A few months ago I wrote about my obsession with my new Blendtec blender, the acquisition of which led to some surprising changes to my everyday cooking repertoire, like trying to eat less meat and including lots more fresh fruits and vegetables in my family’s diet.
I’ve since traded in the Blendtec for a brand new Vita-Mix. There are endless debates about which of these high-power blenders is the “best”, and for me it came down to nit-picky details. For one, I got tired of how the Blendtec would move all over the counter while it was blending up a smoothie with lots of frozen fruit – the base doesn’t seem to have enough weight to withstand its own powerful motor.
On the other hand, the Vita-Mix container is a bit harder to clean, but, still, when I turn it on I feel that I’m in the presence of a superior, heavy-duty machine. It doesn’t have the automated digital “brain” of the Blendtec but requires manual operation instead. That’s okay with me – I’m all about hands-on.
I’m still experimenting with smoothies, using any piece of available produce in my kitchen, both fresh and frozen; red, yellow or green.
I’ve even conditioned the children not to gag when I throw a handful of parsley or spinach leaves into their blueberry smoothie – they seem to believe that the taste of green materials is undetectable and that consuming them will hone their growing, spongy brains into glowing spheres capable of breathtaking genius. That’s mommy persuasion for you! And I thought my powers were fading a bit.
One thing that I now prepare on a regular basis is homemade almond milk. Some members of our household don’t tolerate dairy products, but still like to splash a little something on a bowl of granola in the morning. I am also one of those people who cannot stand the taste of soy milk.
That’s where almond milk comes in. Almonds do contain a respectable amount of calcium – although admittedly just a fraction of that found in cow’s milk – as well as other minerals like selenium, magnesium and potassium. I can’t tell you for sure what the nutrition value of homemade almond milk is compared to the commercially made stuff, but at least when you make it yourself you know exactly what’s in it.
I recommend filtering the milk through a cheesecloth to avoid a bit of grittiness; I usually strain mine through a very fine strainer, but a small amount of solids come through. I don’t mind that so much, but if you want a perfectly smooth milk go for a cheesecloth or the unfortunately named Nut Bag.
Homemade almond milk tastes delicious with granola – try my favorite recipe for Homemade Granola, too.
Homemade Almond Milk
1 cup whole almonds
2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups filtered water
Blend all ingredients at high speed in a blender for about 1 minute. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined colander set over a large bowl. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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Liza
January 28, 200911:30 pm
Nutbag? Really? I am now all inspired to make almond milk. Need to find the blender…it’s one of the things that never made it out of the garage and into the kitchen when we unpacked out here.
Hayley
January 29, 200910:35 am
How lucky you are to own a Vita Mix. Until then, I’m fine with drooling over your creations. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa (Homesick Texan)
January 29, 20097:36 pm
I love it! I buy almond milk all the time, but have been unhappy with the added fillers. This is a wonderful solution.
Emily
January 30, 20091:43 am
How interesting! I’d love to try this sometime. I bet it’s nutty and delicious. Love the picture.
anushruti
February 2, 20095:21 am
That looks like a lovely recipe for almond milk. Almonds have that remarkable ability to lend their creamy nuttiness to any dish they are put in and here almonds are the star atrraction!
Karen
February 4, 20099:28 pm
Yes, Liza, who knew that nutbags would become essential?
Thanks, Hayley. The Vita-Mix is very nice, but another decent household blender will work well, too. Cheers!
Hi Lisa – thanks for stopping. Yeah, added fillers not so good. Hope you’ll give homemade a try.
Emily, you might never go back to the old cow’s stuff.
Anushruti, almonds are spectacular. I love them, and the fact that I can make something to drink out of them is a huge bonus.
Liza
February 7, 20098:10 pm
Finally! We got a new blender (Kitchen-Aid, not Vita Mix) and I made almond milk. It is great. Smoothies, here we come.
Bren
February 8, 20091:37 pm
i keep hearing about the vitamix and finally played around with it. nice job on the milk; will have to try!
Homemade Granola « Em’s Eats & Treats
February 12, 20095:16 pm
[...] it pairs nicely with granola! You can try making your own homemade vanilla almond milk with this recipe. What are some of your favorite ways to eat [...]
