Lately I have received many questions about how to make homemade almond milk without added sugar (unlike the supermarket ones). Come on, a healthy vegetable drink, free of additives and an alternative to cow’s milk (making it ideal for a vegan diet).
If homemade almond milk is fattening, how many calories it has, if it lasts a long time in the fridge, what can be done with the leftover pulp, if the supermarket’s milk is healthy and a long list of other questions.
Well, what better way to answer all those doubts than doing a super complete post about almond milk. I assure you that today all your doubts will be resolved (be prepared because it will be an extensive article) and I hope you will accompany me until the end.
Recipe: Homemade Almond Milk Without Sugar
Some time ago I prepare my own almond milk at home, since it is ready in less than five minutes (it is very easy to make), cheaper and healthier than those of the supermarket, and when using raw almonds, we will take advantage of all the nutritional properties of almonds. A little further down I will tell you all its benefits.
You should know that you can make the basic recipe that consists only of two ingredients: water and almonds.
I almost always use some sweetener and natural sweetener (because I’m very greedy), but you can do without them if you do not like sweet vegetable drinks.
Almonds soak!
Before preparing almond milk, you should leave the almonds to soak between 8 and 12 hours . I usually leave them the night before and prepare the milk in the morning.
And why should we leave the almonds soaking? Right now I answer you.
Basically for two reasons:
To soften the almonds and suffer less your blender or extractor.
For the ” activated seeds “. Yes, now I explain. Raw seeds are composed of “antinutrients” (such as phytic acid and tannins ) that make them difficult to digest and take 100% all their nutrients. This occurs because the seeds defend themselves in this way from predators. It is harmless, do not worry.
Phytic acid is a “mineral thief” (steals them and does not allow them to be absorbed). This is because this compound (which is very clever) prevents the seed germinate unless it is in the optimal conditions of light and moisture.
In this way, when you soak the almonds, what happens is that a large part of that phytic acid passes into the water, so it will release vitamins and minerals that you will take advantage of. With this, you not only get a better use of nutrients, but a lighter digestion.
To perform the activation, you must follow the following steps:
Put the almonds in a pot, jar or bowl.
Cover the jar with bottled water or filtered preferably and also add a splash of lemon.
Leave the almonds soaking between 8 and 12 hours.
When these 8 hours pass, discard all the water and rinse the almonds well under the tap (until the water comes out well cleaned).
They are ready to be used in your milk!
Ingredients used in this recipe
To prepare this milk I used natural and peeled almonds, but you can also buy them with skin. As I told you before, you can only use water and almonds to make your own milk. Remember that the less water you use, the creamier it will be.
In this case, I have used:
-200 grams of raw and natural almonds (can be with skin or without skin). Do not use almonds with salt or toast, as they do not work.
-1 liter of bottled or filtered water.
-4 or 5 Medjool dates (remove the bone). I used the dates as a sweetener, but you can use whatever you like (honey, syrup, etc).
-1/2 vanilla pod (optional).
-1 cinnamon stick (optional)