Vitamix Almond Milk With Dates

Name: Vitamix Almond Milk With Dates
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup raw almonds (about 2 ounces); 2 Medjool dates; 5 cups of water; pinch of salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional); 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or cinnamon (optional

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

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.

add half of the water to the vitamix blender

Lay a cotton cloth in a bowl. Pour the almond milk into the cotton cloth.

pour the almond milk on the cotton fabric

Strain almond milk with the cotton cloth, allowing the smooth and creamy milk to fall into the bowl.

strain the milk until all of the liquids have been removed

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.

Storage

Store almond milk in a container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. The almond milk may separate, so shake prior to 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 into a carafe for fridge storage.

FAQS

Is homemade almond milk cheaper?

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.

How long does homemade almond milk last?

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.

Do you need to soak almonds ahead of time?

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

Join the Tribe

Subscribe to The Matbakh Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Pinterest pages. We also have a saucy newsletter.