Things You Should Make Yourself - Almond Milk

This is the first part in an on-going series of things you should make yourself. Not only is homemade better, tastier, and healthier - it's usually far less expensive!

What motivates you to learn to make something yourself? For me, it was Almond Dream changing the formula on their almond milk. They were the only brand I had been able to find that did not contain carrageenan, a seaweed additive I have a sensitivity to. It makes me sick so I avoid it as much as possible and I especially cannot consume beverages with it. When I noticed it was now in the almond milk I was consuming, I got mad and then I got smart.

I started venting to my vegan friend, Morgan (who has a fantastic vegan blog) and she said "girl, why are you not already making your own almond milk?"

The answer was simple, I just hadn't thought of it!

Using Morgan's terrific and easy recipe I tweaked it to work for my personal taste - I use 1 cup nuts to 6 cups water and leave the rest the same, skipping the hemp powder.

I found my own version of almond milk nirvana!

I used to use almond milk in cooking and baking and to splash on cereal but I was never one to pour myself a glass and drink it up ... that is, until I started making my own!

I've been making it for awhile now and I make it at least once a week, sometimes two. You can make it unsweetened for cooking too (just skip the sweetener and vanilla, keep the oil)

Morgan gives you great direction and she even has a link to her sisters blog that has a video of her making the milk!

I do highly recommend buying a nut milk bag. It will make life so much easier. I ordered mine off Amazon.com and there is a direct link to it at the bottom of my blog. You can also get the cacao powder and make chocolate almond milk. Yummy!

I keep my almond milk in quart sized Ball canning jars. It's easy to store and I can just shake it up before using. I also date mine with a sticker each time so I'm sure to use it up within 5 days.

I use medjool dates in mine since I don't like Stevia and I'm not a big fan of agave since it's processed. Dates give you fiber and vitamins and minerals and they are all natural!

I used to have a Ninja brand blender and it worked great for almond milk. I now have a Vita Mix  and it works even better but don't assume you need one to make almond milk. Any decent blender with some power should work. Bed, Bath & Beyond has the Ninja ... use one of their coupons and save 20%!

The best part of making my own almond milk? It costs 1/3 what I was paying for the store bought almond milk!

If you try making your own, let me know how you like it!