Homemade Almond Milk

Here at the C house we have been focusing on two things in the year 2014 - eating healthier and spending less.  We have been trying all sorts of smoothie recipes for breakfast and in doing so, have been consuming a lot of almond milk.  Today in an effort to avoid another trip to the store where I would surely purchase more than just almond milk, I realized that with 4+ pounds of raw almonds in my pantry there must be a way to make it.  I did as I usually do when I look for recipes.  I went online, read about a half dozen variations, and took bits and pieces of different recipes.  Here's what I came up with.

Ingredients:

2 quarts water

3/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Add all of the almonds and half of the water or as much as can fit in your blender.

2. Let the mixture blend for a minute it two, until the almonds are as ground as your blender can processes.

3. Strain the mixture over a bowl to separate the ground almonds from the liquid.  I used the back of a spoon to press the ground almonds against the strainer and get as much liquid out as possible.

4. Return the ground almonds to the blender and add the remaining water.  Blend and strain the liquid as you did with the first half.

5.  I poured all of the liquid into a pitcher and added the vanilla.

I chose not to sweeten the almond milk because I will use it for smoothies containing fruit that is sweet, but of course if you prefer it a little sweeter you could add a sweetener.  I did try drinking it straight and it tastes very similar to store-bought unsweetened almond milk, just not as thick.  I did a little bit of research and the kind you buy in the store has thickeners added, which is likely why mine is a more watery.

I also scooped up the ground almonds and put them in a container in the freezer.  I'm not sure what I'll use them for yet, but some of the recipes I read mentioned that you can dry it out and bake with it.  That's a project for another day!

Approximate cost: $1.30

Generic almond milk: $2.99