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Raw Vegan Almond Milk
A journey through the land of “eating vibrantly” would not be complete without some raw almond milk.
This was one of the first recipes I made when I started experimenting with raw food recipes, and it’s stood the test of time.
It’s so simple, fast and delicious that I wonder now why I ever hesitated to try it.
My recipe comes pretty much straight out of Jennifer Cornbleet’s Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People cookbook.
It’s one heck of a mouthful to say, and it’s also one heck of a raw food cookbook, especially for beginners. Dare I say it, I think it’s my favourite.
It was my first raw food cookbook, everything I made from it was delicious, and it taught me that raw food could be so easy and so tasty that I just wanted to make (and eat) even more of it.
Quite an achievement for a deceptively simple little cookbook.
And making your own raw vegan almond milk is definitely a great place to start.
All you really need is some almonds and water, although I recommend adding dates for sweetness and even some vanilla for extra flavour if you like.
Just blend everything up and strain it through a nut milk bag.
And you have yourself the most amazing alternative to cows’ milk.
It’s nothing like the stuff you can buy in the shops.
They water it down, add vegetable oil, salt, or sweeteners, when it really doesn’t need to be that complicated.
One of the things I especially love about this particular recipe for raw almond milk is that it’s the perfect balance of water to almonds.
Not so thick that it’s too rich to be used as a milk, and not so watery that it tastes bland or weird.
It’s just right. Rich, creamy, and milky. Mmmmmmmm.
I get excited just thinking about it.
Just look at all that rich creamy goodness settling out.
It’s like the layer of cream on top of cows’ milk, and about as rich too, so make sure you mix it in before you use it.
We store ours in our awesome green smoothie bottles, with the easy-pour spouts and fully removable lids for thorough cleaning.
And it’s so delicious with everything – on homemade raw muesli, with raw chocolate fudge brownies, or just in a glass on its own.
And of course you get lots of leftover almond pulp, which you can use to make a heap of delicious dishes, including raw chocolate fudge brownies, raw almond pulp hummus or even raw hot cross buns.
This is one raw food staple that’s definitely worth adding to your collection.
So here’s my version of Jennifer Cornbleet’s raw vegan almond milk recipe.
Raw Vegan Almond Milk recipe
Make sure to read the tips below the recipe to get the most out of this delicious raw almond milk recipe.
Raw Vegan Almond Milk
This raw vegan almond milk is so simple and fast to make, and turns out rich and creamy. It's delicious with everything or in a glass on its own.
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Makes: 600 ml + 1 cup almond pulp (3 serves)
Calories per serve: 50kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds (160g)
Pre-soaking (optional)
- pinch salt + water to cover (optional)
Almond Milk
- 1 1/2 cups water (375ml)
- 2 med medjool dates , pitted
- 1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder (optional)
- 1/2 cup water (125ml)
- 2/3 cup ice (125g)
Method
Pre-soaking (optional)
- Add salt to almonds and cover with water.
- Soak 8-12 hours or overnight at room temperature.
- Drain almonds and rinse.
Almond Milk
- Add almonds to blender with 1 1/2 cups water, dates and vanilla bean powder.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add 1/2 cup of water and 2/3 cup ice and blend again.
- Strain through nut milk bag, squeezing pulp thoroughly to extract as much almond milk as possible.
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Preparation
- Before: Soak almonds 8-12 hours or overnight
- During: 15 min
- After: -
- Need: Blender, nut milk bag
Nutrition Information
Serving: 200ml; Calories: 50kcal; Carbohydrates: 3.5g; Protein: 1g; Fat: 3g; Saturated Fat: 0.2g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.8g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1.9g; Sodium: 180mg; Potassium: 50mg; Fiber: 1g; Sugar: 1.5g; Vitamin A: 500IU; Calcium: 200mg; Iron: 0.4mg
Tips
- Soaking the almonds is optional, but you get a much better result if you include this step. Not only does soaking help to release extra nutrients from the almonds, but it makes the milk creamier and more delicious, and you get a slightly higher yield as well. The salt helps to make the soaking even more effective.
- You can use fewer almonds if you like, which will make your almonds go further, but the milk will taste a bit watery, and not nearly as nice in my opinion.
