We drink a lot of almond milk in our family. My top choice brand is Pacific Natural Foods Organic, Unsweetened Almond milk which sells for $2.70 a quart in my area. That is $10.80 a gallon…wowzers! Once I did the math and realized how expensive it was, I decided I really needed to start making my own. Especially considering it’s ridiculously easy to make. It literally takes 2 ingredients and about 5 minutes to make your own almond milk. The trickiest part of it is finding almonds at the best price possible because raw organic almonds can be kind of expensive. However I calculated that for the brand of almond milk I like to buy as long as I purchased almonds for under $11 a pound, it was cheaper to make my own versus buying it. Most of the time I pay about $7 a pound for organic almonds, so it is significantly cheaper to make my own.

There are other benefits to making your own almond milk besides saving money. For example there is virtually no packaging involved. Almonds tend to come in very minimal packaging as opposed to the cartons that almond milk comes in. As with most homemade foods, the flavor of homemade almond milk is far superior to store bought varieties. Additionally more of the nutrients remain intact when it’s made fresh and consumed raw. Another added bonus is you are left with a blob of almond pulp that can actually be used in a variety of different ways/recipes.

So how does one make their own almond milk? It’s as simple as blending 1 cup of almonds and 4 cups of water together for 2 minutes. Then use a cheesecloth to strain the pulp. That’s all! I promise it really is that simple. If you want to add a dash of vanilla and sweeten it to taste you can, however it is quite creamy and delicious all on its own.

Step one: Add one cup of raw almonds and four cups of water to blender.

Step two: Blend for two minutes

Step three: Strain over a bowl covered with cheesecloth. After straining, you may want to gather the fabric and squeeze out any remaining milk. Also some people consider this step optional and don’t strain their almond milk. It really is a matter of personal preference.

Step four: Enjoy! Keep in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days.

This is what the pulp looks like. It will keep in the fridge for a few days or you can freeze it to use at a later time.

Do you make your own nut milk? Any tips to share?

-Sarah