Your Guide to Homemade Nut Milk

Nut milks—including cashew milk, almond milk, and hazelnut milk—are a staple on many grocery lists. But did you know you can make the milk yourself? By learning how to make homemade nut milk, you're taking control over your health, exploring creative culinary skills, and giving your family the gift of a delicious, nutty beverage!

The Nuts and Bolts

Obviously, the most important ingredient in nut milk is nuts! You only need one type of nut to make the dairy-free milk. So which nut should you choose? The answer depends on your preferences. Popular nut milk options include:

• almonds
• macadamia nuts
• pecans
• hazelnuts
• walnuts
• cashews

While you only need one type of nut, some DIY milk makers enjoy mixing a few varieties together. This can create a rich, sophisticated taste. But be careful—not all nuts mix well. Combining a few of your favorites may take some trial and error.

Step One: Soaking

Once you've chosen your nut du jour, it's not quite time to get milking yet. Creating this non-dairy delight requires some careful prep.

Make sure to choose plain, raw nuts instead of salted, sugared, or flavored nuts. You'll need roughly one cup of nuts to make a standard batch. Place the plain nuts in water and soak them overnight at room temperature. This step means that you can't whip up an impromptu batch of dairy-free milk. But, once made, the milk lasts for three to four days in the fridge. If you need a continuous supply, start another batch on day two.

Step Two: Milk Making

It's time to get down to business. Drain the nuts and toss the water. If you've chosen nuts with skins, remove the skins by rubbing the nuts between two towels after soaking them. Give the soaked nuts a good rinse with fresh water. Again, strain all the excess water out.

Place the nuts and five cups of water into a blender or food processor. (No matter the size of your batch, always keep the ratio of one cup of nuts to five cups of water.) After blending the mix, strain the nut milk through a fine sieve or a nut milk bag. And that's it! Now you have nut milk.

While you can drink the homemade nut milk as is, some prefer to chill it for a few hours first. If you don't want to gulp the milk by the glassful, try it over homemade granola. Store it in the fridge for up to four days.

Step Three: Adding Flavors

Nut milk is tasty on its own, but some people enjoy a little something extra in their non-dairy delight. Feel free to add vanilla bean or extract, a sweetener, cocoa powder, or sea salt to the blender, creating your own homemade nut milk varieties.

If you've ever wondered how to make nut milk at home, now you know how easy it is to get started. Select a starter nut, soak it, and get blending. Before you know it, your experiments will yield a delicious drink that the whole family will love!

What's your favorite type of non-dairy milk? Share your pick with us on Twitter!

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