How to Make Walnut milk, or any other nut milk – a photo tutorial for homemade walnut or almond milk without any gums or emulsifiers.
It took me a long, long time to finally press the GO button on making my own nut milk. The store-bought kind is so convenient, right? The two realizations that changed my view?:
- I tried Elmhurst walnut milk, which is so silky-smooth, rich and delicious that I just HAD to make an unsweetened version myself (their version is sweetened), and
- I realized how difficult it is to find store-bought nut milks without gums or emulsifiers (which can cause inflammation in folks with an autoimmune disease).
Let’s talk gums for a second. Are they bad? Not necessarily. But if you have an autoimmune disease and follow AIP (the Autoimmune Protocol diet), you’ll want to steer clear of them until you’re certain your system isn’t reactive to them. While I don’t follow AIP, I do try to keep things are completely natural and free of additives as possible. In effort to do so, I figured I would finally make my own nut milks at home.
The verdict?
Holy deliciousness.
I have to say, I think walnut milk is my favorite of all the milks. There’s just something about the flavor of walnuts that I find super appealing. Hint: If you don’t like the flavor of walnuts, you won’t like the flavor of walnut milk.
The basic premise behind making any nut milk is the same: You’re looking for a 1:2 ratio of nuts to water in essence: 1 cup of walnuts/almonds/cashews to 2 cups of water, or if you’re looking to double the batch: 2 cups of nuts to 4 cups of water). Note: You can play with the portion of water here if you’re looking for a thinner consistency.
Simply soak the nuts overnight (or up to 48 hours)…
Drain and rinse them, then blend them for 2 minutes on high in a high-powered blender with water.
After blending the nuts and water, you’ll have a nut milk. From here, you’ll want to strain the milk I use cheese cloth, but you can also use a nut milk bag . If you use cheese cloth, this is a 2-person operation (one person pours the milk over the cheesecloth while the other person holds it over a bowl.
The end result?
A rich, creamy beverage that you can use anywhere you would a regular milk. I love using it in turmeric or matcha lattes, and for snacking on my Cinnamon Raisin Paleo Granola.
To sweeten or not to sweeten?
I’ve always been on Team Unsweetened when it comes to my almond milk, cashew milk, or walnut milk; however, sweetening it opens up a whole new world into the realm of delicious beverages.
You can use medjool dates (if using dates, you’ll want to blend them with the nut milk after it has been strained), pure maple syrup, or honey to sweeten the milk.
Fan of vanilla? Add pure vanilla extract or the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean. Obsessed with chocolate milk? Add a few tablespoons of raw cacao powder (to taste) and blend like crazy!
I typically make 4 cups of nut milk at a time, because I go through my non-dairy milk pretty quickly.
There is one caveat to all this fun..
How Long Does Homemade Walnut Milk Last?
The thing about homemade almond milk (or cashew or walnut milk) is that it goes bad very quickly. We’re talking approximately 2-3 days. You turn your back, and BOOM, it’s no longer drinkable.
For this reason, if you don’t go through nut milk fast enough, start with 1 cup of nuts and 2 cups of water. Be sure to store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator (I use a wide-mouth jar).
It’s true what they say – homemade nut milk (or almond milk, etc) is a total game-changer. Is it more time-consuming than purchasing it from the store? Yes? But is the process fun and does it make you a badass? Yes. Is the end result better? Resounding yes!!
I hope you enjoy your new nut milk making hobby! Let me know if you have any questions and always feel free to come back after you’ve tried it and let me know what you think!
xo
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If you make this recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
How to Make Walnut Milk
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw walnuts
- 4 cups water
Optional Add-Ins:
- pure vanilla exract
- pure maple syrup
- pitted medjool dates
- ground cinnamon
- raw cacao powder
Instructions
- Place nuts in a bowl and cover with 1 to 2 inches of water. Soak overnight or up to 48 hours. Drain and rinse the walnuts.
- Transfer walnuts to a high-powered blender with 4 cups filtered water. Blend on high for 2 minutes.
- Use a cheese cloth or a nut milk bag to strain the milk. Squeeze the cheese cloth/nut milk bag to press all the milk out of the walnuts.
- If desired, add vanilla extract, dates, pure maple syrup (or natural sweetener of choice), along with a dash of sea salt to sweeten the walnut milk. Transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate.
- Use walnut milk within 3 days.
Agnes
Monday 6th of March 2023
Hi! Thank you for this recipe! I'll definitely have to try it as I actually have some sprouted walnuts at home and go through my plant milks pretty quickly, as well.
I did want to comment on something you said, though: you mentioned that Elmhurst Walnut Milk is sweetened, and that's actually not true. I've been using their walnut milk and can confirm it has only 2 ingredients - filtered water and walnuts. They do have a couple of plant milks that have both sweetened & unsweetened versions - cashew & oat - but walnut has never been sweetened to my knowledge. And I do agree, it is definitely very silky-smooth :)
Happy milking!
Julia
Monday 13th of March 2023
Thanks so much for sharing that, Agnes! At the time I wrote this post, their walnut milk was sweetened, so they must have changed it since then. This is great to know! :) xo
Christina
Saturday 14th of May 2022
Hello!!! I love the possible long soak time suggestion. I'm wondering if I soak for the longest time possible if will make the nut milk even more bland? I don't care for the kind of chalky taste of the walnut milk. I soaked for 7 hours and it still had quite a bit of that taste... so I'm hoping the longer I soak the less it will taste like that. Thoughts? Experience? Thank you so much.
Julia
Tuesday 17th of May 2022
Hi Christina!
I haven't tried soaking the walnuts longer, but I would think the same as you - I would assume it would remove some of that flavor, but I'm not positive. Hope it works!! xo
Dr. Katherine Follett
Friday 1st of October 2021
I make wonderful walnut milk with no work. I soak 42 grams of walnuts in boiling water for about 10 minutes, drain, add to my Chefwave machine using a teaspoon of sunflower lecithin, 20 oz of water, select almond milk, push the start button and in 12 minutes I pour the milk into a quart bottle and water it to make a quart. The machine cleans itself. I like to add 4 drops of liquid stevia. Note: I am not an investor or employee of Chefwave. My husband drinks a quart of soy milk every day an I have nut milk.I have arthritis and don't want to squeeze.
Julia
Friday 1st of October 2021
I love it! Thanks so much for sharing, Katherine! :D xoxox
Jay Z
Wednesday 24th of June 2020
I started same recipe but doing with Walnuts, Almonds, & cashew. I soak these nuts over night (half cup total) and blend in the morning. I add couple of dates to blending. I dont strain, just drink as it is. But considering I am drinking fresh, I add 1-2 ice cube to this.
Julia
Thursday 25th of June 2020
Sounds amazing! I haven't added dates, myself, but I bet the flavor is lovely!
Tiffany Scarlett
Sunday 8th of September 2019
Hi there! This is pure genius, and I can't wait to try it! I have a couple of questions though. Can you use the water used to soak the nuts, to blend with nuts afterwards? Also, if I wanted to use this for got beverages like coffee or cocoa, could I add an emulsifier like Himalayan salt? Thanks much! <3