Making your own dairy free milk is actually really easy! It helps save a lot of money because store bought nut and rice milks can be expensive. They also usually have added sugar, oil, salt, and other "natural flavors." Here are some simple recipes!
Almond Milk
Ingredients:
2. Discard soaking water and rinse.
3. Blend the 3 cups of water and almonds until well blended and almost smooth. Strain using a nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or other fine strainer.
New Discovery: Nylons work great!!!! If you get a run in your nylons, don't throw them away. Wash them and they are the perfect replacement for a nut milk bag!
Cashew Milk
Ingredients:
2. Discard soaking water and rinse cashews.
3. Place soaked cashews and 2 cups water into a blender and blend until smooth.
You can use more or less water to vary the thickness of your raw cashew milk, depending on your personal preference, but in general, you want a 1:4 ratio of cashews to water. You can also strain the cashew milk.
Oat Milk
Blend 1 cup cooked oatmeal with 4-5 cups hot water until smooth. This will thicken up when it cools. You can add more or less water depending on how you like it and you can strain it if you want.
Simple and Fast Rice Milk
1 cup cooked brown rice (fresh is better, but not necessary)
4 cups water (warm is better, but not necessary)
Put in a high speed blender or food processor until smooth, then strain through a nut milk bag, cheese cloth, a fine mesh strainer, or an old (but clean) pair of nylons.
Wonderful Creamy Rice Milk (when you have more time and energy)
1. Boil 5 cups water
2. Add 1 cup soaked uncooked brown rice (for benefits and instructions on soaking, go here:
Soaking to increase digestion and mineral absorption)
3. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours (make sure the water doesn't run out!)
It will look like soupy rice pudding.
In batches, fill your blender halfway with the rice mixture and halfway with water. Blend until very smooth. Strain.
If the holes in your strainer are too big, the rice milk ends up thick. If looks like rice cream, you can either try straining it again or adding more water to dilute it.
Additions to flavor up your milk!
I usually use my milk in smoothies, ice cream, or other recipes so I don't usually add extra ingredients. However, if you will be drinking it by itself or just want to add some extra flavor, here are a few things that I've tried:
Almond Milk
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw almonds
- water for soaking (for benefits and instructions on soaking, go here: Soaking to increase digestion and mineral absorption)
- 3 cups water
2. Discard soaking water and rinse.
3. Blend the 3 cups of water and almonds until well blended and almost smooth. Strain using a nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or other fine strainer.
New Discovery: Nylons work great!!!! If you get a run in your nylons, don't throw them away. Wash them and they are the perfect replacement for a nut milk bag!
Cashew Milk
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- water
2. Discard soaking water and rinse cashews.
3. Place soaked cashews and 2 cups water into a blender and blend until smooth.
You can use more or less water to vary the thickness of your raw cashew milk, depending on your personal preference, but in general, you want a 1:4 ratio of cashews to water. You can also strain the cashew milk.
Oat Milk
Blend 1 cup cooked oatmeal with 4-5 cups hot water until smooth. This will thicken up when it cools. You can add more or less water depending on how you like it and you can strain it if you want.
Simple and Fast Rice Milk
1 cup cooked brown rice (fresh is better, but not necessary)
4 cups water (warm is better, but not necessary)
Put in a high speed blender or food processor until smooth, then strain through a nut milk bag, cheese cloth, a fine mesh strainer, or an old (but clean) pair of nylons.
Wonderful Creamy Rice Milk (when you have more time and energy)
1. Boil 5 cups water
2. Add 1 cup soaked uncooked brown rice (for benefits and instructions on soaking, go here:
Soaking to increase digestion and mineral absorption)
3. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours (make sure the water doesn't run out!)
It will look like soupy rice pudding.
In batches, fill your blender halfway with the rice mixture and halfway with water. Blend until very smooth. Strain.
If the holes in your strainer are too big, the rice milk ends up thick. If looks like rice cream, you can either try straining it again or adding more water to dilute it.
Additions to flavor up your milk!
I usually use my milk in smoothies, ice cream, or other recipes so I don't usually add extra ingredients. However, if you will be drinking it by itself or just want to add some extra flavor, here are a few things that I've tried:
- blend in a couple of dates
- add a pinch of sea salt (if you are soaking your nuts in salt you won't need to do this)
- vanilla or almond extract
- honey, agave nectar, stevia
- You can also mix your milks or experiment with different nuts, grains, and seeds. I have also made milks by combining things like sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, hemp seeds, walnuts, pecans, coconut, and millet. The recipes I posted were just the simplest and best tasting.
- Also, don't throw out your nut pulp or rice pulp (the stuff left over after straining). Use it in cookies, pancakes, crackers, breads, pies, hot and cold cereals, or smoothies. Check out a nut pulp pie crust recipe here: Raw Vegan Apple Pecan Pie