The Viral Almond Milk Hack That Will Save You So Much Money
Two glasses of almond milk: homemade and store-bought
If you’re dairy-free, there’s a pretty good chance that you have a carton of almond milk hanging out in your fridge right now. But did you know that there’s a DIY almond milk hack going around the Internet? No, I’m not talking about the lengthy process where you have to soak almonds, blend them, strain them through a cheesecloth, etc. This method is about 100 times simpler. It involves only two ingredients (three if you're feeling fancy) and takes no time at all to whip up. Intrigued? Read on for the details.
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What is the homemade almond milk hack?
Alex Thomopoulos, chef and host of the PBS show Moveable Feast, shared this game-changing hack on Instagram, where commenters excitedly chimed in about wanting to give this a try ASAP.
Many homemade almond milk recipes have you soak the nuts (for easier blending), blend them up and then strain the mixture through a cheesecloth (sometimes multiple times). It's more economical than store-bought, but I can tell you from firsthand experience that it takes a while and leaves a mess all over your kitchen (including a harried moment of "Now where do I put this??" when dealing with a soaking wet piece of cheesecloth flecked with almond bits).
In the video, Thomopoulos demonstrates a much easier way to DIY your almond milk. She starts by taking a couple of spoonfuls of almond butter and blending that with filtered water, salt and maple syrup. That's it. No soaking, no straining, no stress.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
Related: The #1 Best Nut for Weight Loss, According to Registered Dietitians
What do you need for the homemade almond milk hack?
Thomopoulos used two scoops (tablespoons, I assumed) of almond butter, 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, a pinch of sea salt and a dash of cinnamon along with 56 ounces of water (about 7 cups). Since a half gallon of almond milk runs around $4 these days, it is more economical than buying store-bought. A jar of almond butter is also pricey at $12, but will last a long while if you use it solely for making your own almond milk.
To test the recipe, I used Whole Foods' brand almond butter and maple syrup and compared that against the 365 Whole Foods brand almond milk.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
I live in a tiny city apartment and don’t own a full-sized blender, so I was stuck using my 16-ounce Ninja blender. This also required some math (my fave!) to figure out the correct ingredient proportions (Thomopoulos used a 7-cup blender in her video). If you have a larger blender, I would definitely recommend using that for this recipe. For my 16 ounces, I used a little over half a tablespoon of almond butter, a half tablespoon of maple syrup, and a tiny pinch of salt and cinnamon. I normally buy unsweetened almond milk so I can use it in sweet and savory applications, so I went light on the maple syrup.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
After blending it up for at least two minutes (pro tip: always blend for longer than you think), I unscrewed the top and marveled at the frothy, tan, almond-flecked liquid in my cup. Could this have actually worked?
Related: Can You Freeze Milk? The Answer Might Surprise You
The taste test
There were a few key differences in the side-by-side comparison of the homemade versus the store-bought almond milk, including taste, texture, smell and ingredients. I decided in order to really test out which was better, I needed to try the homemade and the store-bought in two different ways: cold, in a glass, and frothed in a latte.
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
The DIY almond milk was definitely stronger smelling than the store-bought, with a noticeable scent of cinnamon and almonds, but not off-putting in any way. It was also definitely nuttier. There was a strong taste from the nut butter and a bubbly froth on the top that was laced with little bits of almonds. Because the ingredients are simple and there aren't any thickening agents, this one is a lot thinner than its store-bought counterpart. It was smooth but not as heavy and milk-like as the store-bought and felt more like almond-flavored water in my mouth. The longer I let it sit, the more almond sediment collected at the bottom of my glass. One note: the water I used was ice cold, so that helped the taste and texture over using room-temperature water. The DIY almond milk didn't froth up as well as the store-bought, but it wasn't bad.
The store-bought almond milk was creamy and thick and is a nice well-rounded base for anything that you would use regular dairy milk, including baking, soups, smoothies or just plain enjoying with a stack of chocolate chip cookies. It wasn't watery and had no detectable sediment. The store-bought almond milk frothed like a dream for my latte.
My honest thoughts about the homemade almond milk hack
I was a bit skeptical to try this out since it seems almost too good to be true. But ultimately, I was pleasantly surprised. With just a few ingredients (no cheesecloth!) and my little single-serve blender, I was able to make a cold, refreshing glass of almond milk in no time. It's cheaper than buying carton after carton of almond milk and it gives you complete control of the ingredients. There are some tradeoffs (texture, frothing ability), but this is a great hack to have in your back pocket if you're on a budget and/or need almond milk in a pinch. It's definitely one hack that I'll go back to making again and again, so give it a try (er, go nuts) and see if you agree.
Next: Wait, Is Almond Milk Actually Healthy? Here’s What Dietitians Say
