All Things Plant-Based Milk: A Starter Guide to Making Plant-Based Milk
If you’ve switched to drinking plant-based milk, the next step is to start making your own milk at home. Plant-based milks are easy to make and require only a few ingredients and simple steps.
The reason I started making my own plant-based milk was because I became more mindful of the ingredients in the store-bought milks. Most plant-based milks at the market contain various unfamiliar ingredients such as acidity regulators (dipotassium phosphate), rapeseed oil (canola oil), potassium citrate, natural flavors, locust bean gum, gellan gum, and others. I found these additional preservatives, sugars, and thickening agents unnecessary.
I first made my own plant-based milk while working at a vegan restaurant where we made almond milk at the beginning of the day. That’s when I realized how easy it was to make. As long as the almonds were soaked the night before, making the almond milk took about 5 minutes at most. When I got a blender, I knew that the first thing I would make in it was plant-based milk.
The three main plant-based milks that most people tend to drink and that are usually found in local coffee shops are almond milk, oat milk, and cashew milk.
In the following guide, I will explain how to make these three kinds of milk.
Things you will need:
– Nuts or oats
– Water – Strainer (nut bag, cheese cloth, French press, etc.)
– Blender
No matter which plant-based milk you are making, you will need all four of these items to make it.
How to choose a milk
Different types of milk are suitable for different purposes.
Here are some recommendations:
– Oat milk: Ideal for smoothies or baking.
– Cashew milk: Great for making cream sauces, smoothies, or cooking due to its rich consistency.
– Almond milk: Versatile and suitable for various uses including drinking as is, adding to smoothies, coffee, tea, cooking, or baking.
Things to consider:
Not all nuts are created equally. When choosing nuts to use, look for raw, organic, unsalted nuts. Additionally, consider the environmental and processing impact of the nuts.
The environmental impact
– Almonds: It takes about 1.1 gallons of water to produce one almond, which is approximately 1,929 gallons of water per pound of almonds. 90% of almonds are grown in California, a region prone to droughts.
– Cashews: They require slightly less water to produce, with approximately 1,704 gallons of water per pound. The top cashew-producing countries, Vietnam and India, are less prone to droughts.
The processing impact
– Cashews have a protective shell around the nut that needs to be cracked open to harvest the nut. The shell contains acids that can cause burns and irritation to the skin if not handled properly. Be mindful of where your cashews are coming from and support companies that treat their employees respectfully.
Sustainable Milk Option
Oats are one of the most sustainable milk options. They are great for the environment, human consumption, and animal consumption. Oats use about 290 gallons of water per pound.
Hopefully, when you purchase ingredients, make your milk, or drink your milk, you will be more aware of the impact on not only ourselves, but also on the environment and people around the world.
Overconsumption of any one thing is never good. If we start living more mindfully, slowly, and show gratitude for what we already have, we will begin to live in harmony with the earth and people rather than against it.
Oat Milk Recipe
Simple 3-Step Oat Milk Recipe
This is a quick and easy oat milk recipe that you can make in less than 5 minutes.
- 1 Cup Oats
- 3 Cups Filtered Water
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon (*Optional)
- 1/4 Tsp Salt (*Optional)
- 1/2 Tsp Vanilla (*Optional)
- 1 Tsp Maple Syrup (*Optional)
- Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend for about 30 seconds. Make sure to not over blend it!
- Once you are finished blending, taste the oat milk to see if you would like to add anything else.
- Strain the oat milk, using your strainer of choice, into a jar and enjoy.
* 1:3 Ratio – Oats to Water
Tip: You can use the left over oat bits to make a small bowl of oatmeal or use it in your homemade Banana Chai Granola.
Cashew Milk Recipe
Simple 3-Step Cashew Milk Recipe
This is a quick and easy cashew milk recipe that you can adapt based on your own preferences.
- 1 Cup Raw Cashews
- 3 Cups Filtered Water
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon (*Optional)
- 1/4 Tsp Salt (*Optional)
- 1 Tsp Vanilla (*Optional)
- Boil water and soak Cashews overnight, or for at least 2 hours in a bowl of hot water.
- Then, the next day strain the soaked cashews and pour the soaked cashews into the blender with 3 parts water, cinnamon, salt, vanilla and blend for at least 45 seconds.
- Once you are finished blending, taste the cashew milk and add any additional ingredients or sweeteners you may need. I personally don’t like to add maple syrup or dates for added sweetness but feel free to do so if you have a sweet tooth. If the cashew milk tastes the way you like it, then pour the milk through a strainer into a jug and separating any residual cashew bits from the liquid.
* 1:3 Ratio – Cashews to Water
Tip: Save the cashew left over bits and make a cashew cheese or sauce.
Almond Milk Recipe
Simple 3-Step Almond Milk Recipe
This is a basic almond milk recipe that you can adapt to your own taste buds.
- 1 Cup Raw Almonds
- 4 Cups Filter Water
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon (*Optional)
- 1 Tsp Vanilla (*Optional)
- 1/4 Tsp Salt (*Optional)
- Soak almonds overnight, or for at least 5-6 hours in a bowl of water.
- The next day, strain the soaked almonds and pour them into the blender with 4 parts water, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and blend for at least 45 seconds.
- Once you are finished blending, taste the almond milk and add any additional ingredients or sweeteners you need. I personally don’t like to add maple syrup or dates for added sweetness, but feel free to do so if you have a sweet tooth. If the almond milk tastes the way you like it, then pour the milk through a strainer into a jug and separate the almond bits from the liquid.
* 1:4 Ratio – Almonds to Water
Tips:
I find that my almond milk lasts about a week or so in the fridge, but you can always tell if it went bad by smelling it. If it doesn’t smell like the first day you made it, then it is probably bad.
Save the almond bits leftover in the strainer and use it to make almond meal, granola, and almond spread (like the one typically used in an almond crescent).
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