If you have been following for a while you probably realized that I have been on an almond kick for the last few years. It started with making my own almond flour at home back in 2018. Since then I have shared over 20 almond flour recipes.
Recently, I have been into making homemade almond milk, almond milk latte, and almond-milk based smoothies. This is mostly because of the fact that we recently found out that my husband is lactose intolerant and has to follow a dairy-free diet.
While making almond milk at home is fairly a simple process, it requires a little bit of advance planning and a bit of work once almonds are blended. You need to remember to soak the almonds 8 hours in advance and then once you blend them you have to strain them.
What if there was a way of making homemade almond milk without soaking and straining and literally in less than 2 minutes? Well, I am happy to tell you that there is.
Allow me to introduce you to the world of making almond milk from almond butter.
Why Make Almond Milk from Almond Butter
I am glad you asked. Here are a few reasons why almond milk using almond butter is awesome:
- It is faster: It literally takes 3 minutes to make.
- No need to soak almonds in advance: Since almond butter is super smooth and creamy and made from almonds that are pulverized, there is no need to soak almonds in advance.
- Straining of the almond pulp is not necessary: You do not need a nut milk bag or a cheesecloth set in a fine-mesh strainer. No straining is needed.
Ingredients:
To make the basic almond butter milk recipe you will need only 2 ingredients:
- Almond Butter: You can make almond butter at using roasted or blanched almonds or buy almond butter from a store. If you are purchasing it, I would recommend getting one that has only one ingredient in it. And that is almonds.
I would stay away from almond butter that has added sugars and/or preservatives to extend its shelf life. My favorite brand is Maranatha’s Raw Creamy Almond Butter (affiliate link) made from raw almonds. - Water: Preferably use filtered water.
- Optional flavorings: More on that below.
Almond Butter to Water Ratio
I find that the best ratio of almond butter to water for this fast almond milk recipe is using 2 tablespoons of almond butter for every one and a half cups of water used.
How to Make Almond Butter Milk
The process cannot be easier. Simply:
- Place almond butter into a high powered blender (such as a Vitamix – affiliate link) and pour in the water. Add in flavorings if using.
- Blend in high power until it is fully mixed, no more than 45 seconds.
- Pour into a glass and serve.
How To Flavor:
If you prefer your almond butter water/milk on the sweeter side or want to experiment with different flavorings to make it more delicious, you certainly can add other ingredients into the blender. Below are a few flavorings that I like.
Simply add them at the same time as you are adding the almond butter and water.
- Maple syrup: Start with a teaspoon of maple syrup, give it a taste and add more if you want it sweeter.
- Pitted fresh dates: Start with one small date, give it a taste and add more if you want it sweeter.
- Vanilla extract: Start with ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla per serving and add in if you like it to have more vanilla flavor. Alternatively, you can also use seeds from a small vanilla bean.
- Sea Salt: If you are a fan of blending sweeteners into your almond butter milk, adding a pinch of salt will help enhance their sweetness.
- Honey: If you are okay with it not being plant-based (vegan) then you can also sweeten it with honey. I would start with a teaspoon of honey per serving and add more if necessary.
A Few FAQs Answered:
- Can I make this ahead? Since this no strain nut milk recipe literally takes a few minutes to make I do not recommend making it ahead of time.
- Can I double/triple, etc. this recipe? Absolutely. You can multiply this recipe and make as many servings as you want.
- Can I freeze it? I do not recommend freezing it.
- What if I don’t have a blender? If you don’t have a blender you can also use a food processor to make this recipe. It might be a little messy and take a few more minutes but it is doable. Simply place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.
Recipe Ideas To Put It To Good Use:
You can pretty much use this almond butter milk recipe anywhere you use almond milk. Below are a few recipes to get you started:
- Smoothies
- Golden Turmeric Milk
- Almond Milk Oatmeal
- To serve it with your favorite homemade granola or any of your homemade cookies
Almond Milk From Almond Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups of filtered water
- 4 tablespoons of almond butter
Optional flavorings:
- 2 pitted dates
- 1-2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Place water, almond butter, and flavorings (if using) in a high powered blender.
