Nut Milk

I have never really liked milk. Not just cow milk, but all milk. I still can't imagine sitting down and drinking a glass of milk, but I do like to make things with milk and I actually like home made nut milks, especially if I add a couple dates to sweeten it.


Store-bought milk alternatives are often mostly water and sugar with a few unwanted additions. Here is a list of ingredients from Pacific Almond Milk (Almond Breeze has the exact same list): filtered water, evaporated cane juice, almonds, tricalciu, phosphates, sea salt, potasium citrate, carrageenen, soy lecithin, riboflavin (B2), vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2. Seems like a lot of ingredients for something so simple, not to mention that almonds, are the third ingredient listed after water and sugar or evaporated cane juice!


Making nut milks is actually very easy and it really does taste better. Almonds are probably the best for milk for taste and nutrition but you can also use cashews and hazelnuts. I haven't tried walnuts but I imagine they would work with a mix of other nuts.


2 cups nuts (almonds and cashews make a nice combination)
4 cups water
2-4 dates (optional)


Soak nuts for about 8 hours. Rinse and put in blender with water. Blend on high for 5 minutes or until very well blended. Strain milk through a cloth. I use a sprout bag but a tea towel or pillow case will also work well. I have tried using a cheese cloth but it doesn't strain out enough pulp so the milk has a little more texture than I like.