As one of the most popular dairy free milk alternatives, almond milk is everywhere these days. And while it’s convenient to buy it at the store, learning how to make almond milk at home is worthwhile if you use it frequently. The ingredients in this unsweetened almond milk recipe — with options for vanilla almond milk or other flavors, too! — are cleaner, it tastes better, and it only takes a few minutes. If you like the idea of homemade almond milk but can’t have almonds, you can use the same method with other nuts, or make hemp milk for a nut-free option.

What Is Almond Milk?

Almond milk is a plant-based (vegan) milk that’s made out of almonds and water.

What does almond milk taste like?

Almond milk has a slightly nutty, slightly sweet, but very mild flavor.

How is almond milk made?

Store bought almond milk is made by soaking and blending almonds with water, straining out the solids, and then adding preservatives and bottling. Making almond milk at home is similar, but no preservatives and bottling necessary! My method also skips the soaking step, but I’ll also explain how to do it below if you prefer.

Homemade Almond Milk Ingredients

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for making almond milk, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Almonds – Use unsalted, raw almonds. You can also use unsalted almond butter or other unsalted, raw nuts.Water – Use cold, filtered water for best results.Sea salt – Optional, but just a pinch of sea salt will help to bring out the sweetness.

See the section below on how to make vanilla almond milk, as well as chocolate and hazelnut! TIP: Unsweetened almond milk doesn’t need sweetener, but for flavors, I prefer to add Besti powdered sweetener. It’s natural, sugar-free, and dissolves effortlessly in cold liquids, making it an ideal choice for sweetening your nut milk. Some people prefer to add honey or maple syrup, but it would no longer be sugar-free or low carb.

How To Make Almond Milk

This section shows how to make almond milk with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

Grind. Use a spice grinder or small food processor to grind almonds until powdered.

TIP: You can soak the almonds in water instead of grinding. Simply cover them in water and let the almonds soak overnight, then drain the water and rinse the almonds. From there you can proceed to the blending step below using the whole nuts, instead of grinding first.

Blend. Place ground almonds into a blender, add water and salt, and blend until creamy.

Strain. Pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer (sometimes called a sieve), nut milk bag, or cheese cloth, over a large bowl, to remove any almond pulp. Even a dish towel will work if that’s all you have. If using a bag, towel, or cheese cloth, squeeze to release all the milk.

TIP: You can make almond meal with the pulp. Simply spread it on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 2-3 hours at about 200 degrees F, or the lowest temperature your oven has, stirring a couple of times during baking.

Blend again. Pour the strained mixture back into the blender and add your favorite add-ins (if any — see below!). Blend again. Enjoy!

How To Make Vanilla Almond Milk + Other Flavors

Don’t be limited by the classic vanilla almond milk! Here is how to make other flavors, in addition to vanilla, too.

Vanilla almond milk: Add vanilla extract. Or if you want to, use real vanilla bean seeds.Chocolate almond milk: Blend in cacao or cocoa powder with the vanilla in the final blending step.Hazelnut almond milk: Replace some of the almonds with hazelnuts.Strawberry almond milk: Here’s a strawberry almond milk recipe to try.Spiced almond milk: Add an interesting twist by adding cinnamon, or other warm spices like cardamom, cloves, ginger, pepper, nutmeg, coriander, and cumin.

Unsweetened Almond Milk Nutrition

One of the reasons I like unsweetened almond milk is because of it’s very light. It’s low carb, low calories, and a good balance between protein and fat. The nutrition info is approximate, because some of the nutrient content gets caught in the sieve and doesn’t make it to the final vanilla almond milk. This is why almond milk actually has fewer calories (and everything else) than the almonds that were used to make it. To be fair, almond milk does lose many of the benefits of whole almonds — just like any keto nuts that you would use for nut milk. Almond milk nutrition just can’t match up to that of the original nuts. This is because we filter out most of the almonds to make the milk, and the end result is mostly water.

How many carbs in almond milk?

There are 1 gram net carbs (2 grams total carbs) per cup of almond milk.

How many calories in almond milk?

Each cup has just 40 calories.

How much protein in almond milk?

There is 1 gram protein per cup of homemade almond milk.

How much sugar is in almond milk?

There are 0 grams sugar in a cup of this almond milk recipe. Be sure to check labels if you buy it, as sugar is often added — look for unsweetened vanilla almond milk so that there’s no sugar.

Does almond milk have calcium?

Homemade almond milk does not have calcium. Some store-bought versions will be fortified with calcium, but it depends on the brand.

Is almond milk dairy free?

Yes, almond milk is dairy free.

Is almond milk keto?

Yes, this easy almond milk recipe has just 1 gram net carbs. Sugar and carb levels will vary depending on if a sweetener was used and what it was!

Is almond milk good for you?

Is almond milk healthy? Yes! It’s a light milk alternative, and it’s sugar-free. And, this homemade almond milk does have anti-inflammatory properties [*].

Storage Instructions

Does almond milk need to be refrigerated?

Yes, you should refrigerate almond milk. Since there are no stabilizers, it will settle and thicken over time. You can simply thin it out with more liquid, if needed, and give it a quick blend. TIP: For less fuss, store almond milk in a glass jar and shake before serving. Much less cleanup than transferring to the blender.

Can almond milk go bad?

Wondering how to tell if almond milk is bad? Simply give it a smell. If it smells bad or sour, toss it.

How long does almond milk last?

This vanilla almond milk recipe lasts about 3 days in the fridge. I kept mine for about a week without a problem, so use your best judgement. Remember, there are no preservatives!

Can you freeze almond milk?

Yes, you can freeze unsweetened almond milk! You can use any size containers you like, leakproof bags, or even an ice cube tray. It’s best to freeze almond milk in the container size that you are likely to use at one time. That way, you’ll only have to defrost what you plan to use soon. Always defrost in the fridge, which may take a while. Just move it to the fridge the day before you’ll need it.

Almond Milk Recipes

One of the reasons I love unsweetened almond milk so much, is that it’s so versatile. Here are a few ways you can use it:

Coffee Drinks – Try it in iced coffee, sugar-free coffee creamer, dalgona coffee, or simply your favorite latte.Baking – Almond milk is the perfect liquid for baked goods like low carb banana bread, yeast bread, or chocolate chip muffins.Soups – Adding almond milk is a light way to make creamy soups! Try it in bacon cheeseburger soup, cream of mushroom soup, or cream of asparagus soup.Smoothies – Add it to smoothies, like a strawberry avocado smoothie, protein smoothie, or chocolate peanut butter smoothie.Hot or Cold Cereal – Almond milk can set foods like chia pudding and keto oatmeal, or be used as a milk substitute for granola.Ice Cream – Almond milk ice cream is dairy-free, sugar-free, and absolutely delicious.

Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it! Adapted from Eat Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming