How to Make Dairy Free Milk in 3 Minutes
No soaking, straining, or high-speed blender required! I admit that the convenience of store-bought milk alternatives often beckon, but when I’m in the mood to simplify, I go for my own homemade and healthy dairy-free milk. While still relatively wholesome, pre-packaged dairy-free milk alternative frequently contains additives for thickening, emulsification, and flavor. My milk alternative recipe is not only free from these ingredients, but it’s also amazingly EASY to make, and great when you need to make a dairy-free breakfast pronto.
Yes, this is a real life image of healthy dairy-free milk alternative that I made with just 2 ingredients in less than 3 minutes for a fabulous dairy-free breakfast!
Ignore those patience-testing recipes that require you to soak nuts or grains for hours on end before attempting to pulverize them (usually requiring an expensive high-speed blender), and then working to strain out all of the goodness. Are their methods better? Perhaps they are more refined, but I’m all about quick, delicious, and healthy dairy-free milk, so my method wins out every time in this household.
Trust me, this could very well revolutionize how you make dairy free milk alternative in your home.
Place 1/4 cup of raw, unsalted nuts, seeds, and/or grains (see my notes below for ideas) in a spice grinder, and whiz until powdered.
Cashews powder nicely. Some nuts like pecans, almonds, and others with a high fat content may begin to turn into nut butter – that’s totally fine, go with it.
Place the ground nuts or grains in your regular old blender (I just use a mini personal blender) and add about 2 cups of water. Once you get used to making the milk alternative, you can adjust the liquid amount up or down to suit your desired consistency. Blend for 30 to 60 seconds, or until creamy.
The dairy-free milk alternative will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator and may settle a little with time. Simply thin with more liquid if needed and give it a quick 5-second blend.
And there you have it, super-basic, 3-minute, healthy dairy-free milk alternative.
You can customize the milk to suit your smoothie, dairy-free breakfast, dinner recipe, or whatever. Other ingredients that work well as the base for healthy dairy-free milk include hemp seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, and hazelnuts. And of course, you can mix and match them!
Above is the basic way to create that milky liquid. But add-ins boost flavor and make it yours. Consider blending in one or more of the following:
- Vanilla – 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Fruit-Sweetness – 1 pitted and soaked (softened) date
- Sweetener - 1 or more teaspoons of your favorite sweetener (honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, coconut sugar, etc.) or a few drops of pure stevia extract (to taste)
- Spices – 1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon or other warm spices
- Omega 3 – Grind up to 1 tablespoon of flaxseeds with the nuts or grains. Flaxseed doesn’t make a good base all on its own, as it isn’t very “milky.”
Lately, my favorite “milky” dairy-free breakfast is Uncle Sam Original Cereal or Erewhon Buckwheat & Hemp Cereal (for gluten-free!), sprinkled with cinnamon, and doused in vanilla cashew milk that is sweetened with a wee bit of stevia extract.
Be well!
Alisa
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Jan 24, 2013 @ 06:23:03
Love this! I’ve heard that you can take a dollop of nut butter right out of the jar and blend it to get similar results… Considering our spice grinder is filled with espresso beans right now, that might be a better option? Then again, coffee-almond-milk sounds pretty good, too.
Jan 24, 2013 @ 07:10:29
Yes, Andrew, nut butter yields a great result, too! I cheat that way, too sometimes, but don’t usually have cashew butter on hand (not sold in my area and a bit pricey!). But, I agree, cofee almond milk could even be a new trend
Jan 24, 2013 @ 08:11:55
Coffee almond milk sounds awesome – and I’m not even dairy free!
Jan 24, 2013 @ 10:27:23
I’ve used nut butter in a pinch, too, but I love love this fresh nut option! And it looks so rich and creamy. . . .
Jan 24, 2013 @ 19:19:28
Brilliant! Alisa, I am always amazed at the tricks you have up your sleeve!
Shirley
Jan 24, 2013 @ 19:41:31
Thanks Shirley!
Jan 25, 2013 @ 05:35:41
This is great and so timely for me Alisa. Thank you! I’m transitioning us away from store-bought dairy-free milk and sometimes I forget to soak the nuts the night before. I’ll definitely be trying this in a pinch!
Jan 25, 2013 @ 06:35:17
Genius! I’m always lazy about making my own dairy-free milk because I tend to do it the slower way – soaking almonds, blending, and straining. This is way easier!
Jan 25, 2013 @ 08:54:24
This is such a great tip for people who are new to dairy-free living and feel intimidated by the traditional method of soaking/straining/etc. Good advice, Alisa!
Jan 25, 2013 @ 09:03:13
Nifty! I used raw hemp seeds and it did grind to a bit of a butter consistency on the bottom but was still pretty loose… I would put a few ice cubes and use really cold water to keep it from being so warm from the blending next time. A little vanilla and honey might add just the right amount of sweetness, but for a family who is trying to get off cow’s milk this really was easy!! Thanks
Jan 25, 2013 @ 09:36:04
So glad it worked well for you Becky – and yum! Vanilla and honey would be delicious additions!
Jan 30, 2013 @ 20:13:36
I love this! I always buy almond milk, but I only use it for my coffee. I don’t use much, so it ends up going bad. I love that I can make just a little bit at a time. I’m getting cashews next time I’m out shopping!