Today’s brilliant idea on How to Make Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes—lickety split!—comes from a gfe reader, Thia. And there’s no straining or pulp to contend with using her method, I might add!
![How to Make Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes. Homemade Almond Milk. For real! (shown with my Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies) [on GlutenFreeEasily.com]](https://glutenfreeeasily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/How_to_Make_Almond_Milk.jpg "How to Make Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes. Homemade Almond Milk. For real! (shown with my Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies) [on GlutenFreeEasily.com]")
The Back Story on How to Make Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes …
I shared a blogger friend’s video on making almond milk on my gfe Facebook page the other day. I and a few others, including Thia, ending up having a brief discussion in comments on adding sweeteners to homemade almond milk, how much almond milk you get from a cup of almonds, etc.
It was towards the end of the conversation that Thia dropped a bombshell. A good bombshell. Like a “Why didn’t I think of that?” bomb of an idea!
Thia: “If you happen to keep almond butter around, there is a real easy way to make it! One tablespoon of almond butter per cup water. Pinch salt. Sweetener to taste. Shake it up. (Blend, if using dates, rather than a liquid sweetener.) Straining optional, in this case.”
Me: “Wow! I love that idea!! Almond butter goes quickly when I have it around, but I do have some right now. Thanks, Thia!”
The Testing …
So yesterday, I grabbed my jar of Maranatha No-Stir Almond Butter, which contains dry roasted almonds, organic unrefined cane sugar, palm oil and sea salt, and tested out Thia’s method of making almond milk. (Note that I have linked to Amazon for display purposes only. I can get this almond butter at a much lower cost at my local grocery store. I just bought a jar at my local Wegmans for $5.49. One 12-ounce jar contains about 11 servings, 2 tablespoons each. Once you see the recipe, you can do the math on how many containers of almond milk you can get from one jar.)
Homemade Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes. For real! (shown with my Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies)
I upped my almond butter amount slightly to 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon per cup of water. Those results made me happy.
Admittedly, this homemade almond milk is not as thick as store-bought almond milk, but it doesn’t contain gums, lecithins, or carrageenan. And frankly, I’m thrilled about that.
You see I had stopped buying almond milk because it wasn’t agreeing with me. At first, I thought it was because of the almonds, but then I surmised that it was really more about those other ingredients.
While Thia says she got the idea for making this almond milk when she added water to clean her “empty” almond butter jar and shaking it around created what looked like milk, I did find this idea elsewhere online. So as is the case with many great ideas, it’s not a brand new one.
But it was brand new to me and I wanted to share it with you all just in case you had not heard of it either! And Thia and her idea are still the bomb to me because otherwise, I would not have known of this concept and would have continued to be almond milk free.
That would have been sad. Very sad. By the way, you can find Thia and her other easy, “real food” ideas at Pixx Eye View on Facebook.
![Homemade Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes. For real! (shown with my Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies) [on GlutenFreeEasily.com]](https://glutenfreeeasily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Homemade-Almond-Milk-Close-up-Gluten-Free-Easily.jpg "Homemade Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes. For real! (shown with my Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies) [on GlutenFreeEasily.com]")
Homemade Almond Milk (shown with my Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies)
The Results and Benefits of This Homemade Almond Milk …
I absolutely love that I can make almond milk on demand now in whatever amount I want and that I can totally control the ingredients. For cooking, I like my almond milk unsweetened. For drinking, I added a wee bit of maple syrup and vanilla to my almond milk.
I just added the maple syrup and vanilla to my glass and stirred versus making two containers (one unsweetened and one sweetened), but if a lot of almond milk gets consumed in your house, two jars might be the way to go. (As you can see by the photo above, I enjoyed my homemade almond milk with a Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie.)
And as Thia said, even when starting totally from scratch with almonds, she still often chooses this route of turning her almonds into almond butter first, and then adding water, etc. to turn that into almond milk. With this method, there is no pulp to worry about using up! You are consuming all of the almonds with no fear of wasting anything. I love that!
Plus, here’s another thought … you could add a little of this almond milk to coconut milk when you wish to lessen the coconut flavor. Or if you have some in your family who don’t like the taste of almond milk, you could add a little coconut milk to your homemade almond milk.
Last, you can use this recipe to make milk from any nut butter so if you can tolerate others nuts, but can’t eat almonds, give your favorite nut butter a try in place of almond butter. Again, you can use a ready-made nut butter or your own homemade nut butter.