Debra
March 22, 200912:54 pm
I love my Kitchen Aid Blender and Mixer. Wouldn’t use anything else! Thanks for sharing the Almond milk Recipe. I will have to try it.
Kathryn
January 2, 20101:08 pm
Wow. I tried your recipe for homemade almond milk using 9.5pH Kangen Water ingredients from my LEVELUK SD501 and turbo blended everything with my Vita-Mix and it is sooooooooooooo delicious and made fresh it is sooooo healthy. I am really grateful to you for sharing this jewel.
I am trying to get away from using dairy so this was definitely a great incentive to keep heading in that direction. Who knew that healthy and yummy could be synonyms
Happy New Year and thanks again.
Don
February 10, 20106:33 pm
I made delicious almond milk with blanched almonds adding vanilla, agave honey, and sea salt. Blanched almonds are easily made by first adding almonds that have been soaked for 8 or more hours to boiling water for 1/2 minute. Next, rinse them briefly in cool water and the skins will pop right off by simply squeezing each one from the large end. The white pulp from the strained milk is excellent substitute for half the flour in cookie recipes etc.
Dali
March 5, 201011:59 am
I love almond milk. I just finished making a 1/2 gallon this morning. But for those that are not familiar with its benefit let me share something with you all. Three of my grandchildren suffer with dryness of the skin. We’ve tried many creams and Doctor’s appointments. To no avail, only alot of time and money spent. My mom told me that she found out about all the junk in cow’s milk after they fix it be able to sit in our refrigerators. Don’t believe me? When in doubt check it out!! My grandchildren now drink only almond milk and LOVE IT!!! No more upset stomach aches or DRYNESS of the skin. Cow’s milk can be hard to the stomach. There’s a reason why alot of folks can’t drink it.
Karen
March 5, 20106:58 pm
Dali, I totally agree with you about the connection between dairy milk and skin issues. Ever since I’ve eliminated most dairy from my diet I’ve had zero problems with dry itchy skin.
Tom
March 15, 20105:23 pm
My wife and I just learned that soy milk is not so healthy after all. We decided to switch to almond milk. I don’t like all of the added ingredients in commercial almond milk. I can’t wait to try your almond milk recipe. It looks like a very healthy alternative. Thank you so much.
Harland
May 13, 20101:36 pm
I keep it at work for an afternoon snack; it’s filling, but healthy! I shared with some co-workers and they liked it very much.
Karen
May 14, 20107:56 am
Thanks, Harland. I’m happy to hear that you’re on the almond milk wagon with me! Spread the love.
doris
June 13, 20111:44 pm
Do you have to soak the almonds before prededing with the recipe? The recipe is very simple and I like that. Pleasse reply soon ASAP. Thanks much
Karen
June 13, 20113:56 pm
Hi Doris – Thanks for your comment. No, there’s no need to soak the almonds before making the milk. Some raw food enthusiasts do soak them, but my personal preference is to jump right in.
Elizabeth
June 22, 201111:20 pm
I just bought a vitamix and brought it all the way to China where I am now living and posting from and was eager to make my own almond milk. I found you by googling “making almond milk with a vitamix” and I’m glad I did. I just tried the recipe and LOVE it! I used a cheese cloth to strain it and it worked well. Thanks again and keep the recipes coming!
vicki
September 15, 20117:35 pm
I am going to make this in the morning w/ my vitamix. does anyone have a preference of vitamix over blentec? I was going to trade my vitamix in for blendtec. the blendtec seems so much easier to use. any info would be appreciated as I need to decide ASAP before the blendtec promo is over at Costco!! Thanks
Dede
October 4, 20116:18 pm
Is there any difference in taste if you leave out the salt? I am trying to decrease my salt intake. Thanks!
Patty
November 3, 20119:44 pm
Can you use roasted almonds for the almond milk or do they have to be raw?
Karen
November 6, 20115:17 pm
Hi Patty. I don’t use roasted almonds. I tried it once and didn’t like the flavor of the milk – too strong! Try it with a smaller amount of almonds and water to see if you might like it…
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