- If you leave out the second lot of water, you can make a thicker, richer almond milk, almost like almond cream. Yum.
- You can make raw nut milk with all kinds of nuts, including brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts and more. Raw vegan almond milk is a great place to start, but the principles are pretty much the same for any nut milk – blend and strain – so have a play with it.
- The reason you only add part of the water to begin with, is to help the almonds to blend properly. If you add all of the water at the start, it makes it harder for the blender to break down the almonds, and your milk may not be as smooth and creamy.
- The dates are used to help sweeten the milk. You can use your preferred natural sweetener (e.g. agave nectar, coconut nectar, maple syrup, honey), although the dates add a wonderful depth to the flavour, and are a whole food, which I prefer to use when I can.
- Your tastebuds may change over time, so start with a slightly sweeter milk if need be (add more dates if you prefer), and reduce them as you get used to the nutty flavour of the almond milk.
- The same goes for the vanilla. When we started making this, the vanilla really helped us to adjust to the flavour of the almond milk. But these days, we leave out the vanilla entirely because it was starting to make it taste too sweet for us. Just go with what you like best.
- Vanilla bean powder is just fresh vanilla beans air-dried and ground into a powder using a spice blender or coffee grinder. You can make your own or you can buy it from your local health food shop. If you can’t get your hands on any of this, just use 1 tsp of vanilla extract instead.
- We use some ice in the second amount of water to keep the milk cool as it blends. Because you are blending your milk for a while, to make it extra smooth, you may find your milk heating up, especially if you’re using a high-speed blender like the Vitamix that we use. The last thing you want is your raw vegan almond milk over-heating and not being raw any more, so use some ice if you can.
- You don’t have to strain your nut milk, but I highly recommend it. Not straining it would mean you don’t have leftover almond pulp to find uses for, but it does leave a grainy texture in the milk, which I don’t really enjoy. Straining it definitely helps your nut milk to resemble dairy milks more closely, which can make it easier to accept for some people.
- You can buy nut milk bags online, at your local health food store, or you can make your own, using a square of muslin or swiss voile. You’ll find all kinds of uses for your nut milk bag, so it’s worth getting your hands on one. And frankly, it’s worth it just to be able to make almond milk.
- We store our raw almond milk in the door of our fridge and find that it starts to turn on day 5, so make sure it doesn’t last that long.
Variations
- This almond milk is a great alternative to soy milk, and tastes really great if you just like to drink milk straight from a glass.
- It also goes really well with desserts like my Raw Almond Pulp Chocolate Fudge Brownie or my Easy Raw Vegan Chocolate Fudge
- We also use this for sealing up Vegan Sausage Rolls, on top of some Homemade Raw Muesli and in smoothies.
- My daughter loves it when I add a teaspoon of cacao powder and a drizzle of maple syrup to a cup of almond milk, so she can have chocolate cereal for breakfast.
- You can add your favourite flavourings to this almond milk. Anything goes, so let yuour imagination run wild!
FAQs
Is almond milk raw?
Yes it is, if you make it yourself using almonds that are raw. Store-bought almond milk is generally not raw, as it is usually pasteurised before being bottled.
However, almond milk that is explicitly labelled as being raw, should be raw. You can always contact the manufacturer directly if you want confirmation.
It’s getting harder to find raw almonds these days, as many of them have been pasteurised.
However, pasteurisation only heats the outside of the almonds and does not cook them fully, so they’re still better than roasted almonds.
You can search online for suppliers of fully raw almonds, as there are still some suppliers offering unpasteurised almonds.
If you pre-soak your almonds, you also get access to more of the nutrients in your almond milk, making it “live” almond milk.
Is almond milk vegan?
Yes, it is, if you use my recipe (or something like it) to make your own almond milk.
Store-bought almond milk is generally vegan, but check the label for any animal-derived ingredients just to be 100% sure before you buy it.
My inspiration
When I decided to start exploring this whole “raw food thing”, I did my homework online (as I do), and found the two highest rated raw food cookbooks on Amazon, and bought them for myself for Christmas.
They were Jennifer Cornbleet’s Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People and Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Essentials, and I quickly discovered that Jennifer’s recipes were simple and delicious, but I felt overwhelmed by Ani’s recipes to begin with.
