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All you need is two ingredients— almonds and water— plus a few minutes of effort to make almond milk. The hardest part of this recipe is cleaning the equipment when you’re done!

You could probably look at any recipe online and end up with something that tastes better than the store-bought version. What makes my version special is how many times I’ve experimented with it.

As a result, I can show you how to adjust the flavor, the creaminess, and even how to skip the extra equipment to streamline the process. Be sure to read my extra tips below!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review

“I was skeptical at first because I’ve honestly never made almond milk before!! I can’t believe how easy it is and it’s delicious!!! I am using it as my coffee creamer!” – Jeanette

almond milk poured into a glass with almonds around it.

Homemade Almond Milk Ingredients

The only two ingredients you need to make almond milk are almonds and water. I tend to use almonds that are not roasted or salted so that the almond milk will have a neutral, mild flavor. However, roasted nuts will work, too! 

Adjust the Flavor: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup, or up to 4 pitted Medjool dates for sweetness. For a richer consistency, you can also add up to a tablespoon of coconut oil.

Check out my Vanilla Almond Milk and Chocolate Almond Milk variations for exact recipes.

Wondering what to do with the pulp?

Use the leftover almond pulp to make Almond Pulp Hummus or Almond Pulp Brownies

almond milk ingredients labeled on marble surface.

How to Make Almond Milk

  • Soak the almonds. 

Research doesn’t necessarily support the idea that soaking nuts improves digestion or reduces anti-nutrients, but soaking almonds ahead of time can make them softer and help them break down in your blender more easily. 

If you want to take the time to do this step, cover the almonds with at least 2 inches of water, allowing them room to expand as they soak. (I usually use 2 cups of water to cover 1 cup of almonds.) Let them soak for up to 8 hours, then drain away the soaking water by pouring the almonds into a fine mesh strainer. 

You can skip this step if you already have a high-speed blender that can break down almonds effortlessly, or if you’re simply short on time!

almonds soaked in water and drained through fine mesh strainer.
  • Blend. 

Add the almonds into a high-speed blender, along with 4 cups of fresh water. Secure the blender’s lid and blend until the almonds are broken down and the mixture looks creamy, about 60 to 90 seconds. 

There should be almost no visible almond pieces when it’s done blending. 

almonds in blender blended until creamy to make almond milk.
  • Strain. 

Arrange a nut milk bag or cheesecloth over a large bowl, then pour the blended almond mixture into the bag. Carefully squeeze the bag, removing as much liquid from the almond pulp as possible. 

Don’t want to strain it?

Make Almond Butter Milk instead. (It takes about 1 minute.)

almond milk poured into nut milk bag and squeezed.
  • Enjoy!

You can use the almond milk right away, or add any extra flavorings to taste, such as vanilla, maple syrup, or a pinch of sea salt. Transfer the almond milk to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.

Because this recipe doesn’t call for preservatives, it won’t last as long as store-bought milks do. (You’ll be able to tell it’s gone off when the smell or flavor goes sour.)

Be sure to make only what you’ll drink in a week, or plan on freezing the leftovers. You can easily scale the recipe as needed!

reserved almond pulp in bag and almond milk poured into glass jar.

Recipes with Almond MIlk

Now that you’ve mastered making almond milk, here are some easy ways to enjoy it.

Almond Milk FAQs

How can you make it creamier?

Adjust the ratio by using less water per cup of almonds. For example, you could start with just 3 cups of water to 1 cup of almonds for a richer, creamier milk.

Why do you wait to add the flavoring?

Straining the almond milk is significantly more difficult when you add cocoa powder into the mix, so it’s best to strain the almond pulp before adding flavoring. This also keeps the almond pulp neutral-flavored, so you can use it in other recipes later (like hummus, which would not work well with sweet almond pulp).

What can you do with leftover almond pulp?

