How to Make Walnut milk, or any other nut milk – a photo tutorial for homemade walnut or almond milk without any gums or emulsifiers.
It took me a long, long time to finally press the GO button on making my own nut milk. The store-bought kind is so convenient, right? The two realizations that changed my view?:
- I tried Elmhurst walnut milk, which is so silky-smooth, rich and delicious that I just HAD to make an unsweetened version myself (their version is sweetened), and
- I realized how difficult it is to find store-bought nut milks without gums or emulsifiers (which can cause inflammation in folks with an autoimmune disease).
Let’s talk gums for a second. Are they bad? Not necessarily. But if you have an autoimmune disease and follow AIP (the Autoimmune Protocol diet), you’ll want to steer clear of them until you’re certain your system isn’t reactive to them. While I don’t follow AIP, I do try to keep things are completely natural and free of additives as possible. In effort to do so, I figured I would finally make my own nut milks at home.
The verdict?
Holy deliciousness.
I have to say, I think walnut milk is my favorite of all the milks. There’s just something about the flavor of walnuts that I find super appealing. Hint: If you don’t like the flavor of walnuts, you won’t like the flavor of walnut milk.
The basic premise behind making any nut milk is the same: You’re looking for a 1:2 ratio of nuts to water in essence: 1 cup of walnuts/almonds/cashews to 2 cups of water, or if you’re looking to double the batch: 2 cups of nuts to 4 cups of water). Note: You can play with the portion of water here if you’re looking for a thinner consistency.
Simply soak the nuts overnight (or up to 48 hours)…
Drain and rinse them, then blend them for 2 minutes on high in a high-powered blender with water.
After blending the nuts and water, you’ll have a nut milk. From here, you’ll want to strain the milk I use cheese cloth, but you can also use a nut milk bag . If you use cheese cloth, this is a 2-person operation (one person pours the milk over the cheesecloth while the other person holds it over a bowl.
The end result?
A rich, creamy beverage that you can use anywhere you would a regular milk. I love using it in turmeric or matcha lattes, and for snacking on my Cinnamon Raisin Paleo Granola.
To sweeten or not to sweeten?
I’ve always been on Team Unsweetened when it comes to my almond milk, cashew milk, or walnut milk; however, sweetening it opens up a whole new world into the realm of delicious beverages.
You can use medjool dates (if using dates, you’ll want to blend them with the nut milk after it has been strained), pure maple syrup, or honey to sweeten the milk.
Fan of vanilla? Add pure vanilla extract or the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean. Obsessed with chocolate milk? Add a few tablespoons of raw cacao powder (to taste) and blend like crazy!
I typically make 4 cups of nut milk at a time, because I go through my non-dairy milk pretty quickly.
There is one caveat to all this fun..
How Long Does Homemade Walnut Milk Last?
The thing about homemade almond milk (or cashew or walnut milk) is that it goes bad very quickly. We’re talking approximately 2-3 days. You turn your back, and BOOM, it’s no longer drinkable.
For this reason, if you don’t go through nut milk fast enough, start with 1 cup of nuts and 2 cups of water. Be sure to store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator (I use a wide-mouth jar).
It’s true what they say – homemade nut milk (or almond milk, etc) is a total game-changer. Is it more time-consuming than purchasing it from the store? Yes? But is the process fun and does it make you a badass? Yes. Is the end result better? Resounding yes!!
I hope you enjoy your new nut milk making hobby! Let me know if you have any questions and always feel free to come back after you’ve tried it and let me know what you think!
xo
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How to Make Walnut Milk
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw walnuts
- 4 cups water
Optional Add-Ins:
- pure vanilla exract
- pure maple syrup
- pitted medjool dates
- ground cinnamon
- raw cacao powder
Instructions
- Place nuts in a bowl and cover with 1 to 2 inches of water. Soak overnight or up to 48 hours. Drain and rinse the walnuts.
- Transfer walnuts to a high-powered blender with 4 cups filtered water. Blend on high for 2 minutes.
- Use a cheese cloth or a nut milk bag to strain the milk. Squeeze the cheese cloth/nut milk bag to press all the milk out of the walnuts.
- If desired, add vanilla extract, dates, pure maple syrup (or natural sweetener of choice), along with a dash of sea salt to sweeten the walnut milk. Transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate.
- Use walnut milk within 3 days.
I wondered how the milk freezes? I’d be more apt to make it if I could make bigger batches and freeze it in portions.
Hi Susan! I haven’t frozen the milk myself, but after a quick google, it looks like it can be done with no consequence to the flavor or texture. I would try freezing it in zip lock bags or the like.
Hi! Thank you for this recipe! I’ll definitely have to try it as I actually have some sprouted walnuts at home and go through my plant milks pretty quickly, as well.