So this raw vegan almond milk recipe is basically my version of Jennifer’s raw nut milk recipe that I’ve been making every few days since then. It’s definitely a keeper.
And if you’re just starting out with raw food, I’d highly recommend Jennifer’s cookbook as a great place to start.
Want a raw food cookbook that’s perfect for beginners?
You can order Jennifer's cookbooks online today at Amazon, the Book Depository, or your favourite book supplier, and start making her easy and delicious raw food dishes for yourself.
Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People
Getting 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day has never been so delicious and easy
- Get it at Amazon.com
- Get it at BookDepository.com
So, take the plunge, have a go at making your own raw vegan almond milk.
And have an awesome day!
I studied Biochemistry and Genetics at Monash University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science, with Honours.
I've always had a passion for natural health, having grown up with asthma, eczema and numerous food allergies, and I wanted to help my kids avoid the same issues.
I love blending science and alternative approaches to find the best of both worlds, and I'm always looking for ways to create more amazing health and happiness in my life.
Learn more about me
Nancy A. says
I would love to make your almond milk but have one question. How much is 160g of almonds? Is that 1 cup?
Nikki says
Hi Nancy,
160g of almonds is 1 cup, yes, sorry about that. I usually try to put both weights and measures on my recipes, but I missed that one, so thanks for picking it up for me. I’ve now updated the recipe.
Sandra says
I wanted to know where you get your raw almonds, because although almonds are labeled raw. It is illegal to sell raw almonds in the store in the USA. They are pasteurized, but are allowed to be called raw! Do you have a direct distributor?
Nikki says
Hi Sandra,
I am blessed to live in Australia where truly raw almonds are not illegal, so I don’t have any direct experience or suppliers to share with you.
A quick search shows a few places in the US where you can buy truly raw almonds, and this forum thread has heaps of links for you:
http://www.rawfreedomcommunity.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1354
It’s an old thread, but some of the links still seem good, especially these two
– https://www.livingnutz.com/?categoryId=3
– https://homegrownalmonds.com/organically-grown-raw-almonds.html
I don’t know if they can ship to you, but if not, just keep looking and I’m sure you can find a supplier who will happily provide you with unpasturised almonds.
Worst case, if you can’t get your hands on truly raw almonds, remember that it’s about doing the best you can with what you have.
So what if your almonds have been steamed? OK, so they’re not technically 100% raw, but you’re making homemade, wholefood vegan milk with mostly-raw almonds, and that is HEAPS better than not doing it at all.
Or if you can’t come at that, perhaps you could find another variety of nut that you can get truly raw and make nut milk with those instead.
Every little thing that you can do in the direction you want to go adds up to better health and vitality. So decide what’s most important to you and do what works.
♥
Florence says
Thank you, very simple and complete recipe, but, most of all, delicious!!
Nikki says
Hi Florence,
You’re most welcome! I’m glad you’re enjoying it.
Lelly D. Tawas says
Dear Nikki, thanks for that recipe. Is it okay if I peel off the brown skin before I blend them? Please enlighten. Thank you so much.
Nikki says
Hi Lelly,
Sure you can peel the skins if you want to, but I imagine it would be kind of fiddly. And when you strain the milk, almost all of the tiny pieces of brown skin are caught in the leftover pulp anyway. But if you need to remove the skins, by all means go ahead. I’m not sure how you’d go about it, as it’s something I haven’t done before.
Hope this helps!
Desiree Pieprzyk says
I pour boiling water over my almonds and salt to blanch them. Once you let them sit overnight the skins pinch right off.
Nikki says
Hi Desiree,
That’s a great tip for getting the skins off, thank you. The boiling water would slightly cook the almonds, so it wouldn’t be entirely raw, but it would still be great.
Laura says
Interesting, so soak for better flavor, nutrients and higher yield. But it’s not necessary to remove the shell. That’s the fun, relaxing part though ;)
**Also, just take the salt from the recipe and add to the soak water?
Nikki says
Hi Laura,
If you love removing the shells, then don’t skip it. Relaxing is good. I just don’t have the patience. And if your blender isn’t super-powerful, removing the skins would probably give you a smoother result anyway.
