I have to say it right away – I love me some home-made almond milk! I love the taste of it and would not mind drinking it every day! If you are trying to cut back on your dairy intake or if you are lactose intolerant, almond milk is a great milk alternative that has a lot of health benefits as well. You can add it to your oats or cereal for breakfast, to your smoothies, or just have it on its own.

According to milk.co.uk approximately 70% of the world’s population produces low levels of lactase – the enzyme produced in the digestive system – which is essential to complete the digestion of whole milk. Many people are lactose intolerant and yet they do not know it.

I will dedicate one of my next posts to cow’s milk and the reason I have given it up. But for now let’s focus on this delicious alternative – almond milk.

Almond milk contains more vitamins and minerals than soy milk or rice milk. It is a good source of vitamin E – a powerful antioxidant that can prevent cancer and slow the signs of ageing. It has no cholesterol and saturated fats (unlike cow’s milk), so it is good for your cardiovascular system; and it contains omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower your “bad” LDL cholesterol and improve your cognitive function. Boom! Need I say more?

It is so easy to make home-made almond milk , and I would always recommend you to make it at home instead of buying it from the supermarket. This guarantees that you really get the best out of it, with no added preservatives and sweeteners.

What You Need:

Equipment

• Blender
• Nut milk bag / cheese cloth (available on Amazon.com and in some health food stores).

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw almonds, preferably organic
• 4 cups of filtered water (if you like it a bit thinner like me)
• Sweeteners like honey, stevia or dates (maybe some vanilla or cinnamon if you like)

Instructions

1. Soak the almonds for a minimum of 4 hours. Best is to leave them soaking overnight. Place the almonds in a bowl and cover them with water. They will expand as they absorb some of the water.
2. Drain and rinse the almonds. Drain the almonds from the soaking water and rinse well under cold running water.
3. Place the almonds and filtered water in the blender.
4. Blend at highest speed. Blend until the almonds are finely blended and the water becomes white.
5. Strain the almonds. Use a nut milk bag or cheese cloth to strain the almond milk. Squeeze and press gently with clean hands to extract as much almond milk as possible.
6. Sweeten to taste. Add your preferred sweetener to make your almond milk sweeter (and add cinnamon or vanilla) .  
7. Keep it in the fridge. Store the almond milk in a sealed bottle in the fridge for up to three days. 

Don’t be surprised if the milk separates while in the fridge, this is normal. Just give it a good shake before you pour.

Enjoy!