have not come across a recipe that heats the milk, but completely understand the reasoning behind it. I like making my own almond milk because it is raw without being cooked or processed. It will eventually go sour just like milk after about 10 days. I just make a quart at a time. I hope this helps.
Wondering if you've ever tried using the leftover almond meal to make almond butter?
I haven't that's worth trying and a great idea. Hmmm I wonder if I should dry the meal out first or leave it wet. What are your thoughts?
I would like to know how long the almond milk can keep in the fridge?
The longest I have been able to keep it is 1 week. It will go sour just like regular milk. Good thing it only takes a few minutes to whip up.
Hi there,
I have online bought blanched almond flour (fine and microfine) – is cold water used or hot water to make the milk?
Is it safe to use cold water? I am wanting to make almond yoghurt.
Thanks
I use cold water all the time. Works great.
This is basically the recipe I use for my almond milk (but I soak and dehydrate almonds regularly so always use those). I love that you have such a great variety of recipes. You are truly my foodie hero!