You can add any sweetener you like … honey, maple syrup, yacon syrup, dates, etc. … or not. You can add a pinch of sea salt … or not. You are in control here!
![Homemade Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes. For real! (shown with my Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies) [on GlutenFreeEasily.com]](https://glutenfreeeasily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Homemade-Almond-Milk-Stool.jpg "Homemade Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes. For real! (shown with my Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies) [on GlutenFreeEasily.com]")
If you enjoy simple ways to make kitchen staples of your own, check out more ideas below the recipe!
How To Make Almond Milk in Less Than 3 Minutes Recipe
Homemade Almond Milk In Less Than 3 Minutes!
You won't believe how easy it is to make homemade almond milk using this method! Fewer ingredients (and no gums), lower cost, and you can make as much or as little as you want in 3 minutes or less, literally.
Ingredients
- 2 cups filtered water
- 2 tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp of your favorite almond butter (to taste; I like this one, but homemade is fine if that’s your preference)
- Sweetener of choice; honey, maple syrup, yacon syrup, pitted dates (I like Medjool dates), etc. (optional, to taste)
- Pinch of sea salt (if needed, your almond butter might already contain some sea salt)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to high-speed blender. I used my Vitamix, but any good blender will work fine. If you’re not adding a date, you might even be able to use a shaker jar.
- Mix until blended, about a minute.
- Use immediately or chill before serving. Keep refrigerated. (Contents may settle over time. Just shake your jar before using.)
Notes
Method from Thia Hall of Pixx·eye·view (Real Food).
Alisa’s (Go Dairy Free) How to Make Your Own Gluten-Free Flour in 3 Minutes or Less
![Homemade Almond Flour in Less Than 3 Minutes [from GoDairyFree.com]](https://glutenfreeeasily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Homemade-Almond-Flour-Go-Dairy-Free.jpg "Homemade Almond Flour in Less Than 3 Minutes [from GoDairyFree.com]")
Homemade Almond Flour from Go Dairy Free
![Homemade Nut Milk from Nut Flour from Go Dairy Free [featured on GlutenFreeEasily.com]](https://glutenfreeeasily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Homemade-Nut-Milk-Gluten-Free-Easily.jpg "Homemade Nut Milk from Nut Flour from Go Dairy Free [featured on GlutenFreeEasily.com]")
Homemade Nut Milk from Nut Flour from Go Dairy Free
Homemade Almond Milk from Elana’s Pantry
Homemade Coconut Butter from Flo and Grace
Originally published April 26, 2013; updated September 24, 2018.
Ellen (Gluten Free Diva) says
Hey Shirl – thanks for sharing my video! And I’m delighted to know that you’re making your own almond milk. I never thought about making it from almond butter – great idea! BTW, I’m also making my own hemp milk and flaxseed milk. I’ve got the fever!!!
Shirley says
My pleasure, Ellen! 🙂 I think the key is making our own, however, you make it. 😉 I had stopped using almond milk because of what was in the store-bought brands. I’m really happy with this homemade alternative! I have enjoyed hemp milk, but have not tried flaxseed milk yet. Intrigued! Did you see this post on making bean milk? Even more intriguing!
Shirley
Heather @Gluten-Free Cat says
Just brilliant! I must admit that my raw almond milk takes about 7 minutes of blending and squeezing through a nut bag… not counting the 24 hours of soaking or the cleaning of the Vitamix or nutbag afterwards. When I don’t have time for this, I keep a box of store bought almond milk on hand. Next time I’m in a pinch I will definitely try this almond butter remedy! We are NEVER out of almond butter. Again, brilliant!
Shirley says
Hey Heather–Yes, I’m so glad that Thia told me about this method, although it seems that many others have been “in the know” for years! In your analysis, you didn’t count the time it takes to find and buy safe whole almonds. Unfortunately, they don’t exist at the grocery store I regularly shop it. And the unsafe ones (“may contain wheat”) that are for sale are very expensive. I’m glad that so many of you have that option, but this method is optimum for me. 🙂 I loved the convenience of the store-bought almond milk, but I kept feeling like I was reacting to almonds. I think it was more of a reaction to all the other ingredients. If you can keep almond butter on hand, you are a far better person than I. That stuff simply evaporates here! Although I might have to commit to keeping one jar on hand to make this almond milk. 😉
Shirley
Linda S says
Thanks for sharing this idea, Shirley. I love almond milk and watched the Gluten Free Diva’s video, too, and can’t wait to try to make it myself instead of drinking the store-bought stuff with the ‘carrageenan’ goo. Like gluten, carrageenan is in a lot of products including toothpaste and medicines (crazy, huh?). The world has certainly changed over the years, hasn’t it? Free enterprise seems to have made it a world where there’s not much you can trust out there anymore.
