this milk is nuts! ... But no, really.
Trust us, once you make your own homemade nut milk, you'll never go back!
Simple, healthy and surprisingly super rich, creamy and fresh.
REBOOT WITH NUT MILK
Nut milks, essentially made by pulverizing nuts in a blender with water, then strained, might not sound like much but, it is absolutely creamy and delicious! Cows milk consumption per capita has been on a steady march downward, dropping 25% from 1975 to 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Whereas, plant-based, non-dairy alternatives like soy, almond, coconut and rice milk have gained much popularity. Especially almond milk sales, now accounting for 4.1% of all milk sales when 6 years ago it was less then 1%. Although nut milk is healthy and can substitute nicely for cows milk, it is not its nutritional equivalent... and here's why:
Ask the RD: should I choose almond milk over cows milk?
Nut milk advantages:
- Great option for those with lactose intolerance
- Plant-based suitable for vegetarians and vegan
- Gluten free
- Almond milk is on average 60% lower in calories than cow’s milk, making it a good for people trying to lose weight. (there are 40 calories in 8 fluid of almond milk and 122 calories in 2% milk)
- No cholesterol, unlike cows
- low in fat, no Saturated fat, unlike cows
Nut Milk Disadvantages:
- low in protein - while a glass of cow or soy milk has 8gm of protein, a glass of almond milk has only 1 gm. Despite almonds being a great source of protein (1 oz has 6gm) when it is "milked" it is mostly water, diluting its nutrient density and most of the nutrients get strained out of the final milk product. (If you don't want to strain the almond milk keep the "almond pulp' in whoever, it might be grainy)
- lower in calcium, B12 and vitamin D, unless fortified - check the nutrition facts label to see if these have been added in!
- Store bought brands may have unwanted additives: many plant based food products may seem like healthier alternatives but, sometimes have replacement ingredients and fillers adding much more calories, fat, salt and sugars from the processing so make sure to read the nutrition facts and the ingredients!
Bottom line: Nut milk alternatives can be a great substitute for weight loss! If you're going to skip diary, specifically cows milk, make sure you're purchasing a calcium vitamin D fortified brand or making up for its lack of some nutrients elsewhere by consuming other foods high in calcium and protein such as: dark leafy green vegetables, tofu, baked beans, chia seeds or quality calcium supplements with vitamin D. If you do choose to drink cows milk, we suggest reduced-fat, organic milk, which is untreated with hormones and antibiotics.
RD Tip: If you go with store bought Almond milk, I recommend going with unsweetened so you avoid added sugar additives in the flavored kinds. Note that just because a product is labled "Orginal" does not mean it is the unsweetened one. My favorite store brand is Silk
How to make your own homemade nut milk
with 2 ingredients + 6 easy steps:
Recipe By Dietitian: Taylor Johnson, RD, LDN
Recipe Type: Drink
Serves: 4
This recipe is: Vegan, Gluten Free, Diary Free
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup raw, unsalted nuts or seeds of your choice
- 4 cups filtered water
DIRECTIONS:
1. Soak Nuts Overnight
Measured out 1 cup of raw nuts and put into an airtight jar. Cover the nuts with filtered water, just enough to submerge them completely. Cover jar and soak them overnight in refrigerator or at room temperature.
RD Tip: Nuts or seeds must be raw and not salted or roasted for getting the highest nutritional value and flavor!
Suggested nuts or seeds:
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Walnuts
- Macadamia nuts
- Pecans
- hazel nuts
- Hemp seeds
You can even mix up your nuts! For example, try half almonds and cashews or half hazel and almond!
2. add to a high speed blender
In the morning, drain and rinse the soaked nuts. Add the nuts to a high speed blender with 4 cups of filtered water. Puree in a blender for about 2 minutes until completely smooth and frothy. (other less powerful blenders can work too but, you may have to blend longer)
RD tip: If you'd like to make a nut milk creamer for sauces, soups, coffee, or lattes, only add 2 cups of filtered water to get a much richer, creamer and higher fat milk.
3. pour into a nut milk bag
Pour nut mixture into a cheese cloth or nut milking bag.
RD tip: I purchased my nut milk bag from Ellie's Best and I love it! If you like your milk kind of grainy and don't want to filter out the nutrient dense solids from the nuts or seeds, you can skip this step and drink your almond milk as is! This more grainy milk would be great in oatmeal or smoothies!
4. Time to "milk"
Squeeze the nut milk into a large bowl. Squeeze and press until you've extracted all the liquid.
RD tip: Save the extra nut pulp solids that is left in the nut milk bag! This is packed with plant based protein and nutrients that can be easily added to pizza crusts, energy bites, crackers, muffins or homemade bread!
5. Add flavor
Once you've "milked" your fresh nut milk, which tastes phenomenal as is, have a taste first but, consider adding flavorings or a sweetener of your choice to customize it! Add the nut milk back into the blender with any of these suggested flavors of your choice and blend for an additional minute.
Suggested flavors:
- vanilla bean or extract
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- Berries (blueberry, strawberry, etc)
- pitted dates (for sweetness I usually use three)
- honey
- maple syrup
- raw cacao powder
- PB2 peanut powder
- matcha
- sea salt
6. refrigerate & enjoy!
Transfer the nut milk to an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes. Stir or shake before serving. Fresh nut milk lasts for about 5 days refrigerated. Reboot and Enjoy!
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