Homemade Nut Milk - No Straining
2-Minute Nut Milk
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup hemp hearts
1/3 cup almonds
2 tbsp vanilla extract
5 cups filtered water
Place everything in a high-speed blender, such as a VitaMix. A regular blender will work but it won’t grind the nuts and seeds as finely to make the milk creamy, which is perfectly fine for smoothies and breakfast bowls, but maybe not for your morning coffee or tea.
Blend on high for 30 seconds.
Pour into a jar and refrigerate. Shake before using.
The Nut Butter Shortcut
This is the fastest method. It takes only one minute and creates zero waste.
2 tablespoons of smooth raw nut butter (like almond, cashew, or walnut)
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)
A pinch of salt (optional)
Put all the ingredients into your blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth and milky. Pour it directly over your cereal and enjoy.
The Raw Cashew Method
Cashews are soft nuts. When you blend raw cashews, they break down so finely that you do not need to strain them. What you need:
1/2 cup of raw, unsalted cashews
2 cups of water
1 pitted date or 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup (optional for sweetness)
A pinch of salt
Soak the cashews in hot water for 15 minutes to soften them up, then drain. Add the cashews, 2 cups of fresh water, and your optional add-ins to a high-speed blender. Blend on high for 60 to 90 seconds until the liquid is completely smooth and creamy.
Homemade nut milk has no preservatives. Store any extra milk in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator and use it within 3 to 4 days. Always give the jar a good shake before pouring it into your cereal bowl, as the natural oils may separate from the water.
How to Make Creamy Almond Milk without straining
I was pondering how to make really creamy almond milk, without having to strain it through a messy nut milk bag.
Solution: make almond paste first.
1. Soak 1 cup of raw almonds overnight in filtered water until soft. Rub off skins.
2. Grind up the soaked almonds into a smooth paste, using just enough water to keep the blades moving.
3. Add prepared almond paste to blender with more water to make the consistency you want (about 1/3 of the paste to 600-700 ml water). Blend for a few seconds and bingo! You have creamy almond milk. No need to strain it and no waste.
Note: 1 cup of raw almonds will make about 2 liters of almond milk. It will keep fresh in the fridge for about 5 days.
Almond Milk - No Straining
Slivered Almonds: The key to making this almond milk is to use slivered almonds, rather than whole almonds. Slivered almonds already have the skins removed from them, which means that they’ll blend really easily. It’s perfect!
1 Cup Slivered Almonds
4 Cups Water
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
To make this almond milk, add all of the ingredients (the slivered almonds, water, vanilla extract, and maple syrup) to a blender. Blend on high-speed until the milk is perfectly smooth and creamy.
Transfer the milk into a jar and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Add it to your favorite recipes.
Store it in the fridge. It should stay good for up to one week!
5-Minute Homemade Walnut Milk (No Soaking or Straining)
Blending walnuts and filtered water alone is the simplest way to make it, yielding a thick, creamy and very nutty result. But by adding a touch of pure maple syrup (and a little salt to bring out the flavor), it cuts down on the nuttiness and brings up the sweetness to create a delicious dairy-free milk!
I find this milk is perfect for enjoying over a bowl of granola, in matcha or coffee, or as a non-dairy milk option for your favorite smoothies. Plus, it's easily customizable in terms of texture and sweetness depending on how you like it. You can even turn it into chocolate milk!
To turn this into chocolate milk, add a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and an extra tablespoon of maple syrup. The chocolate masks the bitter walnut flavor and makes for a delicious coffee creamer.
A high speed blender is necessary! Not all blenders are the same. Some are more powerful than others, and we need a powerful one for this recipe to bypass the straining. If you have bits of walnuts that aren't blending, you'll need to pour it through a nut milk bag or fine mesh strainer to ensure a smooth result.
Control the thickness with water. Nut milks are essentially just nuts and water. Using less water will make it thicker, whereas more water will thin it out. For walnut milk, I've found that the ratio of 1:3 (1 cup of walnuts for every 3 cups of water) yields the perfect texture. I encourage you to start with less and then continue adding more until it reaches your desired consistency.
1 cup raw walnuts (no soaking necessary)
3 cups water (use 2/3 the amount for creamer)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ice
optional: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Version:
1 cup raw walnuts (no soaking necessary)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup ice
Add all ingredients (except ice) to a high-speed blender and blend until perfectly smooth (30-60 seconds). You should not see any bits of walnut pulp when done.
Blend again with ice (if serving immediately). Add 1 cup of ice and blend again to serve chilled.
Adjust to taste. Add more maple syrup or vanilla extract (optional) as desired.
Store leftover walnut milk in a Mason jar for about 3-4 days. Make sure to give the jar a good shake before using.
