Last year, I bought almond milk, and didn’t like it. I thought it was bland, and tasteless, so I didn’t buy it again. A few months ago, however, my dad went dairy-free. That’s when I started to look for dairy alternatives. Soy milk was the obvious choice. We’d also been making it ourselves for years, so we knew it tasted richer than the store-bought stuff. I figured it’d be the same for nut milk, and set out to experiment. Turns out it does taste much richer! Since then, raw almond milk has become a staple in our household.

Ingredients

Makes ca. 1 litre

• 100g raw almonds
• 200ml water, for soaking
• 1L water

Method

Place almonds in container and soak in water 8 to 12 hours. Cover the container. I usually soak the nuts overnight.

Drain and rinse the soaked almonds. Put them in a blender with about 250ml water. Blitz until smooth. Add the remaining 750ml water, then blend for another minute.

Strain the liquid with a cheese cloth to remove the pulp. If you don’t have any, a fine mesh sieve will work too, although it’ll result in a slightly grainier almond milk.

Homemade almond milk can be stored in the refrigerator 3 to 4 days. If it separates, just give it a good shake before serving.

Notes: For a thicker consistency, reduce the ratio of water to almonds. Almond pulp can be dried in the oven on low heat (100°C) for about an hour, then processed into a fine flour for baking.

Have you tried any alternatives to dairy milk? Which is your favourite?