Shirley says
Hi Linda–I’m so glad this concept is helpful to you! Thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙂 So true on the world changing, and so sad that many never even read ingredients or give them a second thought. Oh, and that free enterprise also made my phone bill that was supposed to go down double in price instead. Craziness!
Happy almond milk making whichever route you go! 😉
Shirley
Ricki says
I’ve been using nut butter for milk for a couple of years and just love this method! I’ve also used it for walnut butter and sunflower seed butter. . . so easy! And still loving my hippie dippy hemp milk, inspired by one of our FB chats long ago! 😉
Shirley says
Ricki–Did you mention that fact in a post and I just didn’t pick up on it? 😉 I’m assuming that you always make it from your own nut butter to control the ingredients even further. ? Well, I know that has to be true of walnut butter (still have to make that!). And how can you beat Hippie Dippy Hemp Milk, just based on the name alone? I still haven’t made that yet. That’s up next! 🙂
Shirley
Ricki says
I may have mentioned it in a comment when someone was asking about the hemp milk–or may have been on Facebook. I don’t use the nut butter option all the time, but it’s great to have it available, as you say! And soooo quick. I find that it does taste more like nut butter than the regular type, though. And I am still loving that hemp milk!(Best part is that you don’t have to strain it–so it’s sorta like using nut butter). 😉
Shirley says
Obviously, I missed it wherever it was! I really don’t mind the nut butter taste and definitely appreciate the simplicity and convenience. 🙂 Yes, I love anything that does not have to be strained. 😉
Melissa @ glutenfreeforgood says
What a great post! I love having a “collection” of tips, ideas, and recipes. I’ve been using almond butter for milk lately as well (and soaked dates). I find the meal/flour to be gritty and soaking, removing the skins, drying, grinding, etc. of the almonds too time consuming. I must say, I also like “lickety split” methods! I haven’t tried Lexie’s coconut butter, so I’ll make sure I visit her next. Oh, and your flourless cookies are amazing! As always.
Melissa
Shirley says
Hi Melissa!–Thanks so much, dear! See … you knew about this method, too!! You guys have been holding out on me! 😉 Yes, I don’t have time for the other methods and I don’t need a lot of almond milk. This method is just perfect for me! I haven’t made Lexie’s coconut butter yet either, but I plan to as I have coconut flakes to use. Ah, the flourless cookies … I made them to mail to a friend, but I didn’t get them into the mail before the end of the day as planned and then I ate one, then two, and then they become photo props. Finally, Mr. GFE’s friend showed up for a visit and I gave him two of them and then sent the rest home with him. He has two teenaged boys, so it was a “win-win” for all concerned! 🙂
Shirley
Kelley says
Thanks for sharing your newly found method! I too cannot drink store bought almond milk – so I cannot wait to try this!
Shirley says
Hi Kelley–You’re welcome! I hope this will be a great answer for you. You can play around with the amounts of almond butter and different sweeteners to get it exactly the way you want it. Make notes. 😉
Shirley
Penni says
Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that!
Shirley says
Hi Penni–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I don’t think we’ll ever know the original and brilliant person who thought of this idea, but I am very grateful to them nonetheless, and so happy Thia shared the info with me and I could pass it on to you and others!
Shirley
Shannon @ Enjoying Gluten-Free Life says
Awesome post, Shirley. I didn’t like the almond pulp that was left over from making almond milk, it seemed like such as waste when all I wanted was almond milk. The idea of making almond butter first then milk, brilliant. Thanks to Thia and you for sharing. And for the other links at the end too.
Shirley says
Hi Shannon–I’m so glad you found this post so helpful! Apparently those of us who are not into almond pulp are in the silent minority (majority?). I’m not sure, but I do love this method. Hope you like it once you try it, too. Yes, I’m grateful to Thia and Alisa, Elana, and Lexie for their “how to’s” as well! 🙂
Shirley
Kim - Cook It Allergy Free says
I LOVE LOVE this idea!! Almond milk without the crap! The kids and I will be making this one pronto. 😉 And so many other great tips and links here as usual. This is a great post and a perfect resource. Off to share and pin now!
Shirley says
Hey Kim–Thanks so much, dear! Every time I read those ingredients, I would wince. 🙁 I hope you and the kiddos really like this one. I’ll be interested to hear what your favorite “final” version is (sweetener, exact proportions, etc.) 😉 Thanks for spreading the word, too. People need to know!!
xo,
Shirley
Linda says
I love it! I’ll definitely be giving this a try. I have really backed off from using almonds, but I will try it with cashew butter.
Shirley says
Linda–I think using cashew butter will be heavenly. Creamy and naturally sweet. 😉 I’ll be quizzing you later on your exact recipe!
Shirley
Lauren says
I love doing this! It can be so time consuming to soak and blend and strain! I have yet to try it with other nut butters, but I bet it works that way too. 🙂
Shirley says
Hi Lauren–Welcome to gfe! So happy to have you stop by! We are all into experimenting with making our own dairy-free milk these days, aren’t we? 😉 I love it! 🙂 Yes, several of my friends have used other nut butter as a starting point it seems. I just didn’t know that until now! The secret is out. 🙂
Shirley
Alisa says
Your recipe looks yummy Shirley and so much like the nut butter milk I make, too! Great palettes cook alike, no? 🙂
Shirley says
Thanks, Alisa! It’s time to make some more of this yummy and easy almond milk. 🙂 I think that you and I are all about easy and less expensive; that’s why we so often think alike. 😉
Shirley
Marilyn says
Great idea…I tried it with sunflower butter this morning and added some stevia drops…really liked it. I’ll try it with almond butter next. Thanks for sharing.
Shirley says
Hi Marilyn!–After all this time, I don’t think I’ve ever officially welcomed you to gfe–I’m so happy to have you as a reader! 🙂 (I think you’ve always commented on giveaway posts before and I typically can’t reply to those entries because there are so many of them.) I am so glad you tried this method with sunbutter and reported back to us! I thought that would work just as well as other butters and I’m so glad that it did. Hope you like the almond butter version, too! Will share your comment on my gfe FB page later so that nut-free folks will be encouraged to give sun butter a try. 😉
Happy Saturday and thanks again!
Shirley
Erin says
I tried this the other day (when I was too lazy to make almond milk my usual way) and it was fantastic! Thanks for linking it up to 5-Ingredient Mondays. Hope to see you back this week 🙂
Shirley says
Hey Erin–Yay! Thanks for letting us know. 🙂
I just linked up to 5IM … it had temporarily fallen off my radar with some busyness this week. 😉 It’s a great event; thanks for hosting!
Shirley
Terris | Free Eats says
Hi Shirley! What a fantastic post. I have often said that I’m a fan of shortcuts, particularly if the result keeps my family healthier and saves us money! I will definitely keep this in mind. Since my son has to avoid corn, most store-bought milks don’t work for us anyways. Too many additives! I recently posted a recipe for dairy-free sweetened condensed milk. Another DIY necessity if you ask me! Best, Terris
Shirley says
Hi Terris–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Thank you for the feedback on this method. I love it for many of the reasons you have cited. I needed 1 1/2 cups of almond milk for my Brazilian Un-Cheese Rolls recipe (triple batch) last night and it was just so easy to whip some up right then. And my recipe tasted exactly the same with the homemade almond milk. 🙂
Will take a look at your dairy-free sweetened condensed milk for sure and I love those Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies that you shared! 🙂
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Shirley
Amanda says
Hi! I just wanted to let you know, I just tried this with my homemade raw maple almond butter. (recipe will be on my blog soon). Since you mentioned it was not as thick as the store bought variety, I figured I would increase the almond butter to a full 2 Tablespoons. I also poured mine through my flour sack cloth and slowly twisted, moving my hands down until the moisture was squeezed out. The results = perfection! And it only took less than 2 min to strain it. 🙂
Shirley says
Hi Amanda–Welcome to gfe (belatedly)! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment and give your feedback! Your Raw Maple Almond Butter sound fantastic and making milk from it sounds like a wonderful version of almond milk. Love that you kept it under 2 minutes, too! 😉
Shirley
Kevin says
Hi. How many dates do you typically add for the portions included in this recipe? I’m guessing that it works equally well to double the quantities for a larger batch?
Am I understanding that the recipe calls for 2 tbsp + 1.5 tsp of almond butter (so essentially 2.5 tbsp). I got confused because a previous comment mentioned increasing the amount of almond butter to a full 2 tbsp (which is less than the amount I interpreted in the recipe).
Thank you!
Shirley says
Hi Kevin–Welcome to gfe, and you’re welcome, of course! 🙂 Personally, I’d probably add two Medjool dates for this amount. It really depends upon one’s sweetness preferences. And yes, you can double the recipe with no problem. Yes, you are correct on the amount of almond butter, but you can adjust that amount up or down. I’m not sure about the previous comment … perhaps the reader misread the amount somehow. Hope you enjoy this version of almond milk. It’s so much easier and I love that I can avoid all those additives that are in the ready-made kind.
Shirley
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
You just changed my world! Im really in love with the fact that this all came from a conversation through social media. This is the exact reason I blog! Can’t wait to try this!
Shirley says
Hey Sarena–I hope you love this method! I’ve been drinking/using the ready-made almond milk the last week or so out of convenience while Son was home and the additives are simply not my friends. 🙁 I love that I can make this version whenever I want and there are far fewer ingredients, and they’re ones I don’t have issues with. 🙂 Yes, we find out so much via our connections online! Enjoy, dear, and Happy New Year!
Shirley
Renee says
Thanks so much for sharing this simple quick recipe that is PERFECT for busy people. I will be sharing it with others and using it in a smoothies demonstration at my church’s next health event in August!
Shirley says
Hi Renee–Welcome to gfe and thanks for the kind words! It’s an easy method and can definitely help folks. I appreciate you sharing my website and this recipe link with others. 🙂
Good luck with your event!
Shirley
Kaila (GF Life 24/7) says
I love this shorter route to a homemade almond milk! I’m definitely going to give it a shot! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Shirley says
Kaila–I love that it’s a shorter route and that the ingredients in the resulting almond milk are so few and so simple! 🙂
Shirley
Brittany says
Great tip! I don’t often have spare time so this will work great! I love hearing good, practical, healthy vegan options. I also have a brother who has issues with gluten and some nuts so I will pass it on to him as well. Thanks!
Alecia says
Such a great recipe! Can’t wait to try it! How long will this keep for?
Shirley Braden says
Hi Alecia–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 I have to be honest and say that almond milk goes very quickly in our house, never lasting more than a day or two. I imagine that this will keep for several days, but part of the beauty of this recipe to me is that I can quickly make what I need when I need it, vs making and storing a big container of almond milk in the fridge. Of course, I’m the only one using it here. If you have more to serve, that might make a difference. Hope you like it!
Shirley
April J Harris says
This is such a great idea, so easy and so tasty too! Thank you for sharing it with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop, Shirley. Scheduled to pin 🙂
Shirley Braden says
It’s one of my absolute favorite shortcuts, April! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Shirley
Michelle Giroux says
Do you think this could be done to make sunflower butter?
Shirley Braden says
Hi Michelle–Welcome to gfe! 🙂 Do you mean to ask if you can use sunflower butter to make sunflower milk? This recipe is using nut or seed butter to make “milk.” It should work fine, but I’m not sure how it will taste. Sunbutter is definitely stronger in its taste IMO. If you give it a try, please let us know what you think of the results.
Thanks,
Shirley
Lana says
Made the milk this morning and I have to be honest. This is nothing like homemade almond milk at all. I make homemade almond Milk 2 times a week for the past 6 months and have been loving it! Thought this would be an easier way but this just tastes like water with almonds and dates. Not creamy at all and just strange. Definitely will stick with the Traditional version
Shirley Braden says
Hi Lana–Welcome to gfe. I only use this recipe in small amounts, but it still makes me and others happy. Another reason I like it, which I only recently learned, is that less of the nutrients are lost than with making almond milk where the pulp is discarded. Some like you who use large amounts of almond milk have stated that it’s not their thing at all. To each his/her own, for sure. Thanks for commenting.
Shirley
Lisa Badger says
This worked really well for me- I used Pip & Nut almond butter (in UK) and I tried starting out with spring water heated to just under boiling to mix with.
I used the measurements above (maybe even a bit more butter) and it dissolved straight away. Pip & Nut is just almonds & sea salt, and I used the resulting concoction to mix with my 1 tsp. Turmeric paste (Turmeric, black pepper heated on stove w/coconut oil).
The result is really tasty, especially still warm, and I can thereby have my daily serving of Turmeric.