I did want to comment on something you said, though: you mentioned that Elmhurst Walnut Milk is sweetened, and that’s actually not true. I’ve been using their walnut milk and can confirm it has only 2 ingredients – filtered water and walnuts. They do have a couple of plant milks that have both sweetened & unsweetened versions – cashew & oat – but walnut has never been sweetened to my knowledge.
And I do agree, it is definitely very silky-smooth 🙂
Happy milking!
Thanks so much for sharing that, Agnes! At the time I wrote this post, their walnut milk was sweetened, so they must have changed it since then. This is great to know! 🙂 xo
Hello!!! I love the possible long soak time suggestion. I’m wondering if I soak for the longest time possible if will make the nut milk even more bland? I don’t care for the kind of chalky taste of the walnut milk. I soaked for 7 hours and it still had quite a bit of that taste… so I’m hoping the longer I soak the less it will taste like that. Thoughts? Experience? Thank you so much.
Hi Christina!
I haven’t tried soaking the walnuts longer, but I would think the same as you – I would assume it would remove some of that flavor, but I’m not positive. Hope it works!! xo
I make wonderful walnut milk with no work. I soak 42 grams of walnuts in boiling water for about 10 minutes, drain, add to my Chefwave machine using a teaspoon of sunflower lecithin, 20 oz of water, select almond milk, push the start button and in 12 minutes I pour the milk into a quart bottle and water it to make a quart. The machine cleans itself. I like to add 4 drops of liquid stevia. Note: I am not an investor or employee of Chefwave. My husband drinks a quart of soy milk every day an I have nut milk.I have arthritis and don’t want to squeeze.
I love it! Thanks so much for sharing, Katherine! 😀 xoxox
I started same recipe but doing with Walnuts, Almonds, & cashew. I soak these nuts over night (half cup total) and blend in the morning. I add couple of dates to blending. I dont strain, just drink as it is. But considering I am drinking fresh, I add 1-2 ice cube to this.
Sounds amazing! I haven’t added dates, myself, but I bet the flavor is lovely!
Hi there!
This is pure genius, and I can’t wait to try it!
I have a couple of questions though.
Can you use the water used to soak the nuts, to blend with nuts afterwards?
Also, if I wanted to use this for got beverages like coffee or cocoa, could I add an emulsifier like Himalayan salt?
Thanks much! <3
I tried to make it in this way and then use the milk to make hot coffee.
The milk went bad and did not taste good.
Are we not supposed to heat homemade milk or I did something working while making it ?
How long was the milk in your refrigerator before you used it? Did you use it right away, or did you wait a few days?
Do you find that your walnut milk separates? I’ve only ever made cashew milk and it always separates.
It separates a little bit when sitting in the refrigerator, but nothing a good shake doesn’t fix 😀
So I made it and it’s so delicious but when I added it to my coffee, it separated! It almost looks curdled! Did this happen to you?
And this was immediately after I made the milk btw
Hi Hina,
I’ve never tried adding homemade nut milk to hot coffee, but I can see how it’s normal. Store-bought nut milks contain emulsifiers, which is why they stay stable in hot temperatures. I’d say stick with store-bought if you’re going to need non-dairy milk for coffee 🙁 Thanks for the feedback! xo
This is easy and tastes great! I love that I’m not drinking preservatives and stabilizers. Thank you!
I’m so glad you like it, Kathy! Homemade nut milk is so nutritious and comforting! xo
What happens if you don’t soak the walnuts. Why do you have to soak the nuts?
Hi Norm,
There are two reasons for soaking the nuts – first, it softens them up so that they are easier to blend, which yields more flavor in the walnut milk; Second, soaking the nuts helps get rid of some of the phytates and lectins, which unlocks the health benefits of the nut and makes them easier for your body to digest. 😀
I’m pretty pumped that milk alternatives are growing more popular; it’s so much better for the environment than cow’s milk, because of the methane and resource-intensiveness of dairy ranching… I mean heck, I enjoy traditional milk too, but I use a lot of almond/cashew/walnut milk because it’s more responsible…
Hey Julia, where can I get the sea green colored glass bottle you feature in the pictures above? I love the look of the bottles for the milks I want to make 🙂
What is the calorie amount for the unsweetened walnut version?
With how popular milk alternatives are, this is great information. It’s always best to make your own and perfect to know how to do so.
what can you use the solid leftover from the walnut milk for, it seems wasteful to throw it away?
Hi Charles! You can bake it into cookies, cakes, or breads. I would try to dehydrate it first, or just be mindful that if you don’t dehydrate the pulp, you’ll need less liquid in whatever it is you’re making.