5 Ingredient Homemade Sugar Free Vanilla Bean -Cinnamon Almond Milk

Saving money by making your own almond or oat milk is easier than you think. Just soak nuts or oats, drain, add dates, vanilla & cinnamon, blend and stir. Done!

Homemade Almond milk is thick and creamy and easier to make than you think.

Why this recipe works:

Almond or oat milk only requires buying raw organic almonds, soak them overnight in water at room temperature- throw in a big jar. Drain, add fresh water, vanilla, cinnamon a couple of pitted dates to sweeten and blend. Strain out the solids, which takes just minutes, and there you have it- almond milk.

2. The only special equipment you need is a high power blender and cheesecloth.

3. You do not need to do any baking. Just soak the nuts overnight to soften them so they pulverize better in the blender.

4. This nut beverage last 3-4 days on the fridge, so this recipe is for a small batch. No waste.

5. Use the leftover pulp for a body scrub or compost. Just add the pulp to solid coconut oil, organic sugar and add in essential oils like lavender for a great body scrub.

A high powder blender is an absolute must for this recipe.

It’s Earth Day today and I thought I would share a recipe for something that seems “green” at the grocery store, but really is not.

You may be buying an oat or almond beverage these days instead of tradtional milk. Hunky Hubbie and I love the stuff. We put it in our cereal, coffee, cakes, and smoothies. But, it turns out almond milk uses tons of water to produce on a commercial scale and has a massive carbon footprint. But compared to dairy cattle, almonds use about half as much water. Now, I love a glass of cold milk with cookies as much as the next person, but if I can make one little change like adding homemade almond or oat milk to my cereal or smoothies-it helps the planet.

Add a dash of organic vanilla, cinnamon and a few pitted dates for sweetness and flavor.

Here’s how you do it:

Soak.

Blend.

Strain.

After soaking the almonds overnight, drain- use the soaking water on your houseplants or in your garden

Use the almond meal solids in your compost, or better yet, as an amazing body scrub- Yay! No waste!

Pour the “milk” into a cheesecloth lined strainer to separate the nut solids

Enjoy!

Protect our planet- its the only one we’ve got.

Homemade Almond Milk – makes 4 cups

1 cup raw almonds or old fashioned whole oats
4 cups fresh water
2 pitted Medjool dates
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method- prep time- 8 hours

Soak almonds overnight in a bowl or large jar filled with water. Drain after 8 hours and rinse the nuts.
Place drained almonds in a high power blender with 4 cups of cold fresh water, dates, vanilla and cinnamon. Process on high for 2-3 minutes. The mixture will be thick and creamy.
Place several layers of cheese cloth over a fine mesh strainer and place that over a large bowl (see photo). Pour the nut mixture through the cheesecloth. Gather up the corners of the cloth and squeeze the mixture to release all the the “milk”. Set the solids or “almond meal” aside for later use. * See chef’s notes about ideas for the almond meal.
Pour the almond milk into a bottle with a stopper and chill.
The almond milk will last 3-4 days in the fridge. Shake well before using.

What to do with the almond meal?

Compost it- just toss the solids into your compost bin.
Add a bit of mineral oil and a drop of two of an essential oil and place in a jar to use for a body scrub.
Make almond flour. Spread the almond solids in a thin layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 200 degrees for 2 hours. Once completely dry, process again your blender to create almond meal flour.