In the past 5 years there has been a significant increase in the percentage of non-dairy milk consumed within Australia, as consumers become more health conscious and as more dairy-related allergies are diagnosed.
Driving a lot of that growth is almond milk which has accounted for approximately 68% of the plant-based milk alternatives across Australia over the same period of time. This has seen the non-dairy sector of the milk market rise to 7%* and forecast to continue growing.
While nut milks are becoming more readily available across supermarkets and cafes, many consumers are finding that making nut milk at home is not only rewarding in and of itself, it is beneficial to their health and the environment.
You only need your chosen nut and water to make your own nut milk. This means that when you make it from home you know exactly what is going into each batch; the quality of the ingredients being used; and most importantly, you know there are no hidden nasties!
In making nut milk from home you can make the quantity that is best for your needs, as opposed to being reliant on store bought volumes which go to waste if you do not use it all up.
An added bonus is that the leftover pulp that comes from making your own nut milk can be repurposed into other recipes, reducing waste and providing you with another great source of protein and nutrients from the nuts you use.
By making your own nut milk from home, you can minimize your footprint on the environment by reducing the amount of packaged nut milk being purchased. While there is still packaging on most packets of nuts, there is the option to buy these packaged nuts in bulk and to do so less frequently or to go to a bulk food store where you can take your own cloth bag or jar to purchase the quantity you need.
Many commercial nut milks contain around 2 – 4% nuts. For health conscious consumers who enjoy nut milk as an alternate source of protein or for the nutrients found in the nuts, this means that they are getting very little plant protein and nutrients from the ‘key’ ingredient.
By contrast, making your nut milk from home can see the content of nuts increase to as much as 25% per batch which naturally increases the protein per serving as well as access to those valuable nutrients.
Knowing this, it is also really important to be aware of the other ingredients that go into store bought nut milk to make up the other 96 – 98% of the product. Most of the time, these will include preservatives, additives and/or sweeteners. Some of these are added to prolong shelf life; however, sweeteners for example are purely added for taste and not for nutritional value.
Almost half of the almond milk products reviewed by www.choice.com.au recentaily “contained some form of sweetener in the way of sugar, maltodextrin, agave and rice syrup”. So depending on what you use your nut milk for, you may inadvertently be consuming a much higher sugar content than you realised, especially if you are adding it to things like store bought cereals or mueslis or a coffee that already contains sweetener.
In saying this, the availability and accessibility of store bought nut milks make it enticing for those who are wanting to support their health and want the convenience of adding a nut milk of choice to their shopping basket. Sometimes, we just need things to be convenient, so these can certainly be an acceptable option if we are traveling or away from home.
If you regularly consume nut milks though, it’s clear that the most nutritious, sustainable and tasty option is indeed to make your own. It’s actually incredibly easy. See below for our no fail nut milk recipe.
Make your own almond milk in the MOD Cold Press Juicer:
• 1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight or for a minimum eight hours
• 3.5 cups of filtered water
• 1 TBSP maple syrup or sweetener of choice (more or less to taste)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of sea salt
Directions:
1. To soak almonds: Place almonds into a bowl and cover with filtered water. Allow to sit for at least eight hours or overnight in the fridge;
2. When you are ready to make your milk – Drain the almonds and rinse twice through clear running water;
3. Set up your MOD Cold Press Juicer for normal juicing (refer to the MOD Juicing Handbook for guidance);
4. To your filtered water, add in the maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt. Give the mixture a stir to combine;
5. With the juicer motor running, alternate between adding a handful of soaked almonds with roughly ½ cup of the flavoured water mixture, feeding slowly into the juicer. Continue until all nuts and water have been added;
6. Turn the juicer off, and taste the milk. Adjust flavouring to your personal preference. If you would like a thinner, less creamier milk simply add in more water.
If you want to have a go at making your own nut milk at home – you can buy the MOD Blend Pro or MOD Cold Press juicer which are both brilliant tools for making your own nut milks, here: https://modappliances.com/
