Quick guide to making raw nut and seed milks

Almondmilk1

So easy, so healthy and so good.

What’s not to love about nut and seed milks?

Ingredients

Nuts (or seeds) and water. That’s it. Just blend then strain the mixture and it’s ready to drink.

Or if you want to make the posh, treaty version just sprinkle in a teaspoon of vanilla powder and whizz it up again.

Getting started

You’ll need a blender and something to strain the milk with. A fine mesh sieve will work, but a nut milk bag is more convenient.

Basic raw milk

This recipe uses almonds, but works just as well with hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pecans, macadamias or a mixture of nuts and/or seeds.

Each milk has its own distinct flavour, so experiment to see which you like best as a stand-alone drink, and also as a base for your favourite smoothies and shakes.

Almond milk is a staple among raw food fans everywhere because it has a subtle taste that would be difficult not to like and also marries well with any other flavours you care to pair it with.

Milks with a more distinctive, either-love-it-or-hate-it flavour include hemp milk, sesame milk and Brazil nut milk.

  • 1 cup raw nuts or seeds, ideally soaked for at least 8 hours (if you are in a hurry you can soak for fewer hours, or just skip this step entirely)
  • 4 cups water
  1. Discard the soak water from the nuts or seeds, rinse, then put them in the blender with the fresh water. Blend well.
  2. If using a sieve or strainer, position it over a bowl and pour the mixture in, using a spoon to press the liquid through. If using a nut milk bag, place it around the top of a jug before pouring. When the bag is around two-thirds full, close the top of it, squeeze the liquid through, and continue squeezing until no more comes.
  3. Your milk is now ready to either drink or use as a base for more elaborate creations.

You can make your milk as watery or as creamy as you want. By playing around with the proportion of nuts to liquid you can create anything from ‘skimmed milk’ to the fullest fat version.

You can even make whipped cream.

Whizz up a big batch of your favourite raw milk every few days and keep it in a sealed container in your fridge.

That way you will have it on hand whenever you fancy a nutritious and satisfying drink, or need some as a base for a raw smoothie, soup, dessert or other recipe.

I want to make this now. Is soaking the nuts or seeds for eight hours essential? 

No! It does make the nuts and seeds more digestible, as it releases the enzyme inhibitors. It also softens them up a bit so you’ll get a slightly smoother consistency and fewer bits left over after straining. But if you want to whizz up some nut milk right now, go for it.

“Ready in seconds” raw milk

Simply blend one tablespoon of raw almond butter with a cup of water and sweeten to taste. This can be done with any raw nut or seed butter, including tahini, cashew butter, macadamia nut butter, and…oh, the possibilities.

Shakes and smoothies

Nut and seed milks make an excellent base for shakes and smoothies of all kinds. Try my Vanilla Hazelnut Thick Shake, my Strawberry Shake or my Frozen Banana Hazelnut Shake – or even my Green Shake 🙂

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