Your Recipe Guide for Dairy Free Milk
Making homemade milk from nuts or seeds is super easy, inexpensive, and fun. It’s like the modern day dairy-free equivalent of milking the cow in the backyard and enjoying a glass of fresh milk immediately. There are so many benefits to making your own milk including saving money, omitting wasteful packaging, controlling the type and amount of sweetener used, excluding preservatives and low-quality ingredients, and eliminating cross contamination with allergens during the processing.
Coconut milk
Coconut milk goes well on oatmeal, cereal, in soups, pancakes, smoothies, and baked goods. It is an excellent source of medium chain fatty acids. Anytime you want very creamy rich milk think of coconut milk.
Recipe: Toss 1-2 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut, 1-2 tbsp. pure maple syrup, ~4 cups of heated filtered water and a pinch of sea salt if desired into a high powered blender. Blend on high for a few minutes. Put a nut bag filter inside a jar and filter out the fibrous bits.
Almond milk
Almond milk is an excellent source of protein and healthy fats. You can use it to replace cow’s milk for drinking or cooking. The homemade version is especially yummy with the authentic almond flavor.
Recipe: Soak ½ cup of almonds in water overnight. The next day rinse the almonds and toss in a high powered blender with 3 cups of filtered water, 1-2 tbsp. of pure maple syrup and a pinch of sea salt. Blend for about 3 minutes or until smooth. Put a nut bag filter inside a jar and filter all the fibrous bits out.
Hemp milk
Hemp milk is made from hulled hemp seeds so it is loaded with protein and healthy fats. This too can be used for cereal, baking, pancakes, or for drinking.
Recipe: Toss ½ cup of hulled hemp seeds, 3 cups of filtered water, 1-2 tbsp. of pure maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt into high powered blender. Blend for a couple of minutes. You may use a nut bag to filter out the fibrous bits though it’s not essential.
Cashew milk
Another favorite to make homemade and can be used in a variety of ways. Because it is made from the cashew nut it is full of protein, healthy fats and minerals so it is good for your brain.
Recipe: Toss ½ cup cashews, 2 cups of filtered water, 1-2 tbsp. pure maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt in high powered blender. Blend for a couple of minutes. Use a nut bag to filter out the fibrous bits.
Oat milk
This is very economical option and can be used for drinking, cereals or baking. It has a fairly mild flavor reminiscent of oatmeal. This is a good alternative for people with a nut allergy or children with a dairy allergy who are not yet eating nuts.
Recipe: Cover 1 cup raw oats with water and soak overnight. Drain and rinse. Place in high powered blender with 3 cups of water, 1 tbsp. pure maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt. Blend a few minutes or until smooth.
These recipes use pure maple syrup but you can also use 2 medjool dates or honey as sweetener and if desired can add 1 tsp. of vanilla extract to the recipes. You can also grind the nuts/seeds in a coffee grinder before putting into the blender for a finer blend or if you are using a regular blender vs. a high powered blender.
| I have omitted rice and soy milk from the list because of health concerns. Recently rice made headlines due to high levels of arsenic found in rice products—especially rice milk. The rice picks up the arsenic in the ground water and it doesn’t seem to matter if the rice is grown organically or conventionally. Children are especially sensitive to the hazards of arsenic. I omitted soy milk because it is now made from genetically modified soybeans which may increase immune reactions when consumed. Also, I find many people who are sensitive to dairy also react to soy—it is one of the top 5 food sensitivities. |
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