How to make smooth and creamy almond milk in the blender

• Almond milk is the most popular and versatile plant-based milk alternative.
• Making your own nut milk at home only requires almonds, water, salt, a blender, and cheesecloth.
• You can flavor almond milk with fruits, spices, and natural sweeteners.

Almond milk is an extremely popular dairy-free milk alternative, and it's also easy to make at home. Making your own almond milk at home allows you to control the consistency and quality of the ingredients that you use. "Grocery store almond milks can often have unnecessary ingredients in it like gums, sugar, and oils," says Amy Colville is the founder at aMYLK, a woman-owned, small-batch nut milk company based in Portland, Oregon.

Made from almonds blended with water and strained to remove the fibrous pulp, you can use the homemade milk substitute like you would use regular milk. Here, Colville shares her expertise on how to create the creamiest almond milk at home.

Almond milk vs. dairy milk

Almond milk is a great plant-based milk alternative for those who have trouble digesting the proteins in dairy milk, anyone opting for a plant-based diet, or if you just prefer the mild and slightly nutty flavor.

Store-bought almond milk usually has less fat and fewer calories than dairy milk and other plant-based dairy alternatives, like oat milk and coconut milk. However, it can also have a thinner texture and be harder for baristas to froth. Coconut and oat milk have a more pronounced flavor, but can be trickier to make at home.

"In my opinion, if you're looking for a dairy swap, homemade almond milk is the closest thing to cow's milk that you'll find when it comes to texture and flavor," Colville says. "Almond is the most versatile of the alternative milks and it tastes great by itself or in lattes and smoothies."

How to make almond milk

1. Soak two cups of almonds in filtered water with a big pinch of salt overnight. You need just enough water to cover the almonds, and you can leave them in the refrigerator or covered on the counter. "Soaking helps remove anti-nutrients like phytic acid and lectins which are the nut's natural defense against disease, but these can cause digestive distress for many people," Colville says. Soaking will also help plump the almonds up so they blend better, making the final result creamier. The salt acts as an antimicrobial, killing any bacteria that may be on the nuts.
2. Strain and rinse almonds. After soaking for 12 to 15 hours, strain and rinse the almonds with fresh water.
3. Add rinsed almonds to a high-speed blender. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt and four to five cups of freshwater, depending on how creamy you want the almond milk to be. "You can always add more water later if you want to thin it out," she says.
4. Blend. Start blending at low speed for 30 seconds. Then increase the speed to high, and continue blending for 90 more seconds.
5. Strain the almond milk. Over a large bowl, strain the nut milk and pulp mixture through a clean cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. If you have a very fine mesh sieve, that can work too but you may want to repeat the process a few times.
6. Milk the bag to get every last drop of nut milk. Hold the bag or cheesecloth securely at the top in one hand and using your other hand gently squeeze the bag until all the liquid has been extracted. This will make approximately four to five cups of almond milk, depending on how much water you added to the blender.

Troubleshooting almond milk

Grocery store almond milks often only contain as little as 5% nuts, and may have a grainy or chalky consistency. However, this recipe from Colville contains 25 to 30% nuts. "You should get a silk-smooth, creamy milk every time," she says.

Using a high-powered blender helps ensure the best creaminess and you'll need a fine mesh nut milk bag to strain it to avoid any excess pulp in the milk. Too much pulp can create a grainy texture.

Quick tip: Leftover almond pulp can be dehydrated and turned into almond flour. Bake the pulp in the oven at the lowest temperature for a couple of hours to dry it out, then blitz it in a food processor to make it a fine consistency.

How to store homemade almond milk

Store-bought milks that sit in containers for weeks or months can often have a watery and grainy consistency with a plastic aftertaste. That's why Colville makes everything fresh and bottles exclusively in glass at aMYLK.

Don't forget to add salt. "You might be tempted to omit the ¼ teaspoon of salt during blending, but it's key to helping your milk stay fresh longer," she says.

Store the milk in the back of the fridge rather than the door, which is warmer, and never leave it out on the counter for too long or it will spoil faster. The milk should last about five to seven days.

Quick tip: Freeze the milk into ice cubes to use in smoothies or iced coffees. "You can store frozen nut milk for up to a month," Colville says. "Just be sure to transfer it to an airtight container as soon as it freezes and defrost your cubes in the fridge overnight if you plan to use it the next day."

Insider's takeaway

Almond milk is a popular plant-based milk alternative that's simple to make at home. All you need are almonds, water, a little salt, a good high-speed blender, and cheesecloth to strain the final product.

Soaking the almonds overnight is key to a creamy mouthfeel, along with using a good blender. Straining the blended almonds through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth is necessary for a smooth texture. Almond milk will last up to a week in the refrigerator and can also be frozen to last longer without preservatives.