Learn how to make Vitamix almond milk in about 10 minutes (after soaking the almonds). Homemade almond milk is smooth, creamy, and amazingly better tasting than commercial brands.
Are you ready to say goodbye to bland store-bought almond milk? If you want creamy, luscious, delicious nut milk, you will love this Vitamix almond milk recipe.
Once you try it, you won't be able to go back to the grocery store version. Yep. This recipe is that good!
As you learn how to make almond milk, you will be astonished at how quick and easy it is to prepare. No more than 10 minutes of hands-on time.
You will love the rich and creamy texture and how much better it tastes than the thinner milk from the store.
Ready to go nuts? Let's get blending.
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ALMOND MILK INGREDIENTS
Commercial almond milk ingredients consist of more than almonds and water. If you have a niggle of worry every time you read the additives in store-bought milks, this ingredient list will make you happy.
- Almonds - whole, shelled with skin. Some recipes use almond flour or blanched almonds. I don't recommend these options because they have less flavor than a cup of raw almonds that still have their skin.
- Water. For the purest raw nut milk, use filtered water. We have a water filtration system, so I use cold water from the tap.
Optional Ingredients
- Sweetener of choice (optional). I don’t like the taste of any brand of unsweetened commercial almond milk. However, I almost never add sweetener to my homemade almond milk.
My family pours the milk over oatmeal or makes smoothies and we’ve never missed a sweetener.
But if you like to drink fresh milk from a cup, you may prefer to lightly sweeten it.
Pitted medjool dates, maple syrup, or honey are simple ingredients that will sweeten the plant milk with the best results.
- Vanilla extract (optional). If you like vanilla almond milk, flavor it with a little bit of vanilla when you blend it.
Alternatively, you can soak the almonds with a fresh vanilla bean. But this can get expensive. Especially if you make almond milk every week like we do.
- Pinch of sea salt (optional). If you sweeten, consider adding a bit of salt. Otherwise, skip it.
RELATED: If you like chocolate milk, you may be interested in my chocolate almond milk recipe with cocoa powder.
Must-Have Equipment
- Vitamix. You need a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix or a food processor, for recipe success. A regular blender may not have the power you need. Buy here.
The Vitamix is my go-to blender of choice. I love mine. I have had it for years and anticipate owning it forever.
It especially shines when blending an ingredient with a liquid, like water and almonds. I can blend my soaked almonds and water in under a minute.
Read more about all the great things a Vitamix can do. And while you’re at it, check out my experience with the Vitamix customer service team.
If you don't have a Vitamix, any powerful high-speed blender should do the trick.
- Nut-milk bag. A nut-milk bag is essential if you want creamy milk without straining it several times.
A nut-milk bag is a mesh bag typically made from cotton cloth. It is designed for straining liquids, mainly homemade plant-based milks.
The bag's mesh acts like a fine strainer, letting the liquid pass through and trapping the nut pulp. It helps achieve a smooth and creamy consistency in fresh almond milk.
Nut-milk bags are reusable, easy to clean, and come in different sizes. Buy here.
How to Make Homemade Vitamix Almond Milk
The Soak
- USE whole, shelled (but not peeled) almonds.
For some reason, the almonds with their skin on make much better-tasting milk than peeled almonds. I don't know why, and can only guess that a lot of the flavor is in the peel.
Don't worry. This does not affect the texture. In fact, it makes it creamier, which doesn't make sense, but it is true.
- SOAK the almonds in several cups of fresh water in a large bowl. Use enough water to cover the almonds by at least 2 inches.
Soak for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours. Refresh the water every 8 hours if you are going for a longer soak.
The longer the soak, the creamier the milk. The first time I made this nut milk, I soaked the almonds for 48 hours. Friend, let me tell you, it tasted amazing.
- After soaking, DRAIN the almonds and rinse them with cool water.
The Blend
- ADD cold water to the Vitamix blender, followed by the almonds. Use a ratio of 1 to 3 (almonds to water). For example, if you have 1 cup of almonds, add 3 cups of fresh water.
- BLEND until completely liquefied. Start on low and increase the blender to high speed. Usually, 45 to 60 seconds on high is sufficient.
Optional: Add the sweetener, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt if using. Blend for another 30 seconds until smooth.
