Homemade Almond Milk

I used to down a gallon of 2% milk every two days...at least.

I stopped drinking dairy milk probably a year ago. And in the past six months the only dairy I have had is grass fed butter. In the past two weeks I have also treated myself to some amazingly delicious grass fed ice cream. Shhh...

So what now?

I make my own almond milk! And it's super easy. I am not a fan of store bought almond milk because there are always unnecessary ingredients.

So here is how I make my almond milk:

You will need:
-2 cups of raw almonds
-about 8 cups filtered water

Optional ingredients:
-pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean
-pure organic maple syrup

Directions:

Soak the almonds in four cups of water overnight.

Give them a good rinse after they are done soaking. Now, at this point you can peel the almonds, which is really easy after they've been soaking, but this is completely optional. Don't wanna peel them? Then don't! I prefer to peel them if I'm not being lazy. I find if they've soaked long enough you can pinch an almond in between your fingers and they pop right out of the skin. 

Now blend the almonds with the reading four cups of filtered water. I use a Nutribullet so I do this in two batches. Make sure you blend them up really well. 

Next strain the mixture in a nut milk bag (I got mine off Amazon) and squeeze out all the extra moisture. A fine mesh sieve and cheesecloth might work too, but maybe not as well. At this point you can add a lil splash of vanilla and/or maple syrup to sweeten your milk. I usually don't sweeten mine as I use it mostly for smoothies. 

Store in the refrigerator for 5-7 days in a sealed jar. 

As for the leftover almond pulp...don't toss it! You can use it to make almond flour. Set your oven at the lowest temperature. Spread the pulp on a pan lined with parchment paper. You can leave the oven cracked open to help reduce moisture. It will take a few hours at least, probably longer. Once it's completely dry give it a whirl in a food processor and store it in an airtight jar. 

You can also just store the pulp, without dehydrating it, in the fridge for a few days and add it to smoothies. Or just toss if you're lazy! 

Next I'll be sharing my favorite breakfast smoothie with you all!