Whether you’re dairy intolerant, vegan, or just fancy a change, nut milks make a great alternative to cow’s milk, with almond milk being a firm favourite.
Nut milk is super-easy to make at home and is amazingly versatile – splash it over your cereal or porridge or add a dash to your favourite mugs of tea and coffee.
To make the perfect almond milk at home, all you need is water, a blender and a cup of nuts. Here’s how it’s done...
Soak one cup of almonds – around 200g – in water for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight
Rinse the almonds and peel the skins off
Tip them into a blender, add 4 cups of water then blitz for a few minutes until smooth
Secure a muslin cloth over a bowl and pour the almond mixture over it. Bunch up the cloth and squeeze the milk out, leaving the pulp in the muslin (you can use the leftover pulp to make almond flour – simply dry it out, whiz it up again and store in a jar until needed)
Filter the milk into an airtight bottle and pop it in the fridge where it'll last for a good 3 to 4 days
And there you have it! Remember that almond and many other nut milks naturally separate – this is nothing to worry about, just give them a good shake before you use them.
If you’re not a big fan of almonds, or just want to try out other nut milks, you can give any of the below a go – the only thing that changes is the soaking time:
Almonds: 8 to 12 hours
Hazelnuts: 8 hours
Macadamias: 8 hours
Peanuts: 8 hours
Pine nuts: 8 hours
Pecans: 4 to 6 hours
Walnuts: 4 hours
Cashews: 2 hours
Pistachios: no soaking needed
Brazil nuts: no soaking needed
Check out the video below to see Food Tuber Danielle Hayley whizz up almond milk.