And yes, the salt is for the soaking stage, not for the final recipe, to help with the release of nutrients.
Dikson says
Hi Nikki,
I’m interested in making my own, as I’ve ordered previously and thought it was a bit pricey.
My question is how many dates should I use? I understand it’s up to me for the sweetness level, but if I want to make it healthy (and balanced), any specific amount I should use? Because dates are really high in sugar
Thanks
Nikki says
Hi Dikson,
My focus has always been on enjoyment first and “healthiness” second, and I can’t give you a “right” amount of dates to use, because that assumes there is such a thing. There’s no right diet, only what’s right for you.
When we started making our almond milk, we used more dates, and as our tastebuds adjusted, we reduced the amount of dates. If you’re concerned about the sugar levels, then perhaps you could start with less (e.g. one date) and see if it’s sweet enough, or you could use an alternative sweetener, like stevia.
As for whether it will go off after the fourth day if you use pasteurised almonds, my guess is that it will, yes. Ultimately your milk is not sterile either way, so the same processes that make food go off will be at work in your milk regardless of whether your almonds are 100% raw or pasteurised.
Dikson says
Forgot another question,
If I’m making it with pasteurized almonds (I can tell because of their long expiry date), do they still turn after 4 days?
Thanks
Nikki says
See my reply above :)
Jaye says
How many calories, are in 250ml of the home made almond milk? I notice the unsweetened supermarket version claims 40calories per 250ml. Figure I can sort out how much they water it down to come up with a reasonable estimate of the Home made version’s protein, fat, carbohydrate content (ie if mine is 10 times the concentration of the supermarket version, then I could say the protein content is multiplied by 10 also). Its sort of hard to even imagine exactly what it is that is extracted (by way of nutrient content) by soaking and straining (eg. is all the protein extracted?). Yes, its almond milk, and its taste is absolutely beautiful, full & yummmmmmy …..however I am wondering about how much protein, carbs, fat, calories are extracted with the liquid & how much of them stay in the ‘almond meal’ left over. If the ‘almond meal’ is very high in cals &/or carbs I may have to shirk saving it for use in cooking if I am watching cals/carbs etc.
Nikki says
Hi Jaye,
This is something I’ve wondered about myself, and honestly, I have no idea how much of the nutrient content of the almonds goes into the milk, and how much stays in the pulp.
There’s a few attempts out on the world wild web to calculate it, but the difficulty is that it depends on your ratio of almonds to water, how much of the pulp you extract and how likely each of the components are to remain in the milk. I think the only way to know for sure would be to make a batch and get it lab tested, but that would be kind of expensive!
Here’s an article you might like to read to see if it clears anything up for you:
Sorry I couldn’t be more specific!
Sophie says
Hi Nikki,
I also live in Australia, in Melbourne. Can you please let me know your preferred suppliers for raw almonds? Thanks!
Nikki says
Hi Sophie,
I buy mine from a few places. My local organic greengrocer has biodynamic almonds (they’re in simple clear packaging with an orange label and are produced by the Biodynamic Research Institute in Powelltown), and I buy those sometimes.
Otherwise I tend to order them online, at places like:
https://nutsandspices.com.au/index.php?seo_path=nuts-seeds
https://www.goodness.com.au/shop/nuts-seeds/
https://www.royalnutcompany.com.au/
I’m not too fussed about whether they’re 100% raw (ie not steam pasteurised), so I can’t tell you about that, but you might be able to contact the manufacturers and find out, if that’s important to you.
Margo says
I can recommend 2brothersfoods.com. Ships anywhere in Australia and great prices. also stocks rapadura etc.
Nikki says
Hi Margo,
Thanks for the tip!
Tracy says
I buy almond milk because it tastes good, and an animal and stomach friendly beverage, and for the calcium. Buy the unsweetened 30 cal version. Have no idea how they make it. I’m thinking I’m just buying an almond flavored, vitamin fortified water. Thinking the almond “milk” doesn’t have any significant calcium in it for the amount of almonds in it and maybe a lot of the calcium is left behind in the pulp. So, should I not worry about whether homemade has calcium in it if I take a multi-vitamin and a calcium/vit d supplement. All so tricky to figure out.
