Everyone loves some dairy-free milk in our coffee, smoothies, baking recipes, and just plain in a cup. There are lots of great options out there in the market to choose from, but most of them have some added ingredients that you may be trying to avoid, or maybe you want to cut cost and waste by making your own. Whatever the case, here are three super easy, super clean, plant-based milk recipes you can try out at home.
Almond Milk
Almond milk is a classic and crowd favourite so we’ll start with this one.
- 1 cup of raw almonds
- 4 cups of water
- Cover almonds with water leaving enough space for them to expand as they soak and let sit overnight.
- The next day, drain and rinse the almonds.
- Optional: Peel the almonds. I like to peel mine since the skin is hard to digest and contains certain compounds that inhibit nutrient absorption. This can be pretty time consuming, so make sure you have some time and maybe play your favourite show or listen to a podcast as you peel.
- Blend almonds with 4 cups of water for about a minute. Make sure the almonds are as finely blended as possible.
- Strain milk. You can use a nut milk bag if you own one, but a fine cheesecloth or a clean tea towel works just as well. Make sure to squeeze as much of the water out of the pulp as possible.
- Enjoy!
You can use this fresh almond milk in your baking creations. Try it in this vegan chocolate peppermint mousse next time you’re craving a healthy treat!
Cashew Hemp Milk
- 1 cup of raw cashews
- 4 tbs of hemp hearts
- 5 cups of water
- Cover cashews with water leaving enough space for them to expand as they soak and let sit overnight.
- The next day, drain and rinse the cashews.
- Place the cashews in a blender with 4-5 cups of water and add hemp hearts. Blend for about a minute or long enough for a fine blend.
- Strain milk. You can use a nut milk bag if you own one, but a fine cheesecloth or a clean tea towel works just as well. Make sure to squeeze as much of the water out of the pulp as possible.
- Sip!
Oat Milk
- 1 cup of oats
- 4 cups of water
- Blend 4 cups of cool water with one cup of raw oats.
- Blend for about 20-30 seconds.
- Strain milk. A cheesecloth or nut milk bag lets out too much of the pulp with oat milk so opt for a clean towel or a fine knit cloth like a t-shirt.
- NOTE: Don’t over-blend oats or use warm water, this makes the milk slimy in texture. You can warm it up after straining for warm drinks.
Get Creative
Don’t throw out your nut pulp! The leftover pulp from your milk can be used to make delicious recipes like these almond pulp brownie balls. The pulp can also be dried on a sheet in the oven at low heat and used as flour for grain-free baking!
You can play with the water to nut/oat ratio in all of these recipes depending on how concentrated you want the flavor. Err on the side of less water though. You can always add more water to the milk when you finish, but if it’s too watery off the bat you’ll have to do some more soaking, blending, and straining.
Feel free to experiment with different combinations, flavourings and sweeteners for these drinks. Different nut and seed medleys work great for plan-based drinks.
Here are some options to sweeten and flavour your milks.
Sweeteners
- Maple syrup
- Dates
- Honey
- Coconut sugar
Flavourings
- Cinnamon
- Cocoa
- Vanilla extract
Let us know what your favourite dairy-free milk recipe is and Add vegan yogurt “yoggu” to your cart!
