Homemade Almond Milk: quick, easy, no sugar, no crap

Almond milk is delicious, but if you look at the ingredients in store-bought almond milk, it can be quite scary. I mean, chances are that if you are drinking almond milk in the first place, it's partly because you want to be healthier. And your want to feel good in your body, right? Well, as you can imagine, cane sugar, syrup, artificial flavors, processed gums,  extra salt, and preservatives, to name a few, are not really part of a healthy plan!

Now I get it! Store-bought almond milk is convenient! Who has time to make their own, right? I understand the time crush! I mean, guys, really, I DO understand the time crush! I am in the same boat.

But when you have a super quick recipe and an easy process, I can tell you that making your own almond milk is definitely worth it. And it doesn't keep you from having store-bought almond milk in the pantry, for days when you run out of your own homemade almond milk or when you really run out of time. It's fine! If you only drink half as much store-bought almond milk as you used to, you will notice a difference.

Try it, an let me know how you like it, OK?

Ingredients

Preparation

1) In a bowl, add 2 cups of hot water to your sliced almonds. Add the dried fruits too and, if you wish, half a vanilla bean. If you don't have vanilla beans, you can also add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract later in the process. I personally like my almond milk plain.

2) Let the content of your bowl sit for about 30 minutes. If you are good at planning, you can also just add 2 cups of tap water to your almond slices as well as dried apricots, and let it all sit overnight in the fridge.

If you are a very "last-minute" person, you can skip the soaking step altogether. It's fine as long as you have a good blender. You might just have to blend a little bit longer.

3) Once your almonds have soaked, pour the content of your bowl (sliced almonds + 2 cups water + apricots or other dried fruits) in a blender. If you had vanilla bean in the bowl, remove it, don't put it in the blender. Don't throw it away though: you can still use it for another recipe! If you are using vanilla extract, now is a good time to add it to the blender content.

4) Blend on low and then high speed for about 2 minutes. When the milk is perfectly smooth (you don't see chunks anymore), add 3 extra cups of water and blend a little longer. Note: all together, you have 1 cup of sliced almonds and 5 cups of water.

If you want, you can stop everything at this point and just drink your almond milk like that. That is, with the almond "flour" in it. It will have a nice texture and will be delicious. 

Make your almond milk less calorie-dense

5) If you are like me, trying to keep an eye on your weight, then you want to keep going a little further with this recipe. You are going to pour your almond milk through a lycra sock (clean and reserved for that purpose!) or through a cheese cloth, so that the almond "flour" is filtered out and you end up with almond milk that is much lighter.

Now if you do that, your almond milk won't be as thick and creamy. That's why manufacturers often add gum and all kinds of stuff in their almond milk. You can totally drink it as is, though! But if like me, you like it on the thicker side, keep going. Because WE are going to do thicken it naturally and healthily!

6) Pour your filtered almond milk back into the blender, and add half a tablespoon chia seeds. Blend again at high speed for about a minute, and that's it! Let your milk sit for a few hours or overnight and when you are ready, enjoy it. Thanks to the chia seeds, it will be deliciously thick and creamy. 

PLUS, you will get an extra dose of protein when you drink it! How is that for a healthy milk?

It's even easier in video!

If you want to see how I make this delicious almond milk myself, watch the video I just did on Facebook. And please, share it if you think some of your friends would enjoy making their own, deliciously healthy almond milk.

Do you have prediabetes?

If you do have prediabetes, or if you are worried about your blood sugar levels, you might wonder whether eating nuts is actually good for you. I mean, it's so hard to know what to do! Some doctors recommend a low-fat diet, other recommend a high-fat diet! If you are confused, find your answer in my last article: "I am prediabetic: should I eat nuts?"

And if you find everything about prediabetes to be confusing and complicated, I recommend that you download my Beginner's Guide To Prevent Diabetes Naturally, with 5 hassle-free proven steps.

And as always, if you need a little extra help to get started on reversing your PreDiabetes, reach out. You can use my CONTACT FORM or you can request a FREE Discovery Session if you want to know more about my approach and how it might help you reach your goals.