How to Milk an Almond (fresh homemade almond milk, easy)

Step 5 Let "bloom" 24 hours in the fridge, add a bit of salt etc

Let it sit covered in the refrigerator pitcher for 24 hours. You will notice a creamy layer floats on top, but with a few gentle shaking sessions and a day or so in the refrigerator, it will blend nicely and taste superbly creamy. Once that has happened, add sweetener if you choose, and salt a pinch at a time, shaking in between and tasting, until the flavor goes from a little "flat" with no salt, to "better than any milk I ever tasted" (perfect). If not sure, hold back on another pinch of salt because one pinch too many ruins it. If you accidentally do add that one extra pinch past perfect taste, add more sweetener and it will no longer taste salty. Some add vanilla, others add almond extract or other flavors. You can even add dutched cocoa for a creamy sensation.

See how this clings to the glass like the freshest dairy milk? Commercial preparations use thickeners such as guar gum to achieve something similar but their results are inferior. It's hard not to drink it all up the first day, but it's even better the second. Keeps about a week in the refrigerator, but don't leave it out on the counter unless you want to experiment with raw almond yogurt or kefir.

Now you can enjoy lowcarb (depending on type and amount of sweetener if any) delicious vegan milk useful in vegan nogs, cream soups, mac-n-cheese, cream pies, alfredo, and so forth, whilst saving money over wasteful inferior pasteurized storebought concoctions, and keep your almond meal for the same price!

As for the almond meal, that may be another Instructable, but briefly, you spread it out on a half-sheet in a 300 degree F oven stirring a few times here and there until toasty and dry. Store in a jar, use as breadcrumbs, crumb crusts, breading, stuffing, cookies, cakes, and bars, or make into low glycemic granola.

Comments

[Creaturiste]

Hi,

Thanks for this inspiring tutorial.
I am eating a bowl of cereal, with he almond milk I just made.
it was easy once I had a looser mesh to filter with (had to use cheesecloth until I can fin a proper mesh).

But wow, you're left with a lot of almond solids for such a limited amount of "milk".

My first strain (undiluted) was rich and delicious, but the "meal" ammount seemed too much of a financial waste. I love my compost heap, but not THAT much. So I re-blended the same meal again, an extended period of time in the blender at maximum, with more water.
I filtered it again with the cheesecloth (two layers  or three I think), and that let only the fines liquid and particles through.

Basically it appears that I end up with doubling the amount of water like you instruct, but the new amount of liquid also adds more nutrients. Careful with this second filtering. If the mesh is too loose, the milk will be gritty.
The result is a darker almond milk. I think the taste might gain in boldness as it cools in the fridge. It's already good enough for drinking, even unsweetened. Good in my cereals, even better with a touch of Maple syrup.
.

Despite reducing the volume a bit, I still am left with a lot of almond meal. I do not have time to cook that much. So I think i'll feed the compost  with it, and not do that sort of milk very often, except for a treat.
At least, not until I get a decent juicer, which can also make almond milk.
It might extract more stuff than your process with my current equipment.

Thanks fro a fun experiment, and a way to make a cheaper, yet better almond milk than anything I've tasted from a store!

[megmaine]

you're welcome! I also wrote an instructable on how to make the almond meal you get into a dry breakfast cereal that is good (with the almond milk).
You can dry your almond milk on cookie sheets in the oven, then store it in canisters, for use in baking, for crumb toppings, granolas, cereals, added to quick breads, crumb crusts, etc.

[cRandy]

Compost?  freeze it, add to breads if your into making your own bread, add it into granola or topping on ice cream, into soups or other recipes - it's like you're just drinking the essense and losing the bulk of the almond's food value.

[ruthy nov]

Thanks! that is great!  One remark,  it is best to peel the thin brown peel of the almond. Just pour some hot water and let is stay for about 15-30 minutes. Then squeez the almond between your thumb and finger and it will jump out. The brown peel is not healthy.
Thanks for a very good instructable! (please forgive my spelling mistakes. I harkly ever speak English).

[megmaine]

Why is it best to peel the almonds?
Just so the rest of us know, what is unhealthy about the brown peel?
And thank you for the nice explanation of how to get rid of it when desired.

Thank you for taking the time to write in English. I wish I were able to speak and write your language, whatever it is, and I am thankful to you for going to the trouble to write in my language.

Would your language perhaps be Russian? I ask because of the part "Nov" in your alias, thinking of Russian word for "new". If so, I should thank you with what little Russian I remember.

[koga95]

whut i found is that if you eat to meny the brown skin is poison.... you whould need to eat several pounds werth

[ruthy nov]

Hi Megmaine, I was told by my grandmother - who knew quite a lot of medicine - to peel almonds. Now I looked and asked around and - the Memorial University in Canada made a large research about nuts and almonds. It was found that the brown thin peel has 10 times more anti-oxidants than the almond itself! So it seems that we should eat the brown with the white of the almond. We peel it when we need to grind or chop it or to make almond milk and so on. As to your wondering about my name and language - I am from Israel, our language is Hebrew - the language in which the Holy Bible was written. This language was dormant for almost 2000 years, and we revived it. I speak exactly the way the Bible is written. NOV was the town of priests and chaplins, not far from Jerusalem. Thanks for your interest!

[rochelheise]

Hey Ruthy Nov,

Any advice on where I can find a direct Hebrew- English Bible translation. Or what is the most popular used Bible where you are from? That is so cool that you speak Hebrew!

[teeps]

Little research.... this website says that, "almond skins are high in tannins, hard to digest, and very astringent".

This website on the other hand, says that most of the good stuff in almonds is concentrated in the peel.

That's all I got for now :)  Thanks for the instructable!

[seaking363]

I love almond milk !
Thanks for such an easy process never figured it could be that hard I just never look for a way to make it.
Thanks

[meismeems]

I've heard that the almond skin has something in it that keeps the almonds from sprouting. I don't think the skin is 'poison', but I've made almond milk with the skins and it's kind of a brownish tan color, not as appetizing as the pure white color.

[megmaine]

Go figure. I use them skins and all, and mine does come out white. I wonder why?

[meismeems]

maybe I didn't soak mine the time I tried it. I'd rather make the milk w/o taking the skins off, it's a PITA.

[t.g.j.]

this does sound quite beastly i will have to try. :)

[megmaine]

Had to smile at the "beastly" part, because it is in fact, "beast-free".
Tickled my fancy.
Here in Maine, we use the term "wicked" to the same effect, to describe something great, cool, or extreme. A common usage is "wicked good" which sounds to many like a contradiction.

I do hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed both making it and sharing it. Cheers!

[Stephen D. Alverez]

Strange, in Vermont we use sick. As in that apple pie is SICK. OR You'r SICK? hope you feel better!
Great instructable though, love almond milk!

[Mig Welder]

Cool! I'll definitely have to try this out

[megmaine]

Hope you like it as much as I do, it really is a great easy way to do it.