Veggie Might: Make Your Own Almond Milk

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.

Complete the following word problem and show your work:
You purchased a 4-lb bag of almonds for $10.99 at the Indian market near your friend T’s house. Three weeks later, you still have 1/2 of the bag left. You are worried you may not eat all the remaining almonds before they go rancid because you forgot to stick the bag in the fridge sooner. What can you do with 1 cup of the remaining almonds?

Sample response:
Make almond milk.

1) Cover 1 cup of almonds with water and soak overnight.

2) Drain, rinse, and place almonds in a blender with 3 fresh cups of water. Puree until the almonds are chopped finely.

3) Using cheesecloth or a fine strainer, strain the liquid from the almond mash. Press the mash to extract as much liquid as possible.

4) Set aside the mash for later.

5) Strain a second time. If you used cheese cloth, switch to a fine strainer.

6) Save the superfine mash—this is almond paste!

7) Refrigerate the liquid for 24 hours. There will be some separations, so give the almond milk a good shake. Add a more water if it’s too thick. Add a pinch of salt and sweetener to taste.

Making almond milk is very satisfying, if a touch time consuming. But believe me, the almond milk you will make is far tastier and richer than commercial almond milks I’ve tried (though doesn’t keep as long—only about a week in the fridge). No added thickeners!

Plus, you’ll cut down on those aseptic cartons that are difficult to recycle. You can also dry (in a 200 degree oven) the leftover almond meal and use it in baking. No waste!

Cost comparison
Homemade almond milk: 1 cup almonds = $.91 = about 3 cups of almond milk
Commercial almond milk: 3 cups = $2.24

If you make almond milk in larger quantities (1 cup almonds = 3 cups water), you’ll save on your time cost too.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Fiber*, and Cost per Serving
60 calories, 2.5g fat, 0g fiber, and $.30

8) Congratulations! You’re ready for the next activity: drinking, cooking with, or eating cereal with your delicious almond milk.

Sources:
LifeHacker: How to Make Almond Milk at Home
Instructables: How to Milk an Almond
WikiHow: How to Make Almond Milk

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If you like this post, you’ll dig:

• Veggie Might: Make Your Own Mustard
• Veggie Might: Tasty Almond Bran Muffins
• Veggie Might: Don’t Fear the Bean Curd

*I looked high and low for homemade almond milk nutrition data, but alas this nutrition data is for commercially prepared almond milk.