This Vitamix almond milk is made with raw almonds, water, dates, and salt. If you have ever wondered how to make almond milk, this is it! It's delicious, easy, creamy, and super smooth because of the cotton cloth straining step. Not to mention, this dairy-free almond milk is Whole30 and paleo compliant.
Enjoy this almond milk recipe as a cow's milk substitute or even to make almond milk rice pudding.
What I Love About This Recipe
What I really like about this recipe is that you can control exactly what you put into your almond milk. It's easy to step up the sweetness or leave out the vanilla. Also, this homemade almond milk recipe takes 10 minutes of active time and tastes way better than store-bought almond milk.
Ingredient Notes
- Almonds: I recommend using plain raw almonds.
- Dates: I recommend sweetening the almond milk with dates, however, you can also use honey and agave nectar. My preference for dates is Sukari dates because they are very soft and extremely sweet, but Medjool dates work also. If you find that your dates are tough and dry, you can soak them in water for an hour to soften up a bit.
- Salt: You need just a pinch to balance things out.
- Optional: You can add some cinnamon, vanilla, or nutmeg if you would like to vary things up!
How To Make Vitamix Almond Milk
Round up the ingredients. My top two natural sweeteners are agave nectar and dates. For this recipe, I will use Medjool dates. Put the almonds, sea salt, and dates into the blender with ⅓ of the water needed. Blend to a pulp. Add the remaining water and blend on high for about 1 minute. Taste the almond milk and adjust salt and sweetness to your preference.
Pro Tip: Blend the almond milk well so it doesn't separate easily.
Lay a cotton cloth in a bowl. Pour the almond milk into the cotton cloth.
Strain almond milk with the cotton cloth, allowing the smooth and creamy milk to fall into the bowl.
Pour the almond milk into your favorite glass carafe and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks
- I recommend using a Vitamix blender.
- Use a 100% cotton cloth napkin. Straining almond milk with a cheesecloth allows small bits and pieces to strain through. However, using a cotton cloth makes the almond milk very smooth.
- Use raw nuts. If you accidentally buy roasted almonds, you can still use the nuts in a smoothie.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make this recipe with cashews, pecans, and pistachios. However, if using nuts other than almonds, there is no need to soak the nuts prior.
- Substitute agave nectar or honey for the Medjool dates.
- Add vanilla extract, ground nutmeg, or ground cinnamon.
- Try using a nut milk machine instead of a blender
Storage
Store almond milk in a container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. The almond milk may separate, so shake before use. Freeze almond milk in a freezer-friendly container for up to 6 months.
Equipment
- Use a Vitamix blender or another high-powered blender.
- Strain the almond milk using a cotton cloth napkin, like a clean tea towel, kitchen sack towel, or cotton cloth dinner napkin.
- Strain the almond milk into a bowl, then pour it into a carafe for fridge storage.
FAQS
It depends on where you live! In the US, a cup of store-bought almond milk costs about $0.50. I just checked the prices at Kroger and an 8-ounce bag of raw almonds costs about $4. This recipe uses ½ a cup of almonds which is about 2 ounces, so the almond ingredient costs $1. I'm going to estimate that 2 Medjool dates cost another $1, so homemade almond milk costs about $0.40 per cup in the US. On top of that, my homemade almond milk is leaps and bounds more delicious than the store-bought watered-down almond milk that has additives.
This is the downside to making homemade almond milk. It depends on the quality and freshness of your raw almonds. I've had almond milk last 5 days without issue and another batch go rancid after 3 days. To be on the safe side, I'd say you can keep the almond milk for up to 3 days in the fridge. Almond milk can be frozen as well.
If you are short on time, you do not have to soak the nuts. The benefit of soaking the nuts ahead of time is slightly creamier milk. I've tried the almond milk recipe both ways- with and without soaking overnight and it wasn't a big difference. So if you want convenience, skip the soaking.
Vitamix Drink Recipes
Recipes Using Almond Milk
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📋 Recipe
Vitamix Almond Milk With Dates
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw almonds
- 2 Medjool dates
- 5 cups water
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg or cinnamon (optional
Instructions
- Soak the almonds in water overnight (or for 3 hours prior) if possible. Discard water.
- Add the dates, almonds, and half of the water into the Vitamix blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining water and a pinch of salt. Optional to add vanilla extract, nutmeg, and/or cinnamon if desired. Blend on high for 1 minute.
- Strain with a cotton cloth fabric. Pour into an airtight carafe.
Equipment
Notes
- Use raw almonds.
- Optional to substitute agave or honey in lieu of dates.
- Use a Vitamix blender to blend properly.
Eva Lindsey-Polak
I found this recipe better than the one Vitamix has. I did use low carb sugar alternative instead of dates and it turned out really nice. Lovely!
Lily
Thank you for the feedback, that made my day!
Lindsey R.
So I made a big batch of this and noticed that the almond milk separated by day 3. Last week I made it again but increased the time I blended it, and that seemed to help. Not sure if that tip helps, but thought I’d share!
Lilian B.
Thanks for the tip- I agree!