You can use the wet almond pulp immediately to make a batch of almond pulp hummus, or you can dry the almond pulp in a dehydrator or low-heat oven and save it to use a flour alternative. It’s not quite the same as almond meal, because some of the fat content has been removed, but it can also work similarly to oat flour in recipes. 

homemade almond milk on a cutting board with almonds on the counter.

How to Make Almond Milk

4.88 from 80 votes
Homemade Almond Milk tastes SO MUCH BETTER better than store-bought! I’ll also show you a genius way to use leftover almond pulp to help avoid food waste.
prep10 mins cook0 mins total10 mins
Servings:4 cups

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 4 cups filtered water

Instructions

  • To soak the almonds before blending, cover them with 2 cups of water in a large bowl or jar, and let them soak for 4 to 6 hours. (This step is optional, but may help with blending later if you don't have a powerful blender.) Drain the almonds through a fine mesh strainer before moving on to the next step.
  • Add the almonds and 4 cups of fresh water to a blender. Secure the lid and blend on high-speed for at least 60 seconds, until no pieces of almonds are visible and the mixture looks creamy.
  • Pour the almond milk through a nut-milk bag or cheese cloth, squeezing well to extract the milk. You can save the remaining almond pulp for another recipe (see the full post for ideas) or discard. If you would like to flavor the almond milk with vanilla or chocolate flavorings, this is the time to whisk in any additions.
  • Store the almond milk in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. (You can freeze leftovers, if needed, for up to 3 months, too!)

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for roughly 1 cup of almond milk, but keep in mind that the nutrition calculator is just an estimate. It doesn’t remove the fiber from straining, and it’s hard to estimate how much of the natural fat stays with the almond pulp, or is extracted into the almond milk.
See the full post above for vanilla or chocolate flavor variations.

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.2g | Protein: 4.2g | Fat: 9.8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 102mg | Iron: 1.3mg
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: almond milk, how to make almond milk

If you try this almond milk recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. As a Certified Nutritionist Consultant (CNC), I love to make healthier food using simple ingredients. I test these recipes multiple times in my kitchen to make sure they will turn out perfectly for you.

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Comments

  1. I finally got it!! almond milk that doesn’t separate in coffee. I make my milk in batches of 2 litres so I don’t have to do it everyday. So with 2 cups soaked almonds well rinsed, 8 cups of filtered water, pinch of celtic salt and 1/2 cup soaked sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup soaked sesame seeds, (those two soaked together to make it easier as sesame seeds are very small and fall through the sieve when rinsing, so they attach themselves to the sunflower seeds and I loose less) . Blended together with the almonds and water, then put through the cold press juicer to extract even more nutrients, the almond milk is now perfect, does not curd. tastes beautiful. I thought I’d share :))

  2. I was skeptical at first because I’ve honestly never made almond milk before!! I can’t believe how easy it is and it’s delicious!!! I am using my as coffee creamer!
    Thank you!!

    1. May I ask why is it necessary to discard the soaking water if it is filtered? Why not just use this same water when blending? It seems as though the original water would retain more of the nutrients. Not being critical- Just curious. Thank you-

      1. If you want to use the soaking water for blending, you can! When I was into eating raw foods (over a decade ago!), I learned that soaking almonds helps remove phytic acid, and phytic acid may inhibit iron absorption. So, I’ve always been in the habit of discarding the soaking water and starting with fresh for blending.

  3. My homemade almond milk separates when used for a cup of coffee. I keep having to turn the spoon otherwise it doesn’t look too appetizing. is there any way to stop the milk from separating in the coffee?

  4. I just made this. So simple and tasty. I love the fact that it is 2 ingredients. Never buying store bought again. I Can’t wait to make the hummus. Bravo and thank you.

  5. Very easy to make. I soak my almonds for 11 hours and used 31/2 cups of water to blend. I favored the milk with vanilla and sugar free maple syrup. I used the pulp and made almond hummus, that came out really good too!

  6. Can I use raw sliced almonds to make the almond milk? Would I use the same amount of nuts?