- POUR the milk into a nut-milk bag. You can use a cheesecloth or thin towel, but I find that these items let too much peel and pulp through. Plus, they are more challenging to keep in good condition.
The Squeeze
- STRAIN the milk through the nut-milk bag. Twist the top of the bag closed and squeeze the bag, pressing down so the milk drains out of the bag and into a storage container.
- CHILL the milk in an airtight container in the refrigerator for an hour or two, preferably in a glass milk jug.
Clean Up
- DUMP the almond pulp out of the nut milk bag. Dry the pulp and use it as you would almond meal if you would like.
This pulp doesn't taste as good as freshly ground almond meal. Most of the taste is with the milk.
However, the maximum protein and fiber are with the pulp, so it makes sense to use it.
- CLEAN your nut milk bag, dry it, and prepare it for your next milk batch. Turn the bag inside out and spray it with water to remove all the remaining pulp.
Wash the bag in the dishwasher, washing machine, or by hand. Dry it before storing it.
Tasty Tips
Do this if you forget to soak the almonds. A long soak is the best thing for smooth milk. However, if you forget to soak your almonds the night before, you have options because of the power of the Vitamix.
- Boil the almonds in hot water for 15 minutes to soften them. Then blend normally.
OR
- Blend the almonds and water in the Vitamix for 1 or 2 minutes or until everything appears smooth.
The mighty Vitamix can do the job, although your homemade almond milk recipe may not be quite as velvety as it is with soaked nuts.
Make any amount of almond milk with the proper water-to-nut ratio. Homemade almond milk tastes so much better than its commercial cousin. One reason is because of the generous amount of almonds used in relation to the amount of water.
Forget the thin, watery milk you're used to buying. Almond milk manufacturers don’t use enough almonds to achieve the taste and velvety texture you get with homemade milk.
They try to get thickness and creaminess by adding artificial gums and emulsifiers. No thank you!
After following this recipe, your final product will be thicker than water, rich, and creamy. And the taste of store-bought nut milk will pale in comparison to the fresh, delicious taste of your freshly blended milk.
Use 1 cup of almonds for every 3 cups of water. A 1:3 ratio is the perfect ratio.
Variations
- Chocolate almond milk. Just as luscious and creamy as the original with a rich chocolatey flavor.
- Roasted almond milk. For a treat, try roasting your almonds before you make them into milk.
Roasted almond milk also requires a powerful blender because the almonds have not been soaked.
The Vitamix can do the trick. I don't have experience trying it with other blenders, so you are on your own there.
RELATED: Use homemade almond milk in smoothies, like this healthy strawberry smoothie.
Almond Milk Benefits
- Dairy-free. Ideal for anyone who is lactose-intolerant, has difficulty digesting dairy, or gets congestion and earache symptoms from dairy milk.
- Cholesterol-free food
- Low calorie
- High in vitamin E
Almond Milk Nutrition Facts
Most store-bought nut milk has been fortified and diluted with more water than this recipe calls for.
Here’s how I arrived at the nutrition estimate for this homemade almond milk.
- WEIGH almonds.
- BLEND the milk and STRAIN it.
- WEIGH the almond pulp leftover.
- SUBTRACT the weight of the leftover almond pulp from the weight of the almonds added to the milk. The result is the weight of the almonds contained in the milk.
- DETERMINE calories, fat, protein, fiber, iron, and carbohydrates with a nutrition calculator.
For example:
- I started with 170 grams of almonds (approximately 1 cup).
- Then I made the milk by blending the almonds with 3 cups of water.
- Next, I strained the milk through a nut-milk bag.
- Then I weighed the almond meal left in the nut-milk bag. It was 118 grams.
- I subtracted 118 from 170 and got 52 grams.
- Finally, I used a nutrition calculator to estimate the nutritional value of 52 grams of almonds.
- Last, I divided the nutrition information into the serving size of 1 cup of homemade almond milk.
Based on this nutrition calculation estimate, 1 cup of my own raw almond milk has the following nutrition:
- 100 calories
- 8.6g fat
- 3.7g protein
- 2.2g fiber
- 0.63mg iron
- 3.7g carbohydrates
Keep in mind that this is an estimate only.
How to Store
Store almond milk in the refrigerator in an airtight container. A lidded glass or plastic jug is the best choice.
