Along with running shoes and reusable water bottles, milk — and all of its many adaptations — have become trendy. Every year it seems there’s a new variety that people are adding to their coffee or having with cereal. I grew up a dairy milk drinker, but when I got to college, non-dairy milks, such as oat, almond and soy, made a name for themselves.
Lately, I’ve been reaching more toward non-dairy nut milks like almond or oat milk. While I usually opt for the store-bought variety, from brands like Almond Breeze and Oatly, I wanted to see what it takes to actually make my own nut milk from scratch, and whether or not it’s worth the time and money. “Making alt milk is so much easier than it might seem and definitely makes sense for both sustainability and financial reasons,” says Tiffany Swan, a wellness retreat chef. “No need to buy expensive containers of non-dairy milk at the grocery that go in the garbage or recycling bin when you have finished it.”
Below, I rounded up the best products for making your own nut milk, some of which I tested myself. I also walk through my experience making homemade nut milk and share tips I received from food experts.
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How I picked the best products for making nut milk
There are just a few important factors to keep in mind when committing to making your own nut milk at home, according to experts I spoke to, which include chefs and culinary school instructors. Here’s everything they told me to keep in mind when making this roundup:
- Supplies: Making great nut milk from scratch is quite simple and doesn’t require many resources, according to Swan. “The only things you need to make alt milk is a blender, something to store the milk in, and something to strain it with” she says. This includes a cheesecloth or nut milk bag, preferably reusable if you plan on making it consistently, a high-speed blender and a container, such as a carafe, to store the milk in while it’s in the fridge, particularly one that seals tightly. “Keep the container sealed airtight and store in the fridge [for] up to one week,” she says. “Clean, filtered water will also ensure quality.”
- Water quality: Related to Swan’s reference above, the quality of the water you use can affect the taste of the nut milk. To make nut milk from scratch, you can use either water straight from the tap or use filtered water. If you don’t live in an area with drinkable or palatable water, it’s best to make non-dairy milk with filtered water, using a Brita or similar appliances. I included a water filter in the list below for this reason as well.
- Ingredients: You should also use ingredients that taste good to you and are less processed. This is especially the case for your nuts of choice, like almonds, cashews or walnuts, but also for sweeteners and flavor enhancers, like dates, honey, maple syrup or vanilla extract. “Make sure you start with high quality ingredients to prevent microbial contamination,” says Swan. “I like to use roasted almonds, toasted coconut or gluten free oats, sometimes a combination of all of them.” It’s also important to remember that the same nut, such as almonds, processed in different ways, will have different tastes. For example, raw almonds have a different flavor from roasted — which one you use depends on what taste you prefer. In the list below, I included raw and roasted nuts for making non-dairy milk.
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The best products for making nut milk
All of the products below are either direct recommendations from experts, ones I or my colleagues use ourselves or have at least a 4-star average rating from 500 reviews or more on Amazon.
Best cheesecloth: Cotton Farm Nut Milk Cheesecloth Bag
I tried making my own almond milk for the first time using this tool, and it turned out to be the most efficient tool for straining the milk from the blended almonds. It’s a cheesecloth in the form of a bag and has an adjustable closure at the top. When I twisted the top with one hand and started squeezing with the other, I strained the milk very quickly into the top of the carafe. The brand recommends straining over a large bowl, which I didn’t have but I understand why it’s an important tip. While the cheesecloth strains the milk very fast, it can splash a little bit if you squeeze too hard, so it’s best to do it over a wide bowl and then transfer it into your carafe. While there were a few drops of milk that got on the carafe itself, it was easy to clean with a paper towel.
Best plastic nut milk bag: Ellie’s Best Nut Milk Bag
I also tested this plastic nut milk bag, which isn’t technically a cheesecloth, but serves the same purpose. It has a net-like texture and a seam that runs along the bottom and the top has an adjustable drawstring. I also enjoyed my experience using this nut milk bag and love how sturdy the material feels — it didn’t feel like I was going to accidentally rip it if I squeezed it too hard while straining the milk. Plus, even though it’s dishwasher safe, I washed it by hand to see how easy it was, and it was much more effortless than washing the cheesecloth bag. The pulp from the blended almonds didn’t stick to the bag as much and it was easy to turn it inside out and rinse under the sink. While it didn’t strain as quickly as the cheesecloth, it was somewhat less messy.
Best appliance for making nut milk: Almond Cow Nut Milk Maker
The Almond Cow Nut Milk Maker is a combination of a blender and a strainer in one device that resemble a large stainless steel carafe. The inside includes the collector cup, which is where the water goes, and the filter basket, which holds and strains the nuts or oats after they’re blended. The top of the carafe has a blade that extends down into the basket and blends the nuts. The appliance, which has a 4.4-star average rating from 478 reviews on Amazon, only takes a few minutes to blend and strain the milk from the pulp, according to the brand. You can remove the top once it’s finished and then dispense it or store it in a carafe in the fridge.
