Home-made almond milk is so much tastier than that bought in cartons and is easy to make, especially if you have a high-speed blender. We use the Optimum 9200 from Froothie easy to use, easy to clean. The Retro Super Blend can also cope well with nuts, but we tend to use that for smoothies and the Optimum for milk as it has a slightly larger capacity.

Almonds are the king of the nut world in terms of nutrients: they are alkaline and full of vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, Calcium and Vitamin D.  1 oz or 28g (a small handful) contains about 6g of protein. Most of the fat content is the healthier mono-unsaturated type.

So, have a go at making your own, it is a very satisfying activity. Because it is a very hands-on exercise, do make sure you wash your hands and nails thoroughly before starting.

All ingredients are organic where possible. This recipe makes about 1 litre.

You will need something to strain the milk, we use a nut milk bag bought on Amazon and still going strong a year later. It is easy to rinse out afterwards, do it straightaway under running hot water and hang up to air dry.

Method

Soak 1 Cup Raw Almonds overnight in enough filtered water to cover them.

They will look plump after soaking.

Drain and rinse. The rinse water removes phytates which bind to minerals in the body and prevent absorption.

Pour the soaked almonds into the blender with:

3 or 4 Cups Filtered Water, depending how creamy you like it

1 or 2 Pitted Medjool Dates, depending on how sweet you like it

A good pinch of Pink Himalayan Salt

Optional: 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Blend on Fast for about 60 secs.

Strain gently through a nut milk bag or muslin cloth into a large jug.

Let it run through first, then very gently begin to squeeze. Don’t be too enthusiastic about this or you’ll end up with more on you and the work surface than in the jug! Be patient. It’s worth it.

It can keep up to 4 days in an airtight jug or glass bottle (see Grip & Go below) in the fridge, but I doubt you will manage to make it last that long! It’s too good.

Ps You can dry the pulp on the lowest setting of the oven and use it as flour, in veggie burgers, or as it is in raw treats etc. See here for my Raw Pitch Dark Figgy Almond Slices.

Copyright: Chris McGowan