I don't recommend freezing it if you drink it. It will lose its smooth texture when thawed.
However, if you are using the milk in baking or smoothies, using frozen almond milk works just fine.
How Long Will Almond Milk Last?
Homemade versions of almond milk will last in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days for the best taste. After 4 or 5 days, there is a noticeable decrease in freshness. And it may start curdling.
The best almond milk is fresh. So make it in smaller batches more frequently. Then it will always be fresh for you.
How to Take Care of a Nut-Milk Bag
- TURN the nut-milk bag inside out and dump out the almond pulp.
- RINSE the bag with water until it runs clear.
- WASH the bag after every use. Use a mild soap with one of the methods listed below:
- Hand wash with dish soap and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.
- Wash on the top rack of the dishwasher.
- Wash in a mesh bag in the washing machine with kitchen towels.
- SANITIZE monthly by boiling the bag in water for 10 minutes.
- LAY FLAT to dry. Dry it thoroughly before storing.
- STORE it in an airtight container or zip-top bag until your next use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almond milk is made from healthy nuts -- almonds. It is dairy-free, cholesterol-free, and low-calorie.
Delicious almond milk can be better for you, depending on why you drink it.
If you are lactose intolerant, trying to cut calories, or trying to lower your cholesterol, almond milk is a better choice than dairy milk.
However, if you are trying to get the vitamins that are added to dairy milk and commercial almond milk during the manufacturing process, you may need some more information.
Commercial almond milk is usually fortified with vitamins A, D, and E. You will not have those additives if you make your own almond milk.
Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a researcher at St. Michael's Hospital, found that children who drank non-cow's milk were twice as likely to have low vitamin D.
Before panicking over that statement, remember that dairy milk and store-bought plant-based milks are fortified with vitamin D.
But there are other sources of vitamin D, particularly sun exposure. Ten to thirty minutes of sun three times a week is ideal for getting vitamin D.
Check out the info on an app that lets you track your vitamin D through sun exposure.
Commercial almond milk has far fewer almonds added than this recipe calls for. This means you won't be getting as much nutrition as if you were eating whole almonds.
All nut milk is vegan. This recipe calls for almonds and water. Other ingredients in homemade recipes could include a sweetener, such as dates or maple syrup and sea salt.
Although most of the rich taste is in the milk, the leftover almond pulp is abundant in protein and fiber. Here are some of the ways you can use the pulp.
• Add pulp to smoothies to thicken them.
• Use in meatloaf.
• Substitute the pulp in the place of some of the flour in pancakes.
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Recipe
Homemade Almond Milk
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds shelled with skins
- 3 cups water
- pinch of sea salt optional
Instructions
- SOAK the almonds in water enough water to cover the almonds by at least an inch. Soak at least 6 hours and up to 48 hours. The longer the soak, the creamier the milk. If you soak for longer than 6 hours, refresh the water every 8 hours.
- DRAIN the almonds.
- ADD the water to the Vitamix or other powerful blender, followed by the almonds.
- BLEND until completely liquefied.
- TASTE and add sweetener and salt to taste if you want to. This is optional -- I never add them to my milk. (See Note #1.)
- POUR the milk into a nut-milk bag (best) or cheesecloth or thin towel if that is all you have.
- SQUEEZE the milk through the nut-milk bag and into a storage container. Press down on the bag to get the liquid out.
- CHILL the almond milk in an airtight container, preferably a glass milk jug.
- DUMP the almond pulp out of the nut-milk bag. Dry the pulp and use it as you would almond meal.
- CLEAN your nut-milk bag, dry it, and get it ready for your next batch of milk.
Notes
- If you want to sweeten the milk, add a couple of pitted medjool dates or a tablespoon of maple syrup or honey to the liquified water/almonds. Blend for 30 more seconds and then follow the rest of the directions.
- If you forget to soak your almonds the night before, boil the almonds in water for 15 minutes to soften them. Then blend and follow the rest of the directions.
- It is also possible to blend the almonds into milk without soaking them if you have a powerful enough blender. The Vitamix is powerful enough and I have made the milk with raw, unsoaked almonds.
Nutrition
Ok, Friend. Store bought almond milk vs. homemade -- which do you think is better? You know what I think. Comment below and let me know your opinion.
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