- Blend in high power for 30-45 seconds or until thoroughly mixed.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Can I make this ahead? Since this no strain nut milk recipe literally takes a few minutes to make I do not recommend making it ahead of time.
- Can I double/triple, etc. this recipe? Absolutely. You can multiply this recipe and make as many servings as you want.
- Can I freeze it? I do not recommend freezing this almond milk recipe.
- What if I don’t have a blender? If you don’t have a blender you can also use a food processor to make this recipe. It might be a little messy and take a few more minutes but it is doable. Simply place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Storage: While (technically) it will be good for a day or two, we highly recommend making this drink on the day you plan to use it. You can store leftovers in a jar tightly fitted with a lid. Be sure to give it a good shake before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I understand you want to be safe by offering a 2 day expiration note of advice but this should be fine for a good 5-7 days if refrigerated. Almond butter is shelf stable and chilled water is generally safe to keep for a week in the fridge. Adding dates or sweetener is what would introduce significant food for bacteria and even then it would still be good for 5-7 days.
I used your recipe after we got hit by Hurricane Ian and had no electricity for several weeks.
How I made this was using a protein shaker that has the mesh steel ball in it. Of course using that method it’s going to be a bit grainy but you will get almond milk on demand.
I scaled down your recipe, I used 1 tbsp almond butter per 6 oz (3/4 cup) water, pinch of salt, some vanilla extract and erythritol and if I needed it a little bit thicker, 1/16 to 1/8 tsp xanthan gum per 6 oz water.
How I prepared it, I put everything in the protein shaker but the xanthan gum and shook it vigorously for quite a few minutes checking every minute or so until I got a decent texture.
Then using a 1/16 teaspoon measuring spoon, I sprinkled in 1/16 teaspoon xanthan gum and shook for several minutes and then repeated as needed.
Example, if I was making 18 oz almond milk, I added all the ingredients except the xanthan gum to the protein shaker, shook it up for several minutes then I used 1/16 teaspoon and added the xanthan gum then shook it a few minutes, added another 1/16 teaspoon xanthan gum and shook it again. I repeated the process until I got the consistency I wanted.
It was a bit grainy of course not having a blender but it worked and you get one heck of an arm workout.
Awesome! I’ll try this 🫶 Can I make cappuccino foam with this milk using my espresso machine? Thanks
Himmm.. That’s a good question. To be honest with you, I have never tried heating this using an espresso machine. However, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you did mix it well, it should act just like almond milk.
I hope this helps.
Awesome, I just made a half serve to test it out for a cup of hot cacao later, but used 1 cup for a banana smoothie with some cinnamon and it was the best! Thank you!
I am happy to hear that you liked it Amanda. Thanks for coming back and taking the time to leave a review.
How long does last ?
Hello Alicia,
It should be good for a day or two as long as it is kept in an airtight container.
Hope this helps.
I’m hoping to make almond milk for instant pot yogurt too. I have a vegan yogurt starter. I have done it with thin soy milk and it was great. It took 18 hours for really tangy yogurt. It was good. I’m hoping to bake with the almond yogurt and possibly if adding less water could start with a thicker milk.
Sounds great! I have never made almond milk yogurt before. It sounds interesting.
can this almond milk be used to make yogurt using an Instapot???? Tried soaking almonds and then squeezing the milk out of the pulp then making yogurt in the Instpot but 1st try was a failure…..
Hi Lynn,
Honestly I have never tried making almond milk yogurt at home. I’ll do a little research and update it if I find success.
You need a thickener. Not enough protein to make yogurt as you would make it normally like dairy milk.
How long will this last in the fridge?
Hi Shirley,
To be honest, I have never made a big batch and kept it in the fridge mainly because it is so quick to make. However, I would assume that it should last for up to a day or two.
Are you planning to make a big batch and use it in recipes?
No, I was thinking of using it for coffee creamer, so hoping it would be a week. ????
I really loved how easy this is to make!! So good!
Great to hear. Thanks.
This is so easy and I really enjoyed it!
Brilliant! This is one of those things I wish I knew earlier. Thank you!
I know, right? I feel the same exact way. 🙂