How to Make Almond Milk at Home (with Just 2 Ingredients)

Boiled down to the simplest terms, soaked almonds are blended into a liquid that is then strained.

Of course, there’s nuance to each step of the recipe, which comes from ICE’s Plant-Based Culinary Arts program. Here, ICE Director of Nutrition Celine Beitchman walks you through the three-step process, sharing pro tips throughout. She also discusses the health benefits of almond milk and ideas for jazzing it up.

How to Make Almond Milk at Home

Step 1: Soak

To start, soak your almonds in hot water for 15 minutes. This fully hydrates and softens them, yielding a creamy texture and rich flavor. This also leaves the least amount of waste, explains Chef Celine. (Alternatively, nuts can be soaked overnight in the fridge. Using hot water simply speeds up the process, and the heat helps boost richness.)

Another consideration is roasting the nuts before soaking them. The end product will have a different flavor, but it is absolutely delicious, says Chef Celine. 

Step 2: Blend

Next, strain the almonds from the water (but save the cloudy soaking liquid - it has flavor that will be used in the final product), then blend the soaking liquid with the almonds until the mixture is well pureed. If you have a smaller blender, you may need to do this in batches. Taste the mixture to get a sense for the texture and mouthfeel, if it’s gritty, you may want to continue blending.

Step 3: Strain

Finally, strain the mixture through a chinois or cheesecloth to extract as much of the milk as possible. Chef Celine recommends pressing a ladle, using rounded motions, inside the chinois. (This way you don’t push all the mass straight to the bottom.) The remaining pulp won’t have much flavor, but it can be dehydrated into a flour-like filler that can be used like almond flour.

This is a forgiving recipe, explains Chef Celine, whose result will vary based on the almonds-to-water ratio that you use. If your almond milk is too thick, dilute it with water, coconut water, or another liquid of your choice. If it’s too thin, you can cook it down on the stove to reduce, but keep in mind this will effect the total volume. Worst comes to worst, you can make another batch and combine them.

The shelf life of homemade almond milk is short; consume it within 1-2 days.

Health Benefits of Almond Milk

“A 3 ½ ounce serving of almond milk has between 20 and 50 calories depending on the ratio of almonds to water,” shares Chef Celine. “The more almonds in the mixture, the thicker the milk will be, and it will include more calories and nutrients.”

She adds that almonds contain vitamin A, which helps promote cell growth, improved vision and nerve and immune function.

“Almond milk is cholesterol-free and a relatively low-fat beverage,” says Chef Celine. “Its main fats are health-promoting monounsaturated fats – the same ones found in heart-healthy olive oil.”

Adding Flavor to Almond Milk

According to Chef Celine, unsweetened almond milk can be used in almost any recipe that calls for dairy milk. But it also presents an opportunity to get creative and make sweet or savory almond milk. Ingredients such as salt, maple syrup, vanilla and roasted garlic can be added to transform its flavor.

Here are a few ideas for using flavored versions. Plant-Based Culinary Arts students make almond milk as the base for béchamel, one of the classic mother sauces. Chef Celine suggests adding miso, nutritional yeast and roasted garlic to create a vegan cheese sauce for baking into vegan mac and cheese.

To go the sweet route, blending “almond milk, rice milk and cinnamon makes a delicious horchata-style warm or cold beverage that can be chilled and spun into an ice-milk frozen treat,” shares Chef Celine.

Here’s the recipe so you can make it at home.

This recipe was created through a partnership with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine.