Our latest Back to Basics project was testing delicious homemade nut milk flavors and they were everything we dreamed of and more. Because we don’t typically drink dairy milk in our house, I’ve always got a carton of almond milk stashed in the fridge. It’s probably my favorite flavor of nut milk and I especially love using unsweetened vanilla in baking recipes.
SO, of course, today I bring you the BEST homemade almond milk recipe with hints of delicious vanilla flavor. You’ll absolutely fall in love with how easy and delicious this recipe is, and we’ve broken down the step-by-step tutorial for you to ensure success.
Save money and make creamy, nutrient-dense almond milk right at home with just a few tools! And remember to check out this guide for making homemade nut milk to get more of our go-to flavors.
Why make almond milk from scratch?
While store-bought almond milk is tempting and an easy thing to add to your cart, there’s truly nothing better than the real deal, homemade almond milk. It’s:
- Flavorful. Almond milk made from scratch is creamy & flavorful, whereas store-bought almond milk can tend to be watery and tasteless.
- Packed with nutrients. You’ll also get a dose of healthy fats because we’re using a whole cup of nuts to make a batch.
- Filled with real ingredients. Store-bought almond milk is also filled with stabilizers and other ingredients to keep it on the shelves. This homemade almond milk recipe just has 2 core ingredients, plus some yummy, all natural flavor add-ins.
What you’ll need to make homemade almond milk
When I say two-ingredient I really mean it! I’ve also included a few extra, optional ingredients that make this recipe vanilla almond milk, which I personally love. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Almonds: the core ingredient in this almond milk recipe is, of course, almonds! I recommend simply using raw almonds — feel free to keep the skins on.
- Water: you’ll also need some filtered water to soak the almonds and to blend with the soaked almonds to create the pourable milk.
- Flavor boosters: if you love vanilla almond milk like I do, you’ll want to add some vanilla extract, honey and a pinch of sea salt. You don’t need much but it gives the almond milk such a delicious flavor.
Tools you’ll need
To make this almond milk recipe you’ll just need a few tools and a bit of time (but it’s easy — promise!) Here’s what you’ll need:
- Large bowl
- Blender
- Nut milk bag OR dish towel
- Glass containers
How to make homemade almond milk
Ready for one of the easiest recipes on the planet? Let’s get to it!
Step 1: add your almonds to a bowl and cover them with enough water to submerge them. Let the almonds soak for 6-8 hours or overnight so that they soften up.
Step 2: once the almonds are done soaking, drain them from the water and rinse them out.
Step 3: add the soaked, rinsed almonds to a blender with 4 cups of fresh, filtered water, as well as the vanilla, honey and salt.
Step 4: blend the mixture on high speed for 1 minute. If you feel like you need to blend them more, simply do so for 30 more seconds.
Step 5: place your nut milk bag or clean dish towel over a large bowl or pitcher. Carefully pour the vanilla almond milk into the bag or towel and strain the liquid into the bowl. Use your hands to wring out all of the milk. There you have it!
Save the almond pulp for later
After straining the almond milk, don’t toss the pulp — it can be used to make homemade crackers, almond meal or flour, or even add to smoothies.
How to store homemade almond milk
Store your almond milk in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you find that it has separated, gently shake the jar to mix it up.
Other nut milk flavors you’ll love
Don’t forget to check out our full post for making any kind of nut milk you’d like!
Delicious ways to use homemade almond milk
Now that you have creamy almond milk in your refrigerator, here are some great ways to use it:
- Pour it into your morning coffee
- Use it as a base for smoothies to keep them dairy free
- Enjoy it with your fav cereal or homemade granola
- Use it in any recipes that require milk
Get even more inspo with the recipes using nut milk!
More how-to guides to try
- How to Make Homemade Oat Milk
- How to Cut, Slice & Dice an Onion
- How to Make Paleo Powdered Sugar
- How to Cook the Best Fluffy Quinoa (plus recipes!)
- How to Cook a Pumpkin (+ make pumpkin puree!)
Get all of our tutorials and how-to guides here!
I hope you love this easy homemade almond milk recipe! If you try it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 4 cups filtered water (plus more for soakin overnight)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Add almonds to a bowl and cover with enough water to submerge. Soak 6-8 hours or overnight. This helps them soften enough so that they can blend properly.
