Try your hand at making these homemade nut milks from scratch. Nut milks are completely vegan (i.e free from any animal products). They blend up into a delicious, creamy “milk” that substitutes perfectly in drinks, baking or cooking.
HANDS-ON TIME 10 min | TOTAL TIME 4 hours or overnight | MAKES 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
You will need a fine mesh strainer and fine cloth such as muslin to strain the milks. This ensures that you remove every bit of the blended nut from the liquid.
Hazelnut milk
- 1 cup skinless hazelnuts
Spiced nut milk
- 1 cup pecans
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 2 strips orange rind
Vanilla nut milk
- ½ cup skinless almonds
- ½ cup cashews
- 1 vanilla bean
METHOD
Hazelnut milk
1. Place hazelnuts in a large bowl; cover with cold water. Stand, covered, for 4 hours or overnight. Drain; rinse well under cold water.
2. Add nuts to a blender with 2 cups of water and process until smooth. Pour mixture through a strainer lined with a fine cloth into a large bowl. Keep any blended nuts left behind for another use.
Spiced nut milk
1. Place pecans, cinnamon sticks, star anise and orange rind in a bowl, cover with cold water; leave overnight for flavours to infuse. Remove spices and rinse pecans thoroughly.
2. Add nuts to a food blender with 2 cups of water and process until smooth. Pour mixture through a strainer lined with a fine cloth into a large bowl. Keep any blended nuts left behind for another use.
Vanilla milk
1. Place almonds and cashews in a bowl. Cover with cold water. Stand, covered, for 4 hours or overnight. Drain the water and rinse nuts thoroughly. Place nuts and 2 cups of water in a food blender.
2. Split a vanilla bean lengthways, scrape the seeds into the food processor. Blend until smooth.
If you want to sweeten the milk, add pure maple syrup or pureed dates. Using skinless or blanched nuts will create a whiter coloured milk. Using a high-powered blender, such as a nutribullet or vitamix, will create a smoother-textured milk.
Some store-bought milk substitutes can contain added unnecessary ingredients and preservatives. Making your own homemade nut milks can show you what good quality nut milks should taste like and help you create a solid foundation of what you want to see in your own produce.
Did you make any of these nut milks? Tag us on Instagram @foodandhomesa!
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Sjaan is a food stylist and recipe developer for Food & Home. She aims to create mouth-watering images and exciting How To videos on our Instagram, hoping to inspire people to try new recipes and have fun in the kitchen.