Do you want to know how to make the easiest homemade almond milk ever?
It’s easy because there is no soaking, sprouting, straining, nut milk bags to squeeze, etc…
I discovered this method out of necessity during some travels last year and haven’t made a traditional type of almond milk (like my coconut almond milk recipe here) since. For travel, I pack a small blender and individual size almond butter packets and other smoothie ingredients and try to get fresh produce if possible at my destination. The results were awesome!
These are some of the foods I pack to make smoothies when I travel
using a small stainless steel blender that packs easily.
Homemade almond milk is much healthier than store-bought, regardless how you make them, that are full of gums and stabilizers and unnecessary ingredients. And you can control how much sweetener to add.
Traditional homemade almond milk recipes does involve some time and work (and dirty dishes): first you soak the nuts overnight, blend with water in the morning, than strain through a nut bag, and you have to figure out what to do with all the extra leftover pulp. It’s worth it if you make a large batch and do it regularly. But it’s not for last minute needs.
With this method you can have as much almond milk you like whenever you want it!
If you’re concerned about not sprouting the nuts, look for sprouted almond butter or make a big batch of homemade sprouted almond butter yourself. It will last much longer than the homemade almond milk you would make with the sprouted nuts.
This is also the way I’ve been making homemade coconut milk. I just add a tablespoon of coconut butter with 1 cup of water to the blender.
Making homemade non-dairy milks from the butters (nut butter or coconut butter) is great for those of us that don’t drink drink that much of it regularly but want the same convenience of canned coconut milk or ready-made almond milk.
Another new thing I do with my almond milk is add sunflower lecithin to the mixture. Lecithin is a great emulsifier (so it keeps water and oil from separating) and makes the almond milk extra creamy.
Lecithin is also a great a natural source of phosphatidylcholine needed for your brain and nervous system. Egg yolks contain this important nutrient, but I am sensitive to eggs and have to limit my consumption.
If you do opt to add the sunflower lecithin, make sure you get it from a good source. I don’t recommend using soy lecithin. A good kosher certified source is Blue Mountain Organics (they also have sprouted almond butter).
Instant Almond Milk
Use this as your base recipe and double as needed.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
1-2 tablespoons almond butter (depending how creamy you like it)
1 cup water
pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon sunflower lecithin (optional)
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.
Flavored Almond Milk
Add the following ingredients to the base recipe above.
Vanilla Almond Milk
1 cup instant almond milk (recipe above)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
1 date or 1 tablespoon maple syrup or other natural sweetener
Coconut Almond Milk
1 cup instant almond milk (recipe above)
1 tablespoon coconut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
1 date or 1 tablespoon maple syrup of other natural sweetener
Chocolate Almond Milk
1 cup instant almond milk (recipe above)
2 tablespoons raw cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
1-2 dates or other natural sweetener
Mocha Almond Milk
1 cup instant almond milk (recipe above)
1 tablespoon raw cocoa powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder (or replace the water above with brewed coffee)
1-2 dates or other natural sweetener
Strawberry Almond Milk
1 cup instant almond milk (recipe above)
1/2 cup strawberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
1 date or 1 tablespoon maple syrup of other natural sweetener
What a fantastic idea! I don’t drink enough almond milk to be worth the effort of traditional methods, but this would be perfect for an occasional smoothie or other drink. Thanks for sharing!
Same here! Sometimes I feel like having a Matcha latte or turmeric latte with almond milk – but not enough to always keep fresh almond milk around – so I love having this quick method 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! How long will this keep in the fridge?
I think about a week is safe. I’m not sure if more than that would stay fresh.
What a good idea! I can’t believe I didn’t think of this! I’m definitely going to try it with my cashew butter too. YUM!!
The cashew butter will probably be even better than the almond butter!
Hai! Thanks for your sharing. Why you don’t recommend soy lecithin?
I prefer sunflower lecithin when making my own recipes, I don’t actively avoid it in packaged products.
I just found this article by Chris Kresser which has a fair analysis on my concerns and why it may not be so harmful:
https://chriskresser.com/harmful-or-harmless-soy-lecithin/