The other week I was in the grocery store with a client and we were looking at this bag of almonds – I think it was a medium sized bag – maybe 1 or 2 pounds at the most. I looked to see what the prices was – because it was no-name brand I assumed it would be cheap – but it was something astronomical like $30!  I loudly said “THAT’S  NUTS!” and then proceeded to laugh uncontrollably for 5 minutes at how funny my unexpected pun was.

 I have been vegan for just about 2 years now, and almond milk, along with other non-dairy milks have been a staple part of my life ever since. I spent the majority of those two years buying tetra-pack almond and cashew milk, and was always  aware of the many preservatives that exist in processed almond and alternative milks in store.  Carrageenan, for example,  a preservative used in many vegan/vegetarian foods as a substitute for gelatin. There is still no “conclusive” research on whether or not this preservative is dangerous, so the FDA is utilizing the “innocent until proven guilty” theory that has been oh so successful in their court systems (that rant is for a different post), and carrageenan continues to appear in our foods despite the fact that it has been linked to

• Large bowel ulceration
• Fetal toxicity
• Birth defects
• Colorectal cancer
• Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance
• Inflammation

There are more links, and more preservatives. If you want to look more into this I suggest you check out what Dr. Axe has to say he has some great information, but I don’t want to spend this whole article talking about carrageenan!

My point was, that there are various preservatives in store bought almond milk  and other non-dairy alternative milks, and while they may not be killing you the second you take a sip, are more than likely not contributing to your health. The things that contribute to your health are real foods. Whole ones. One’s who’s names you can pronounce, and likely one’s that don’t come in a can or a box – with some exceptions.

So for a long time I had been wanting to make my own almond milk, but was too intimidated because it seemed really arduous and complicated. At one point –  and I am a little embarrassed to admit this – I envisioned that milking an almond was like juicing. I actually thought that you got milk from the almonds the same way you got juice from a vegetable (insert that emoji that is laughing so hard he is crying). I remember being conjuring up an image in my mind about what the machine would look like, how many almonds they would have to use to yield a quart of milk from the almonds… yup. I really did.

But I have some good news, it’s not like that at all. Not even a little.  it’s actually really easy. You don’t need some crazy contraption that juices your almonds – nope, that was just in my head! All you need is a blender, some water and some almonds – or any nut/seed of your choice. A nut-milk bag is really useful but not absolutely necessary, a fine mesh sieve will do just fine. You can choose to add some sweetener and flavour but not necessary either if you wanna kick it original, unsweetened!

I learned during my course at the Academy of Culinary Nutrition that you can actually milk any nut or seed. I was pretty relieved because, as you saw earlier, almonds can be super expensive – so can a lot of nuts. So in an attempt to find the best bang for you buck in terms of nuts/seed milk… I spent the week milking nuts.

I think that sounds really dirty, but alas, it’s actually what I did in an attempt to give you some good information on the very best nut and seed milks.

So – I am going to rank each of the milks in three categories: Taste, cost, ease to make.

I will begin with every dairy free human beings favourite type of nut milk – The Almond.

The Nut Milks

 Almond Milk:

This is by far my favorite nut milk – there’s just something about almonds! It is the quintessential vegan nut milk. Almonds are high in Biotin – which is part of the B vitamin family, and can be helpful in balancing blood sugar levels. They are also high in monounsaturated fats which makes them helpful in reducing your risk of heart disease.

Taste: Great!

Cost: On the higher side

In toronto, Almonds go for anywhere between 6.99/lb to 12.99lb! If you are in the GTA I would highly suggest going to Ambrosia Natural Foods in Thornhill or Vaughan – their Almonds go for 6.99 compared to bulk barn 12.99. Nuts right? Yes… I will probably continue to make that joke ongoingly.

Ease to make: Easy

Time for most nut milks: 5 Minutes – maybe 10 if you’re a slow nut milker

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 4 cups water
• 4 dates
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• (Dates and vanilla optional)

What to do:

1. Place almonds and water in a blender, and blend for about a minute, or until all almonds have broken down. The water will not be completely white

2. Place the liquid into a nut milk bag or a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, and strain out all the almond pulp *You can save the almond pulp to make homemade crackers, breading etc.

3. Add the milk back into the blender and add vanilla and dates. Blend for another 30 seconds on high and voila! Your home made almond milk!

