How to make your own almond milk

Alternatives to cow’s milk are becoming more and more popular. One of the most chosen for its flavor and nutritional properties It’s the almond one. You can always buy a commercial drink, but they usually contain too many additives and not enough almond. It is better that you learn to prepare it at home.

Homemade Almond Milk Recipe

Everything that you need for this almond milk recipe are almonds, water and a cloth filter (if you don’t have one, you can use a clean kitchen towel or a very fine metal strainer).

Ingredients:

200 g of almonds750 ml of water

Elaboration:

Soak the almonds overnight. The next morning, take them out of the water, discard the water, and put them in a processor along with fresh water. Blend the two ingredients until you obtain a smooth liquid. Place the bag, cloth, or strainer over a large bowl. Carefully add the non-dairy milk. The almond puree remains should remain in the cloth or strainer, the milk will land in the bowl. Carefully squeeze out the almond remains. If you use a strainer, you can squeeze out the puree by pressing down with a spoon.

You can drink the almond milk as it is or give it your personality with a little cinnamon, pure cocoa or cardamom, For example. Store it in a sterilized glass bottle in the refrigerator. There it will stay for about four days.

It is advisable use organic almonds for the recipe. You can use more or less water depending on whether you prefer thick or liquid milk.

Do not throw away the almond remains, they can be used for cakes, creams, etc. If you are in a hurry you can make the milk with ground almonds, which does not need to be soaked.

Is almond milk healthy? 8 indications for drinking almond drink

Almond milk is healthy.

However, when the almonds are soaked and filtered, many minerals are lost so the vegetable alternative hardly contains protein (most of it remains in the pasta that you have left over from making the milk). In return, it contributes less fat and more carbohydrates.

The sugar content is usually lower than that of cow’s milk.

Another thing is commercial almond milk. Manufacturers usually enrich it with B vitamins and calcium, among other nutrients. Purchased varieties typically contain less than ten percent almonds; instead they contain additives such as salt, emulsifiers or flavorings.

The almond drink is especially recommended in the following cases:

People with intolerance to lactose or cow’s milk. It is also appropriate for celiac and who have soy allergysince it does not contain lactose or gluten. patients with hyperlipidemia or hypercholesterinemia It is ideal, since its unsaturated fats are very healthy. Better if it is taken without heating it more than 40º C so that it does not lose its properties or change the fat. It is a milk that is well tolerated by diabetics. It is not necessary to sweeten it or add sugar since the almond has enough carbohydrates.In children with atopy or eczema. It is a treatment popularized by the Swiss doctor Bircher-Benner, with good results.In childhood diarrhea in children with artificial feeding or young children who follow a varied diet (in breastfed infants, it is better to continue breastfeeding). If it is used in infants to replace breast milk, it is preferable to mix it with other seed horchatas to improve calcium absorption. It is recommended for the pregnant motherespecially if you are breastfeeding.In children with growth problemsissues nervous or to improve their intellectual performance. It is also recommended for elderly people who have lost teeth and have difficulty chewing.

Is almond milk sustainable?

Cows produce methane, which is why cow’s milk has a relatively high CO2 footprint. According to researchers at the University of California, the production of a liter of almond drink emits ten times less greenhouse gases than that of cow.

But almond-based milk also has disadvantages: making almond milk consumes 17 times more water than cow’s milk. This is particularly problematic, since almonds only grow in hot countries, which often already have a shortage of water.

The study was conducted with almonds grown in California. Water consumption in European almond plantations is likely to be somewhat less, but there are no studies on it yet.

On the other hand, keep in mind that if the almonds you use are not organic, could have been treated with pesticides that kill insects, including pollinating bees.

Organic, sweetened or natural: which almond milk to buy?

Not all types of almond drinks are equally recommended. Pesticides, cleaning agent residues, and toxic heavy metals, among other things, have been found in some of them. In some there are additives that contain phosphate, which in too large quantities can damage the kidneys and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

If you want to buy almond milk, search products with organic certification and from Europe. Or simply prepare the milk yourself using organic European almonds.

Do not forget to try a different vegetable milk: oat milk, for example, it requires less water than almonds and is also very healthy. In addition, there are many very good oat drinks on the market.