How to Make Your Own Plant-Based Milk at Home
Many of these easy, homemade plant-based milks require just two ingredients and a blender.
As the coronavirus spreads across the US, many people are stockpiling staples, causing essential supplies to disappear from the supermarket shelves. One simple way to make sure that you always have milk in the fridge, is to create your own plant-based milk at home.
Plant-based milks are creamy, delicious, and simple to make. All of the recipes below require just two ingredients each, but if you prefer your milk a bit sweeter, you can add in a few extras things, such as dates or maple syrup.
If you do decide to make your own plant-based milk, remember to take a photo and tag us on Instagram @speciesunite to let us know how it went!
Looking for advice on which plant-based milk to choose? This handy guide may help.
Oat milk
Ingredients:
1 cup of rolled oats
4 cups of water
1-2 dates (optional for sweetness)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)
1 pinch sea salt (optional)
Method:
First, rinse the oats under running water, then add them to a blender with the optional ingredients.
Cover with around three cups - or 720 mililetres - of water, then blend for 25 seconds.
Check the thickness - it should now have a cream-like consistency. Continue to add water until you get it to the consistency that you like - this is down to personal preference. If it’s for hot drinks and cereal, we’d recommend making it quite thin.
Strain the liquid through a sieve once or twice, then pour into a bottle and store in a refrigerator.
Almond milk
Ingredients:
1 cup of raw almonds
5 cups of water
1-2 dates (optional for sweetness)
1 pinch sea salt (optional)
Method:
Soak your almonds overnight in cool water. The longer the almonds soak, the creamier the almond milk.
Add the soaked almonds and the water to a blender with your optional ingredients, then blend until smooth (for at least 1-2 minutes).
Use a nut-milk bag or cheesecloth to strain the almonds into a bowl.
Top tip: If you don’t have either of them, you can lay a clean, thin dish towel over a bowl, and strain the liquid through by gathering up the corners and squeezing.
Add the almond milk to a bottle and keep in the refrigerator.
Coconut milk
Ingredients:
1 cup of dried unsweetened shredded coconut
4 cups of hot water
Method
Add the shredded coconut and hot (nearly boiling) water to a blender and allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes.
When the coconut has softened slightly, blend for 1-2 minutes.
The mixture will still have flecks of coconut in it, so use a nut-milk bag or cheesecloth to strain the milk into a bowl. You can also use a thin dish towl (see almond milk top tip).
Keep cool by storing in the refrigerator.
Rice milk
Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked long grain white rice
4 cups of water (use less for a creamier consistency)
1 date or 1tablespoon maple syrup (optional for sweetness)
1 pinch sea salt (optional)
Method:
Add the cooked rice, water, and any optional ingredients to the blender, then blend until smooth - this will likely take about 1 minute.
It might not be necessary, but if there are still specks of rice or date in the mixture, use a nutbag, cheesecloth, or thin dish towel to strain the rice milk throug (see almond milk).
Pour into a bottle or jar, and store in the refrigerator.
Hemp milk
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of hemp seeds
4 cups of water
2-3 dates (optional for sweetness)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
Method:
Add the hemp seeds, water, and optional sweeteners to a blender, then blend for 1-2 minutes, or until the milk is smooth and creamy.
Pour the hemp milk into a bottle and keep in the refrigerator.
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