The Best Nut Milk Recipe Ever {Really!}

 ingredients

1/2 cup almonds ($.75)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds ($.35)
1/2 cup hazel nuts ($1.00)
6 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla ($.20)
2 tablespoons agave or coconut nectar ($.20)
pinch salt

First, soak the nuts and seeds overnight, or for at least several hours. This gets rid of the enzyme inhibitors that naturally prevent the nut and seed from sprouting, softens them, and removes any bitterness. Once soaked, pour off the soak water and rinse very well. There’s no need to dry them.

I’ve used a blend of nuts and seeds for this recipe. It makes a richer flavor and using sunflower seeds for part of any nut milk recipe can cut costs. If you like nuts and seeds other than what I’ve used here, just use 1 1/2 cups of your choice per every 6 cups water.

In a blender, puree the water, almonds, sunflower seeds, and hazel nuts on high speed for several minutes, until the nuts and seeds are pulverized and are very small particles.

Strain through a fine wire mesh strainer. This is what I usually use for any homemade milks. It’s much less messy than a nut milk bag. Some little bits do get through, but they rarely bother me enough to drag out more equipment. If you do mind the smaller bits, though, use a nut milk bag and pour the milk through and squeeze. In either case, save the nut and seed pulp for other recipes.

Once strained, add the vanilla (optional), agave or coconut nectar, and a pinch of salt. Stir well.

Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

nutritional information

calories: 218     fat: 17 gr      carbs: 11      protein: 8

The Chocolate Milk Option …

It’s super easy to make chocolate nut milk. For the whole batch above, add about 6 tablespoons agave and 7 tablespoons cocoa powder or cacao powder. For individual one cup servings, add a tablespoon agave and a tablespoon of cocoa powder. For either, use a blender so the cocoa powder is fully blended.

 Regular milk or chocolate milk? Around here, the choice is always chocolate.