Raw Almond Milk

May 15, 2012

Raw Almond Milk

One resolution I made when I started the raw journey was to invest time in homemade foods rather than buying them ready-made; that includes making my own raw nut milks and the first I tried was the almond. Since I now add dates to smoothies for sweetness I decided to make a simple almond milk, free of sweeteners and flavourings. When I tasted the homemade version I realised just how much of those two are added to the store-bought milk. Not only is the homemade one healthier, it also takes a lot less time to prepare it than to make a trip to the supermarket.

In a previous post on Raw Brownies I mentioned one of my favourite raw food chefs Chaya Ryvka. In her video on Everyday Dish she demonstrates how to make raw almond milk and talks about its health benefits. The recipe is very simple: 1 part soaked almonds (organic, raw) to 3 parts water (spring or purified).

For my first attempt I used 100 g almonds (soaked, that's about 3/4 cup) - so 3/4 cup soaked almonds and 2 1/4 cups water (I used bottled spring water). Here's how to make it:
  • Put the almonds in a glass bowl, give them a good rinse, drain and add 1 1/2 - 2 cups water. Let them soak overnight or at least 6-8 hours. Drain the bitter, dark-coloured water, rinse and drain again. Soaking the almonds starts the germination process, makes them tastier and easier to digest and neutralizes the enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid present in the skin. To make full use of the antioxidant and cholesterol-lowering power of almonds, leave the skin on while blending. On this occasion I wanted a nice white colour for my almond milk, so I peeled the almonds one by one:) I then gave them one final rinse and put them in the blender.

If you have a high-power blender like the Vitamix, just follow Chaya's instructions. For lack of such a blender I made this in 2 steps:
  • I put the almonds along with 3/4 cup water (1 part) in a low-power mini food processor and blended for 15-20 seconds until the almonds were broken into small pieces.
  • Then I transferred everything to a tall jug, added the remaining 2 parts water and used a high-power immersion blender to make the milk, another 30 seconds - 1 minute (the temperature of the milk will increase a bit, so make sure it doesn't get too warm, as that will destroy the enzymes).
I used a piece of cheesecloth folded in two and strained the milk, squeezing gently from top and bottom until the remaining pulp was almost dry.

Raw Almond Pulp

100 g almonds yield about 500 ml milk and 3/4 cup pulp. Pour the milk in a glass jar, close it tightly and refrigerate. It keeps for up to 4 days. The longer the soaking time, the less it keeps. Shake before use. The pulp can be kept in a bowl, covered with cling film and refrigerated for later use. Check out these Chocolate Balls that I made with almond pulp, they are very easy to prepare and absolutely delicious.

Almond milk has a smooth, creamy, silky texture and a neutral flavour. It is great on its own or in smoothies. It provides high quality protein, heart-healthy fats, zero cholesterol and more nutrient density for less calories than most nut milks (more details on the chocolate balls link above).

Enjoy and spread the magic!:)


I put a lot of time, effort and passion into each recipe I post. My greatest satisfaction comes from your feedback. If you made this recipe, please take a minute of your time to leave a comment below. And if you like it, please share it so that others have access to it as well. Thank you all in advance!

6 comments:

Peneleapaí

I didn't make the recipe (copied and pasted for to-do list in future however! Am on a 42 day water fast at the moment. So when i'm done!), but just wanted to leave a comment, because am impressed with your attitude, and philosophy. Your spirit has touched me. Your integrity si a compliment to the fruits of the tree and plant which you use in your creative kitchen. Blessings on your continued joyful journey. Peneleapaí (Co. Clare, Ireland) x

Vegan Magic

Hi Peneleapai and thank you so much for visiting my blog:)

I am deeply touched by your kind words. I'm not very good with words, but to the best of my abilities I try to express through my posts the passion I have for food, more recently for raw food, and to share my knowledge so that others may benefit from it just as I did when I started the vegan journey 3 years ago.

I'm happy you chose this recipe for later use, raw almond milk is one of the best things I've tasted and provides a lot of health benefits. I am planning to try different versions of raw milks which I hope you'll enjoy just as much.

Congratulations on your strong will to go through such a long water fast, I too need to do it at some point and hopefully I'll do at least 30 days.

I am grateful to you for taking the time to comment and hope to be in touch more in the future:) Love and peace!

disha

Hey thank u sooo much for the recipe i have turned complete vegan and its just 48 hrs thank god u said that its has zero cholestrol i was under impression that nut milk are high in cholestrol so i thought to avoid it and was wondering what options i have in hand but still as a beginner please can u guide me which is the non dairy milk i can have everyday
And please show how to make non dairy curd and butter that is the most i miss on bcoz my country do not provide non dairy butter and curd please can you show how to make it

Anonymous

Please let me know what brand coconut milk you us

Vegan Magic

Disha, thank you very much for writing and congratulations on making this change!:) Even more than raw almond milk I love raw hazelnut milk, you can give both a try and see how you feel about them. Other non-dairy milks I have tried and enjoyed are rice, oat, cashew, hemp, coconut and soy (trying to avoid soy and now I mostly drink almond milk and coconut milk). There is also flax milk, a very nutritious one that I look forward to trying. I don't make butter at home, because I was never a big fan of it. On the rare occasions that I do need some form of butter in cooking/baking I buy vegan margarine and that works fine. There are several recipes online, but since I haven't tried them I don't know which one to recommend. As for yogurt, the only kind I'd be interested in making is coconut. It requires getting some ingredients that are not widely available and a certain temperature to help the fermentation process. I guess at some point I will give it a try and if successful I will share my experience on the blog. There are many recipes with videos, but my favourite is the Coconut Yogurt by Elaina Love from Pure Joy Planet (on youtube). I hope this helps. Wishing you all the best on this new journey:)

Vegan Magic

Anonymous, are you referring to the carton type or the canned one? Also where are you based? Not all brands are available worldwide.

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