Walnut Milk:

This was surprising in the most amazing way. Walnut milk is delicious and I think I’m going to make more of it. Fun fact is you don’t technically need a nut milk bag, or a sieve to make this milk so I think that gives it points in the ease category. Not only is this milke thick, creamy and super tasty, walnuts are actually the best nut for brain health. They have what is called the “doctrine of signatures” which means they are a type of food that actually looks like the part of the body they help heal – so if you’ve never examined a walnut pay close attention next time you see one because they actually look like a little brain! They are one of the best sources of Omega-3-Fatty acids which are essential to nervous system functioning and brain health – they are a total superfood.

Have I sold you yet? It’s delicious. In Toronto walnuts go for between 5.99/lb and 11.99/lb – again I havet yet to see bulk walnuts cheaper than at Ambrosia just saying.

Taste: Delicious!

Cost: Moderate

Ease to make: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Walnuts
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 dates

What to do:

1. Place walnuts and water in a blender, and blend for about a minute, or until all walnuts have broken down.

2. So with walnuts you don’t HAVE to use a nutmilk bag, you don’t even have to strain them, in my testing I found that walnut milk tasted equally delicious (just slightly thicker) when I didn’t strain it. However, if you have a thing about texture, I would most definitely strain it or milk it.

3. Add the milk back into the blender and add vanilla and dates. Blend for another 30 seconds on high and voila! Your home made walnut milk.

Cashew Milk

I honestly… LOVE cashews. They are creamy, and delicious, and so so good for you. Similar to almonds they are high in monounsaturated fats (super food for the heart). They can also play an important role in regulating our mood. Cashews contain niacin and tryptophan, and according to some, contain a “therapeutic amount” of tryptophan which is enough to potentially alter your mood. Say whaaat? They also make the best milk.

This is definitely one of my favourites, but alas – cashews are not that cheap. At Ambrosia they at about 7.99/lb and I’ve seen them for upwards of 13.99/lb.

Cost: High

Taste: Super delicious, super creamy

Ease to make: Easy – no nut bag

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashews
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 dates

What to do:

1. Place cashewss and water in a blender, and blend for about a minute, or until all walnuts have broken down.

2. With cashews as well you don’t HAVE to use a nutmilk bag, you don’t even have to strain them, in my testing I found that cashew milk tasted equally delicious (just slightly thicker) when I didn’t strain it. However, if you have a thing about texture, I would most definitely strain it or milk it.

3. Add the milk back into the blender and add vanilla and dates. Blend for another 30 seconds on high and voila! Your home made walnut milk.

The Seed Milks:

Pumpkin Seed Milk:

This was a little bit new to me. I had never made it before but I had so many pumpkin seeds I thought – what the hell let me blend these up and see how they taste. I have to be honest – they taste exactly how you would imagine. Imagine chewing a plain, pumpkin seed. It tastes like that in milk form. So I’ll be honest, not my favourite. Mixed with the dates and vanilla it was a little better but still the pumpkiny taste just comes through and it’s a little bitter.

Pumpkins however are a potent source of zinc – eating pumpkin seeds is one of the best ways to get this mineral in our diets. They are also a powerful antioxidant and anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-viral.

Taste: Meh

Cost: Cheap! Less than $1/ batch

Easy to make: Easy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4 dates

What to do:

1. Place pumpkin seeds and water in a blender, and blend for about a minute, or until all pumpkin seeds have broken down. The water will not be completely white, and in fact will actually turn a little green which is kind of off-putting and scary. Don’t worry once you strain it out the green colour will go away.

2. Place the liquid into a nut milk bag or a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, and strain out all the pumpkin seed remnants.

3. Add the milk back into the blender and add vanilla and dates. Blend for another 30 seconds on high and voila! Your home made pumpkin seed milk.

Flaxseed Milk

Taste: Meh

Cost: CHEAP – I am not good at math, but I got a 1lb bag of organic flax seeds for $2 and I used a 1/4 cup which was…I don’t even know what the fraction of the bag it was, but it was virtually pennies. This is by far the least expensive milk.

