Nothing will feel more empowering than making your own nut milk at home. And good news for you: nothing could be easier!
Here are your ingredients: 1 cup nuts (your choice! You could do a blend of different nuts, or a combo of nuts and seeds) 4 cups water
Here are your directions: Place nuts in bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak for a few hours (or overnight).
Remove skin from nuts (be sure to read the Why section! This is important and should not be skipped). They’ll look like this:
Combine nuts and 4 cups water in blender, and blend for 30 seconds. Place a tea towel or kitchen towel in a pitcher (you could purchase and use a nut milk bag, but why spend the extra $). Pour nut liquid into towel-lined pitcher. It will look like this:
Then, pull and squeeze towel, until all liquid is pressed into pitcher and nut pulp is removed. You can also make your own nut flour by drying the pulp for two hours at 200˚F. Adios, Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour!
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Then, enjoy with coffee, granola, or anything you like!
Why: Many of you use almond milk as a dairy replacement, which is a healthy switch, especially if you are lactose intolerant or if lactose is disrupting your intestinal microbiome (which creates GI distress and discomfort). Nut milks offer up to 50% more calcium than dairy milk, and homemade nut milk ensures there are no added preservatives or thickeners. What does soaking the nuts and removing their skins accomplish? It removes the phytates and enzyme inhibitors that prevent the nut’s own vitamins and minerals from being absorbed. THIS article provides a great explanation!