- In the morning, drain almonds from their soaking water and rinse them in a colander.
- Add soaked almonds and 4 cups of fresh filtered water to a high-powered blender. Add in vanilla, honey and salt.
- Blend on high speed for 1 minute, adding 30 seconds more if you feel it necessary to blend.
- Place your nut milk bag over a large bowl or pitcher. Pour the almond milk into the bag and strain the liquid into the bowl, using your hands to wring out all of the milk.
- Pour the almond milk from the bowl into glass jars. Almond milk will keep in the fridge for up to a week, if not longer. If it separates, simply shake the jars.
Recipe Notes
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by:Â Eat Love Eats
I soaked for around 16 hours. mine was creamy, flavorful and much better than store bought! I double the nuts but used 7 cups of water instead of 8. I also blended longer than 30 (more like 90 seconds).
Yay! I am so glad this turned out great for you 🙂
While I love the idea of making my own almond milk, I followed direction exactly I soaked the almonds overnight and used a nut bag. It just taste way too watery to me with little flavor. Maybe I just need to get used to it but I want to try a different recipe to see if I can get a creamier result….
Hi Christine – You could always add a little less water and a little more of ingredients to adjust this recipe to your preference.
Did exactly as the recipe stated but it’s just taste thin & very watery. Not sure where the creaminess she mentioned is at & you can hardly taste the vanilla. I added more honey & vanilla but still taste like water with a hint of almonds. Maybe it needs to set in the fridge but very disappointed.
Hi Bre – I am so sorry this recipe did not turn out for you. How long did you blend everything for? Wondering if everything was not thoroughly blended?
How many almonds are you using for this recipe?
Hi,
I’m new to making homemade almond milk, and this recipe is great! On the first attempt, I used cheesecloth to strain the blended milk.That turned out to be a disaster. Then I found a good nut bag on Amazon. It’s strong, does the job and rinses clean easily, making things so much easier. I like the texture and color of this homemade almond milk much better than store-bought. You know the simple ingredients. I highly recommend this and plan to make more in the future. Thank you for the recipe! Jean
Aw yay! I am so glad you found this recipe and are loving this recipe. Thank you for sharing – I appreciate it!
I am not a fan of store-bought almond milk, so I was apprehensive about trying homemade. I was gifted several pounds of almonds and with no ideas for using them, I thought I’d try it. My first batch came out perfect, and I loved it! However, I lost that recipe and had to search for a new one. I found this one last night and just finished bottling it. Unfortunately, it’s really watery-tasting, even though I followed the recipe exactly…maybe I did something wrong?
So, i’m currently soaking more almonds and will use about a fourth of the water tomorrow. I’m going to add it to today’s batch in hopes of enriching the texture and flavor.
How did the second batch turn out for you?
Hello! I am replying to your comment about the Almond Milk being too watery; I just put in less water when I want it more “almondy”….However health wise I am back to using almost the full four cups of water. It is definitely so much tastier than store bought, and wayyy healthier! Good luck.
It has a nice sweetness to it but, It tasted watered down. it seems like its best to bake with it
Easy and so delicious. I sweetened it with stevia. I will definitely make it again.
Great recipe, thanks much! I skipped the salt and honey, and used a raw nut mix that included almonds, cashews, and others, and felt it still worked great. Only note is that I didn’t have any pulp to save or discard!
Yay! Happy to hear it came out great 😊
I loved the almond milk look forward to more healthy recipes
Yay! Glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
This is delicious and easy, will try give pulp to birds
That’s an idea! Let me know if they like it! Happy you’re enjoying the milk 🙂
Looking forward to making this. Where did you purchase the bag to strain the blended almonds?
Can’t wait for you to try it! I got it on Amazon here 🙂
The vanilla almond milk is delicious and so easy to whip up.
Hi and thank you for your recipe.
You wrote no to toss the nut pulp because it can be used to make homemade crackers, Would you please give us a recipe or two so that we can use the nut pulp.
Many thanks
Take care
Absolutely! I’d recommend these crackers 🙂 The dough may be slightly more moist since you’ll be using damp nut pulp, but I think it should be fine (you may just need to bake the crackers a bit longer). Let me know if you try them!