For the past five years I have tried many different nut milks and butters to switch it up. This year I purchased my first high powered blender and discovered that the best budget friendly and delicious way to enjoy my nuts is to make nut milk and butter from scratch. Even better, it takes less than 10 minutes in the kitchen to prepare!
My nut of choice is almonds because they contain lots of healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium and vitamin E (Leech, 2018). The health benefits of almonds include lower blood sugar levels, reduced blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels. They can also reduce hunger and help promote weight loss (Leech, 2018). If you’re not much of an almond nut, these recipes can be used with alternative nuts, my favourites include hazelnuts and cashews!
I use a Vitamix blender to make almond milk and butter, however all you really need is a high powered blender. Great alternative brands to check out are Blendtec, Cleanbend, Ninja, Hamilton Beach and Cuisinart (Andrew, 2019). When looking for a blender, know what you’d like to make with it. To make almond butter, or any thicker substance like smoothie bowls, you’ll require a tamper to press the ingredients down into the blades. Some blenders come with the tamper, others will be sold separately. When using a tamper, you will want to assure the blender’s lid has a cap that can be removed for the tamper to fit through.
Almond Milk
INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES
- 1 cups raw almonds, soaked overnight
- 5 cups cold filtered water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 dates
- pinch of sea salt
- high power blender
- nut milk strainer
INSTRUCTIONS
-
soak almonds in 1 cup of filtered water overnight in the fridge
-
place almonds, the water they were soaking in, 4 cups of filtered water, vanilla, dates and sea salt into the blender
-
blend on highest setting for 2 minutes
-
strain almond milk with a nut-milk bag, pour the almond milk into an air-tight storage container for up to 3 days
Unsure what to do with all the left over almond pulp? Roast it on its own or add it to your next granola creation!
Almond Butter
INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES
- 4 cups raw almonds
- 4 tbsp refined coconut oil (unrefined if you like a hint of coconut flavour)
- 1/2 tsp of sea salt
- high powered blender
- tamper
INSTRUCTIONS
-
preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
-
dry roast almonds for 15 minutes on baking tray, allow almonds to cool then transfer to blender
-
add oil and sea salt to blender (optional)
-
place the lid on blender and remove the cap, insert the tamper through the lid, turn blender on highest setting while using the tamper to continuously push almonds into the blade for 1 minute
-
transfer the almond butter to an airtight container and store in the fridge
Try this almond butter in sauces, smoothies and baked goods for an extra health kick!
References
Andrew (2019) Top 10 Alternative Blenders that Cheaper than Vitamix. Blender Versus. Retrieved from www.blenderversus.com/cheaper-vitamix-alternative
Bryan, Lisa (2018) How to Make Almond Butter (in 1 Minute). Downshiftology. Retrieved from www.downshiftology.com/how-to-make-homemade-almond-butter
Bryan, Lisa (2019) How to Make Almond Milk. Downshiftology. Retrieved from www.downshiftology.com/how-to-make-almond-milk
Leech, J. (2018). 9 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Almonds. Health Line. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-proven-benefits-of-almonds
Nicole LeClair
Nicole is a therapeutic yoga teacher and UBC kinesiology student passionate about holistic health and wellness. She aims to embrace a variety of perspectives to natural health and healing approaches. Her curiosity continues to fuel her journey in living a healthy lifestyle for her mind and body.