Also, could homemade be frozen in daily portions so it wouldn’t turn?
thanks!
Nikki says
Hi Tracy,
Almonds do have a reasonable amount of calcium in them, but often the almond milks you buy in the store have a lot less almonds in them than my recipe. So they don’t taste as creamy and they don’t have as much calcium.
It can be tricky to figure if you’re getting enough of what you need from your food, so here’s a couple of articles on almond milk that might help you out:
Almond Milk @ Wikipedia
Almond Milk Basics @ Simmer and Boil
Something else to keep in mind, is that dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard) are one of the best plant-based source of calcium.
I’ve think I’ve tried freezing my almond milk, and I can’t remember how it went, but I’m sure it would be fine. Maybe try a small amount first and see how it goes when it’s thawed.
Best of luck!
Fatima says
I just love that you have such details as to why you do what you do in the recipe. I’m so excited to try your recipes. Thank you
Nikki says
Hi Fatima,
I’m glad you’re finding those details helpful. I realised that those little tidbits were often the best parts of the cooking classes I’ve attended, so I wanted to give you as close to that experience as I could.
Monita says
Hi Nikki,
I used to use raw almonds and make my own almonds milk with my almond milk machine (the machine will heat up almonds and water and almonds milk will be ready in 20 mins. I need some websites saying “steamed almonds” during the pasteurised process will cause cancer because the almond good oils oxidation hence provide free radicals therefore harm the body. I wonder if I heat up my unpasteurised almonds in the machines will also cause the same effect as “pasteurised” almonds? Please let me know your thoughts on this. Thank you.
Nikki says
Hi Monita,
Apologies for the delayed response. It’s been a crazy week!
Firstly, how hot does your machine heat the milk to? Anything under 45°C (113°F) is still pretty raw. Pasteurised almonds have generally been heated to at least 65°C (149°F) and potentially as hot as 100°C (212°F), which is a LOT hotter.
Honestly, I think that claiming that pasteurised almonds cause cancer is a bit of overkill. Yes, it’s not ideal to heat oils. Yes, the wrong kinds of oils can increase oxidation in your body, which can contribute to cancer.
BUT, not eating animal products (by using almond milk instead), is going to make much more of a difference to your health. And the stress of worry can also affect your health, so try to do things that come easily and that you feel good about.
It’s all about balance, and doing everything you reasonably can to shift your body towards health. Reduce the amount of strain on your body, and feed it good food, and just take baby steps in the right direction whenever you can.
You’re doing a great job!
Loly M. says
I just came across your website and find it very informational. Thank you for the delcious looking recipes. I’ve just started making my own almond milk and really love it. I see that in your directions you say to toss the water the almond soaked in. I’ve not been doing that, and I am wondering why you do. I thought that the water contained all the nutrients from the almonds that soaked out of it.
Nikki says
Hi Loly,
You’re very welcome and I’m glad that you’re finding my website helpful and my recipes delicious-looking.
If you choose to presoak your almonds, then it’s usually to activate them a little and also to remove the enzyme inhibitors (phytic acid), both of which will maximise nutrient availability.
If you don’t throw away the water, then you’re adding back some of the enzyme inhibitors that you just soaked out of your almonds. You’re also adding back the salt, which we added to help remove the phytic acid, but which you may not want to add to your recipe.
You may lose a small amount of nutrients into the soak water that you discard, but not a great deal because the almonds are whole so reasonably self-contained, and this is more than outweighed by losing the phytic acid and gaining the nutrients from the almonds beginning to germinate (activate).
Jennifer says
Hi,
I’m going to skip out the dates because I’m low carb. How do I calculate the nutrition in this? Say, per 100ml?
Thanks
Nikki says
Hi Jennifer,
That’s a tricky one, because it’s really hard to know what’s staying in the milk and what’s left in the pulp.
Generally I’ve relied on other sites for estimates of the nutritional content of almond milk, but this is the one recipe that it’s hard to be sure about.
You might find some useful information on how to calculate the nutritional content of homemade almond milk in this article – Nutritional Content of Homemade Almond Milk
Hope that helps!