Ease to make: Challenging

So I tried making flax seed milk – and it worked! However, I have always used the ratio of about 1:4 with nut and seed milks – this is usually a good ratio. Not for flax seeds. Flax seeds have a mucilaginous property which makes them a really good binding agent for vegan baking, but makes them a bit of a nightmare for making milk out of. So initially I used this ratio, and I basically came out with a paste. I could not milk it! So then, good old google told me that you need a ratio that is to the effect of 1/4 cup flax seeds to 6 cups water! I missed the appropriate ratio JUST a little. So I re-made a batch with the appropriate amounts. I have to say that I really didn’t like it all that much, it has a VERY strong taste and is quite bitter. Even after adding dates and vanilla extract it still tasted pretty bitter. So I wouldn’t recommend guzzling this back on a Sunday afternoon with a cookie in your hand, but it did work well as a base for my smoothies.

Flax seeds pack a big punch for such a little seed. They have the perfect ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 which makes them a powerhouse for brain and nerve functioning. They are also a great source of fibre and high in antioxidants – total superfood.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 6 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 dates

What to do:

1. Place 1/4 cup flax seeds, and 6 cups of water in a blender – if your blender isn’t big enough just half the recipe. Blend on high for about a minute

2. Pour the mixture through the nut milk bag and milk those seeds. Be aware that because of that mucilaginous property – this is going to be challenging, but you can do it!

3. Add back into the blender with dates and vanilla extract, blend on high for another minute, pour and enjoy.

Sunflower Seed Milk:

Taste: Meh

Cost: Cheap! Sunflower seeds go for about 1.99/lb where I live, which is about the same as the flaxseeds. It works out to be a little more expensive because the ratio of sunflower seeds to flax seeds is a little higher, but still – cheap.

Ease to make: Easy

Maybe it’s a seed thing – but the common denominator among the seed milks is a strong, and almost bitter taste when consumed on their own even with the addition of vanilla and dates or other sweeteners. The sunflower seed taste was very strong in this milk, and I wasn’t a huge fan of it on it’s own. I did however, enjoy it in my smoothies because the other flavours overpower the bitterness, but I was still left with the creaminess.

Sunflower seeds are actually really high in vitamin E which is our body’s primary fat soluble vitamin! They have anti-inflammatory properties, and play an important role in lowering cholesterol. So I mean, I guess I can look past the not

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sunflower seeds (soaked)
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 dates

What to do:

1. For this one you are going to have to soak the sunflower seeds – Ideally overnight, but if you only have a couple of hours or minutes that’s ok too.

2. Use the 1:4 ratio – I only used 1/2 cup to 2 cups water, but if you’re wanting more you can use 1 cup to 4 cups water. Place seeds and water in blender and blend on high.

3. With this seed you don’t necessarily have to strain it out, but I would recommend it if you are using this with your coffee so you don’t have little pieces. However, if you’re going to be using this for a smoothie I really wouldn’t bother it’s another step and once it’s in the blender with all that other stuff you wont even notice.

4. You can add the dates and vanilla extract, blend on high again, and pour into a jar to enjoy!

So there you have it! 6 nut and seed milks tried and tested and ranked just for you!

My Recommendations:

Use Nut milk in your coffee, and seed milks in your smoothie

If you are looking to save money, get the most bang for your buck, but also enjoy your nuts milks, I would encourage you to use your seed milks for your smoothies, and your nut milks for your coffee. I really like the mild, nutty taste of almond, cashew or walnut milk in my coffee, but I sometimes feel like I’m “wasting” my home made nut milk when I put it in a smoothie. They are much more expensive, you can barely taste it in the smoothie and you likely  also use way more milk in a smoothie than in your coffee. Then, if you have a coffee and a smoothie in the same day, you’re not only saving money, but you’re getting the variety of nutritional benefits from both the nuts and the seeds.

Shop Around

Look around at your local grocery stores/bulk food stores. I was totally shocked that our natural health foods store (ambrosia) sells almonds for HALF the price of bulk barn. It seemed a little backwards to me, but hey, I’m not complaining!

Buy what’s on sale

The main reason I attempted to make walnut milk was because they were on sale for ridiculously cheap at my local health food store and I thought – alright let’s see how this turns out. It was actually good; thankfully! But seriously, you never know if you like something until you try it, and worst case scenario you don’t like it and you through it in your smoothie like I did with every seed milk I made!
I really hope this was helpful for you guys! If you have any questions about milking nuts, or want any more information, feel free to send me a message or make a comment below!