5-Minute Creamy Nut Milk (Perfect for Frothing)

A head-on shot shows a glass jug filled with almond milk.

Been working on this almond milk recipe for so long! I love homemade almond milk as much as the next person (I have a great 2-minute, no soak recipe in my cookbook), but to get that perfect dairy-free latte froth, you need my tried and tested almond combo! This milk is perfect in any of my recipes that call for non-dairy milk. It is creamy, sweet tasting and easy to make.

A 3/4 angle shot shows a bottle of almond milk and a latte with cinnamon nearby

An overhead shot shows three types of raw nuts on a plate: macadamia, cashew, and chopped almond. — Raw macadamia nuts, cashews and chopped almonds make for a blended flavor and super creamy textured milk that pours really well.

An overhead shot shows a bowl pouring water over a trio of almonds — Raw macadamia nuts, cashews and chopped almonds make for a blended flavor and super creamy textured milk that pours really well.

An overhead shot shows a trio of nuts that have plumped from an overnight soak. — After soaking in water for 8 hours, the nuts become noticeably thicker.

A head-on shot shows a Vitamix blender with a pitcher of water and soaked cashews, macadamia nuts and chopped almonds. — I blend the water and soaked almonds until frothy milk forms, about 1 minute of blending.

An overhead shot shows freshly mixed and very bubbly almond milk in a blender jug. — I blend the water and soaked almonds until frothy milk forms, about 1 minute of blending.

Why homemade almond milk?

It tastes better. Making your own almond milk from soaked raw almonds and water (plus optional add-ins) creates a clean and fresh-tasting milk.
Simple ingredients. If you’re worried about store-bought almond milk being a little too much, making it at home will put those doubts to rest.
affordable Compared to premium brands that contain only water and nuts in their milk (Malk, Three Trees, and Elmhurst), making your own at home will save you money.
Less wastage. There’s no carton to dispose of and you can reuse that leftover almond pulp in smoothies, creamy pureed soups, or almond pulp granola.
Naturally dairy-free and perfect for cooking and baking.

Of course you can add any nut “milk” you like, but for my taste I prefer equal parts chopped almonds (less pulp than whole nuts), raw cashews and raw macadamia nuts. The resulting milk creates beautiful microfoam for coffee and has a velvety, slightly sweet richness that works perfectly in my recipes.

Tools:

High speed blender. I have a 10+ year old Vitamix 5200 series blender that does the job perfectly.
Bag of almond milk. Using an almond milk bag yields a super silky-textured milk (better than a fine mesh strainer). This allows you to squeeze every last drop out.
Large bowl from which you can pour comfortably. A batter bowl is great.
Glass bottles or jars with lids to store your prepared milk in the fridge.

My homemade almond milk always lasts a week in the fridge—sometimes longer! I only ruined it in a short amount of time because I either soaked the nuts for 10+ hours or I blended the milk in my blender to the point of slightly heating it (over a minute). I spell out the steps to avoid this in the recipe.

For frothing and coffee drinks, I use the steam wand on my espresso machine. Breville has a great tutorial for that method here. This milk also creates nice foam in plug-in frothers, although it’s a touch less delicate.

A 3/4 angle shot shows almond milk being poured into an almond milk bag that sits in a large enamelware bowl. — Blended milk is strained into a large bowl through an almond milk bag for a finer texture.

A 3/4 angle shows an almond milk bag being pressed over a bowl of strained almond milk. — Blended milk is strained into a large bowl through an almond milk bag for a finer texture.

An overhead shot shows another bowl with freshly made almond milk and almond pulp in an almond milk bag. — Leftover almond pulp is blended into smoothies, added to creamy pureed soups, or used in recipes.

A 3/4 angle image shows a bottle of vanilla extract and some cinnamon and a spoonful of coconut butter on a small plate. — Optional flavor enhancers like vanilla, cinnamon or coconut butter are great in this milk.

An overhead shot of a hand pouring frothed milk into a cup of espresso. — The resulting milk turns into a nice and rich microfoam for steaming and coffee.

A head-on shot shows a glass jug 2/3 full of homemade almond milk.

5-Minute Creamy Nut Milk (Perfect for Frothing)

This creamy homemade almond milk is soft, silky smooth and perfect for coffee! My favorite combo of almonds is dreamy for a frothy latte. It is an ideal addition to smoothies, cereals, dairy-free cooking and baking.

Q Time: 5 minutes

Soaking time: 8 of hours

serving 5 the cup

Materials

almond milk

⅓ the cup chopped nuts
⅓ the cup raw cashews
⅓ the cup Raw macadamia nuts
5 the cup water, plus extra for soaking

Optional add-ins:

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ teaspoon Cinnamon/other spices
¼ teaspoon Fine sea salt
1 table spoon coconut butter

Comment

Why specifically cut nuts? They taste bland to me and have less pulp.
What I do with almond milk pulp: Store it in a container in the fridge so I can spoon it into smoothies, mix it into creamy pureed soups to make them richer, or make Almond pulp granola.
Macadamia nuts are expensive and sometimes I want to make it more economical! In this case I replace them with hemp seeds, which require zero soaking. Hemp seeds will change the taste of milk, making it grassy and fresh. They still help with the froth though 🙂
My almond milk always lasts a week in the fridge, sometimes longer! The only time I wasted it was because I either soaked the nuts for 10+ hours or I blended the milk in my blender while heating it slightly (over a minute). If you are really worried about this, add a few ice cubes to the blender in the initial mixture.

instructions

The night before: Place your almonds in a large bowl and cover with water. Let them sit for a maximum of 8 hours.
Drain the almonds and wash them well. Place a large bowl (that you can pour from) and a bag of almond milk on the counter nearby.
Add the dried almonds to a high speed blender and cover with 5 cups of water. Blend this mixture on high for 1 full minute, until you have a creamy milk consistency. Avoid going more than 1 minute as it heats the milk.
Run the almond milk through your almond milk bag into a large bowl. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. See note for decoration usage.
If you are adding vanilla or any other add-in, rinse the blender before pouring the strained milk back in. Toss your add-ins into the blender and give it a quick 15 second blend to combine.
Store your almond milk in a sealed glass bottle/jar. It should keep in the fridge for 1 week.
For frothing: I use a steam wand on my espresso machine. Plug-in frothers are great too! I do not recommend consuming this milk above 145°F because higher temperatures affect the texture and flavor.

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