How to Make Nut Milk (Mylk) At Home

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A carton of almond milk at my grocery store costs about four dollars and contains, per the label, roughly 2% almonds. The other 98% is water, a pinch of salt, some vitamin fortification, and a small chemistry set of stabilizers with names like gellan gum. You can make a better version at home for a fraction of the price, and the whole operation takes about ten minutes of actual effort plus an overnight soak you sleep through.

The recipe is almost insultingly simple: one cup of raw nuts, four cups of water, a blender, and something to strain it through. That’s it. No fancy equipment. Here’s how to do it right.

The basic recipe

Makes about 4 cups (4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw almonds or cashews
• 4 cups filtered water, plus more for soaking
• Pinch of salt (optional but worth it)
• Sweetener or flavorings, if desired (see below)

Steps:

1. Cover the nuts with water in a bowl and soak overnight, or at least 8 hours. They’ll plump up noticeably. Drain and rinse; toss the soaking water, it’s done its job.
2. Add the soaked nuts and 4 cups of fresh filtered water to a blender, plus the salt and any flavorings.
3. Blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until it looks completely smooth and creamy.
4. Pour through a nut milk bag (or a few layers of cheesecloth) into a large bowl or pitcher. Squeeze the bag firmly to wring out every last bit.
5. Chill and drink. It keeps about 5 days in the fridge in a sealed jar. It will separate as it sits; that’s normal. Shake it and carry on.

Per cup (unsweetened almond version): ~50 kcal | ~2g protein | ~2g carbs | ~4g fat. Don’t let the numbers confuse you: a cup of almonds carries over 800 calories, but most of that stays behind in the pulp. The strained milk is light by design. If you’re drinking mylk for protein, reach for soy milk instead; this is a flavor vehicle, not a protein source.

Which nuts actually work

Almost any nut will blend into mylk, but they don’t all behave the same. Four worth knowing:

Cashews make the creamiest mylk of the bunch, sweet and rich with almost no effort. They’re also the most forgiving: soaked cashews blend so fine you can sometimes skip the straining entirely. Cashews carry a solid mix of protein, vitamin K, magnesium, and manganese.

Almonds are the classic for a reason: cheap, widely available, and packed with vitamin E, which protects cells against oxidative damage. Almond mylk is thinner than cashew but takes flavorings beautifully. For a deeper dive on which nuts pull their weight nutritionally, see our top 6 nuts for protein content.

Pecans make a naturally sweet, almost buttery mylk that tastes like it should cost more than it does. They’re rich in zinc, which supports immune function, and fiber.

Hazelnuts land somewhere between almond and cashew in richness, with a toasty flavor that makes chocolate hazelnut mylk dangerously good. They’re loaded with antioxidant compounds that help keep inflammation in check.

Use raw nuts, not roasted. Roasting degrades some of the nutrients and adds a toasted flavor that fights with whatever you’re making. Raw is the blank canvas.

Straining: buy the bag

You can strain mylk through cheesecloth, a clean dish towel, or an old t-shirt in a pinch. But if you’re going to make this more than twice, buy a nut milk bag. It strains finer, squeezes harder, rinses clean in seconds, and doesn’t grow the mysterious smells that haunt cheesecloth. We’ve tested a bunch and keep coming back to this professional-quality nut mylk bag from Ellie’s Best: BPA-free, strong enough to wring out aggressively, and easy to clean.

Don’t throw away the pulp

Straining leaves you with a bag of damp nut pulp, and throwing it out is throwing away most of the calories and fiber you paid for. Dry it in a low oven and you’ve got options:

• Granola: mix the pulp with maple syrup and cinnamon, bake until crisp.
• Gluten-free breadcrumbs: dry the pulp completely, blitz it in a food processor, and throw it over salads, soups, or pasta.
• Crackers: spread thin, dehydrate in the oven or a dehydrator until crisp.
• Baked goods: fold dried pulp into muffins or banana bread for extra fiber and a little protein you’ll never taste.

How long does it last

Five days in the fridge, sealed, is the honest answer. No preservatives means no preservative behavior. I make a batch every two or three days; it takes ten minutes and the blender’s already dirty from the morning smoothie anyway.

Flavor it

Plain mylk is fine. Flavored mylk is why you’ll keep making it. Blend any of these in with the nuts before straining:

• Vanilla almond: 1 tsp vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Chocolate hazelnut: 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp maple syrup, pinch of salt
• Cinnamon date cashew: 2 pitted dates, ½ tsp cinnamon, pinch of salt
• Salted maple pecan: 1 tbsp maple syrup, extra pinch of flaky salt

For more variations from people who’ve tested them properly, Ambitious Kitchen has excellent recipes for salted maple pecan mylk, vanilla almond mylk, chocolate hazelnut mylk, and cinnamon date cashew mylk.

That’s the whole operation. One cup of nuts, four cups of water, ten minutes, and you’ll never pay four dollars for almond-flavored water again.