Have you ever looked at the ingredients listed on a carton of store-bought nut, seed, or oat milk? Technically, I should refer to it as “beverage” since it’s not milk. If you have, then you are familiar with the words Gellan Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Locust Bean Gum, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin/Mineral Blend and my favorite, Natural Flavor. I don’t know what any of those mean. What is natural flavoring? What is a vitamin/mineral blend? While there are many brands from which to pick, they all have plenty of preservatives (even if the carton says no artificial ingredients). Why not make your own since it’s so simple, taster, and healthier? This leads me to my post on “Easy Milk Substitute: 3 Ingredients with lots of Versatility”.
Any nut, seed, oat, or even coconut flakes can sub for milk
I have been making my own milk beverage for 4-5 years now. I have made many variations with different ingredients. Almond is my preferred milk, but I have also made coconut and oat beverages. If you know how to make a basic nut or oat “milk” beverage, you will never run out of milk. Forget running to the store before a big snowstorm hits, just make sure your pantry stays stocked with nuts, seeds, oats and/or coconut flakes (or chunks). I have used these beverages in place of milk to make homemade breads and sauces (like béchamel) for pasta or desserts. These easy milk substitute beverages work really well in place of regular milk.
Making your own milk beverage allows so much control of texture and flavor.
You can make it as thick or thin as you want, savory or sweet, flavored or not. I have played around with different variations over the years. I have used a variety of nuts, oats, and coconut along with different sweeteners and flavorings. Once you have a basic version, you can change it up depending on your mood or for any specific purpose.
Here’s to a basic version.
For this post, I wanted to present a basic version of almond beverage that Scott and I use in our morning oats and cereal. This version is not very sweet or thick but works great as a (skim) milk alternative. We often mix it with whole milk in our cereal to get a nice richness with almond flavoring. There are so many variations and suggestions in the recipe, so you can modify my version to fit your preferences.
If you would like a visual of this process, see my video entitled “3-Ingredient Milk Substitute: Versatile, Easy, Fresh, and Healthy“. You see the step-by-step process and get a close up of the milk consistency at different stages.
These easy milk substitutes only require nuts/seeds/oats/or coconut, sweetener, and salt… don’t forget the water.
3-Ingredient Milk Substitute: Versatile, Easy, Fresh, and Healthy
Ingredients
Soaking Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts (any nut) whole and raw are best (no shells)
- ½ tsp salt
- filtered water enough to cover nuts by 1 inch
Milk Substitute Beverage Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds or whatever nut that was soaked (at this point you can use dry oats, hulled hemp seeds, or coconut flakes) all nuts that were soaked or other substitute
- 1 tsp salt
- 2-5 tbsp honey, maple syrup, any granulated sugar or other sweetener or 1-3 pitted dates
- 4-8 cups water, depending on your preferred thickness 4 cups = 2% – whole milk consistency: 8 cups = skim – 1% milk consistency
Optional Ingredients (not necessarily together)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼-½ tsp almond extract
- ¼ tsp rose water
- ½ cup berries strawberries, blueberries, etc.
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Instructions
Soaking Directions
- In a small bowl, add nuts, salt, and cover well with filtered water. The nuts will expand as they sit, so be sure to cover them up to an inch or so above. Leave the bowl on the counter for at least 8 hours (in the morning before work or overnight).
- After at least 8 hours of soaking, rinse and drain the almonds using a colander or strainer.
Milk Substitute Beverage Directions
- In a high-speed blender, add the drained nuts. If you are using seeds, oats, or coconut, you do not need to soak them; just add them to the blender.
- Add salt, sweetener of choice, and optional flavorings. Pour in enough water to cover the nuts, seeds, oats, or coconut.
- Blend on low and slowly increase the speed (up to 6 on a Vitamix). Blend until the nuts are broken down.
- Stop the blender, remove the lid, and add the remaining water, if using up to 4-5 cups total. If using more water, leave out the last 3-4 cups. Turn on the blender and blend for another few seconds just to get it all blended well.
- If adding up to 8 cups water total, add the remaining water and blend for another 15 to 20 seconds.
- Strain the milk to separate it from the pulp. You can use double/triple folded cheese cloth, a clean kitchen towel, nut bag, or use 2 fine mesh strainers stacked. A kitchen towel is the best option for eliminating all the pulp from the milk. If you don't mind a little pulp, then any of the other options are fine.
- Ladle the milk into a jar with a lid. Place in fridge and use within 4-5 days. Be sure to shake the bottle well before pouring as the milk will separate.
Video
Notes
There’s no reason to run out of milk!
Regardless of the weather or whether or not you have milk in your fridge, if you keep nuts, seeds, coconut flakes, or oats on hand, you will always have milk. In addition, you control what goes into your milk, how it’s processed, and flavored. Homemade milk to drink or milk to use in cooking or baking is what I call being self-sufficient!
Interested in these other posts about almonds?
German Stollen using Almond Flour
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time, go bake the world!