Best blender for making nut milk: Nutribullet Pro Personal Blender 900-Watt
After using both of the nut milk bag options, I made milk with a total of 16 ounces of raw almonds. While most recipes for almond milk say to soak the almonds for eight hours overnight, I used a quick-soak method, which involves boiling the almonds for a minute and then letting them sit off the heat for about 15 minutes. The almonds came out more plump and soft and the skins were easy to remove. The Nutribullet Personal Blender had no trouble blending the almonds after I boiled them, and the sweetener I added (in my case, honey) didn’t stick to the blades or the sides of the blender cup. As with most blenders, it’s loud, but its thoroughness more than makes up for it.
Best sweetener for making nut milk: Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Pitted Medjool Dates
As someone who cooks and studies online recipes often, I can say that dates are by far the most commonly recommended sweetener when it comes to making homemade nut or oat milk. This is largely because dates add both sweetness and flavor to the milk, without a lot of calories. They have a pleasant caramel or brown sugar-adjacent taste that makes them great for baking. Plus, a little goes a long way — you can use one for each carafe of non-dairy milk you make, depending on how sweet you want it to be. The dates coms in single or multi-packs and have a 4.2-star average rating from 13,467 reviews on Amazon. They also come with the pit already removed, which saves lots of time if you plan on making a large amount of milk.
Best water filter for making nut milk: Brita Metro Water Filter Pitcher
Water filter pitchers, such as the Brita Metro Water Filter, help maintain minerals and electrolytes in water while also filtering out contaminants that affect the taste of tap water, according to Brita. This six-cup pitcher, which has a 4.5-star average rating from 11,899 reviews on Amazon, includes a filter that sits in the top compartment, and lasts for two months, according to the brand. Plus, the top has a Smart Filter Alert light to let you know when it’s time to replace it.
Best carafe for nut milk: The Dairy Shoppe 1-Liter Glass Milk Bottle
You should also use a glass carafe to store your homemade nut milk, particularly one that closes securely at the top to keep it fresh. This 1-liter glass bottle includes both a twist-off cap and a pour spout that you can replace it with, so you can dispense it without taking it off. After making nut milk myself, I would recommend using a bottle that’s either one liter or less, depending on the size of your household. This is because, unless you drink a lot of nut milk or a lot of people in your home drink it, then you probably won’t finish a gallon’s worth before it isn’t safe to drink anymore (more on this below).
How to make quality nut milk from scratch
Find the right nuts
There are a variety of nuts you can use to make non-dairy milk, like almonds, cashews, hazelnuts and walnuts. Plus, there are nut products that are processed differently, which alters their flavor. For example, raw almonds taste different than roasted ones, so they’ll each make for a slightly differently flavored almond milk. Some nuts also come without their skins, which can also impact the flavor of the milk, too.
Use cold filtered water
While you can use any type of water you prefer, Swan recommends using cold unfiltered water for the best-tasting nut milk. Unfiltered water can sometimes have a mineral flavor that some may find unpleasant when used to make non-dairy milk.
Choose a good blender and strainer
Be sure to add all of your ingredients into a powerful blender that has the power to fully blend all of the nuts, even after soaking or boiling them, and any sweeteners like dates or honey. This way, you’ll get the most milk and flavor from them. Also, choose either a cheesecloth, nut milk bag, or a combination of both, similar to ones I tried above. The bag shape of the cheesecloth gives you more control than regular non-reusable cheesecloths in my experience.Store properlyLastly, make sure you store the milk in a carafe in a cold area in the fridge, which is often in the back, and keep track of how long it’s good for. Homemade nut milk can last up to a week in the fridge when stored properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does homemade nut milk last in the fridge?
In general, homemade nut milk lasts up to a week in the fridge when stored properly, according to Swan.
What can you make with a cheesecloth?
You can definitely make more than just homemade nut or non-dairy milk using cheesecloth. Cheesecloths are useful in making yogurt, cheese (I’ve used mine to make homemade ricotta) and stock from scratch. Additionally, you can use a cheesecloth to strain the liquid from fruits and vegetables like zucchini and make your own cold brew coffee.
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Tiffany Swan is a women’s wellness retreat chef based in California.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m a commerce editor at NBC Select, where I wrote about several home and kitchen related topics, such as cookware, kitchen appliances and more. I also have experience testing recipes and cooking at home. I spoke to multiple culinary experts and tested products for this story.
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