How to Make Your Own Plant Milks at Home

We’re talking oat milk, almond milk, and even pistachio milk.

the new milks milk vegan vegetarian plant based weekend project diy
Image: Atria Books; Illustration: Maitane Romagosa/Thrillist
Image: Atria Books; Illustration: Maitane Romagosa/Thrillist

Plant-based diets are all the rage these days. We’ve got chicken made from plant proteins, vegan eggs, vegetarian-friendly burgers, and, of course, shelves upon shelves of dairy-free milks to choose from: oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, and coconut milk are among the most popular. It’s amazing to have options for those who are lactose intolerant, committed to a cruelty-free diet, or just don’t love the idea of drinking milk from cows.

But plant-based milks in cartons at the store have their own downsides, too. Perhaps they’re too bland, the ratio of nuts to water completely off. Maybe there are weird additives and preservatives to keep your dairy-free milk more shelf stable. And the options get a bit old: unsweetened, vanilla, or plain.

So, even though it felt complicated, I decided to find out how to make plant-based milks at home. I tapped Dina Cheney, author of The New Milks and plant-based milk expert, to guide me through some of the different options I can make and how exactly to make them. It turns out, it’s super easy — especially compared to the abundance of sourdough loaves everyone else seems to be baking in quarantine.

Why make plant-based milks at home?

“So many things that you can make homemade, like bread, takes hours. Puff pastry? It’s super labor intensive. But I would say that making your own plant-based milk is probably the easiest DIY! There’s very little active time,” Cheney explained. She would know -- Cheney attended culinary school and was once elbow deep in butter making puff pastry from scratch. Plant milk, by comparison, is a walk in the park. “Generally, you want to soak ingredients, so there could be a few hours involved. But the active time is like ten minutes for most of the plant milk. It’s definitely much easier than most people would think.” 

And it also doesn’t require tons of tools. In its most basic form, Cheney told me that all you really need is a blender or food processor -- especially if you’re making something like oat milk, which she herself doesn’t strain. Just toss oats in a blender with water and give the entire thing a whir in the blender and you’re good to go. For other milks, however, Cheney does recommend having at least a fine strainer, cheese cloth, or nut milk bag. 

Aside from being incredibly easy, Cheney also talks about how much more creative and fun you can be when making nut milks at home. “You could really be creative. You can make hazelnut pistachio milk, or millet barley milk, or cardamom pistachio rosewater. You could just have a lot of fun with it -- you can’t buy that stuff. It’s just so easy to make it your own.” Cardamom pistachio rosewater milk? Sign me up.

Tips on perfecting your alternative milk

As someone who has made her own milk hundreds of times -- and written a cookbook based entirely around on plant-based milks -- Cheney has a couple of tips she wants to pass on to anyone out there who, like me, wants to make their own plant-based milk at home.

For starters, ratio is everything. “Packaged products tend to use a lower ratio of solids to water. The companies, maybe they’re using one part almond to five parts water. So the biggest thing you can do is use a higher ratio of solid to liquids. I like to use one part almonds to two parts water. If you do that, you’ve already got more nutrients, more flavor, and a thicker texture.”

Secondly, you have to soak most ingredients (some seed milks and oat milk can go without, but for the most part, plan to soak your ingredients for a couple of hours or overnight). “Soaking is important because it helps to soften and break down the solid ingredients so that it’s easier to liquify to have a smooth and good consistency of the milk. And also it removes phytates which can prevent your body from breaking down nutrients as well. So soaking is important and make sure you discard that original soaking liquid.” 

Finally, Cheney recommends using hot or boiling water to blend with the soaked ingredients. “It tends to make the resulting milk thicker and more flavorful, so that’s kind of a fun thing,” she said.

“Have fun with what you add to your finished milk. You can add a little salt, vanilla extract, spices like cinnamon, you can sweeten it with dates. You don’t have to stop at the basics. The basic is solid ingredients plus water -- that’s really all it is.” 

Making my own plant-based milk

After consulting with Cheney, I decided to attempt to make my own plant-based milk. I go with oat milk, because old fashioned oats are all I have at home, and the process couldn’t be simpler (or faster). 

I added one part of old fashioned oats to three parts of water, sprinkled in a pinch of salt, gave a squeeze of honey, and blended the whole thing for roughly 35 seconds. The oats didn’t need to be soaked -- the whole thing blended seamlessly (and I’m also told soaking the oats and blending it for too long can result in a slimy texture). But what pours out of my blender is smooth, creamy, and subtly sweet and did not require straining. And, again, it took me less than two minutes to make. Oat milks, and other nut and seed milks that you make at home, can stay in the fridge for up to four days. I pour mine into iced coffee, add it to a smoothie, and drink it straight.

So make your own alternative milks! It’s fun and simple, it tastes good, it will save you money, and you’ll get the delicious sense of accomplishment. If oat milk isn’t your thing, Cheney shared two of her favorite and simple recipes for cashew milk and almond milk.

Cinnamon Vanilla Cashew Milk

Makes about 5 cups

Feel free to swap almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios for the cashew nuts.

2 cups raw, unsalted cashew nuts
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tbsp agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, or simple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

  • Place the cashews in a bowl, cover with water, and let sit at room temperature for several hours or overnight.
  • Rinse and drain the nuts in a colander positioned in a sink.
  • Add the drained nuts to a blender with the cinnamon and 5 cups water. Blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes.
  • Position a nut milk bag or a handheld strainer lined with a few layers of cheesecloth over a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the nut milk bag or strainer. If using the bag, wring out repeatedly. Reserve the nut solids for another use.
  • To the cashew milk in the bowl, stir in the agave nectar, vanilla, and salt.
  • Position a funnel over a jug or bottle. Ladle the milk into the funnel, until all of the milk ends up in the jug or bottle. Serve immediately or chill for up to 4 days.

Homemade Almond Milk

Makes about 5 cups

Feel free to swap cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios for the almonds. If you’d like to season the milk, add 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon salt. To sweeten, add about 3 tbsp agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, or simple syrup.

2 cups raw, unsalted almonds.

  • Place the nuts in a bowl, cover with water, and let sit at room temperature for several hours or overnight.
  • Rinse and drain the nuts in a colander positioned in a sink.
  • Add the drained nuts to a blender with 5 cups water. Blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes (one minute in a high-speed blender, such as a Breville Boss or Vita Mix, and two minutes for a traditional blender).
  • Position a nut milk bag or a handheld strainer lined with a few layers of cheesecloth over a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the nut milk bag or strainer. If using the bag, wring out repeatedly. Reserve the nut solids for another use.
  • Position a funnel over a jug or bottle. Ladle the milk into the funnel, until all of the milk ends up in the jug or bottle. Serve immediately or chill for up to 4 days.

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Kat Thompson is a staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @katthompsonn