Four-Ingredient Coconut Almond Milk

I started drinking alternative milks before I even became lactose intolerant. I fell in love with the gentle nuttiness in almond milk, the filling creaminess of soy milk, and the hint of sweetness in coconut milk. Admittedly, this phase started when I decided that I wanted to eat “healthy” and when I believed most of the various nutrition information I read online. I soaked in all of the Internet’s insights like a sponge—but only those that confirmed by point of view: Almond milk also strengthens bones! Plant-based milk is easier to digest! Cow milk is meant for fattening baby cows—not humans! While I do not know whether these claims are true or false, I do know that if I did some deep research on Google Scholar, perhaps I’d find some sort of answers to placate myself. I also know that even with deep research, I am still a cynical skeptic and I am fully convinced that no one actually knows anything about nutrition (or people don’t want the general public to know … wow, I sound wacky). I’d need to do the actual, full-blown, PhD-level research myself. And if I did that, how could I keep up this blog?

Yes, you may find me typing health benefits of __________ into Google every once in a while; I like to stay current on what the trendy websites are saying! But 90% of what I eat and drink now is based on how it makes me feel. I pay attention to my body. If I am in pain or I feel sick after eating something, I don’t eat it. If I feel energized and happy after I eat something, I eat more of it! And, as it happens, most of the foods that make me feel energized and happy are whole foods that a preservative free.

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That brings me to my coconut almond milk. Last year around this time, I read a protein bar wrapper that had something along the lines of “ingredients you can read!” on it. So I took it upon myself to read all of ingredients of products that I ate daily. All I can say is this: Yikes. My almond milk, which I was drinking copious amounts of, had things like locust bean gum, gellan gum, ascorbic acid, sunflower lecithin, magnesium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, and D-Alpha Tocopherol. I had to look up most of those add-ins to figure out what they were. Now, I know, I’m sure these ingredients have very specific purposes such as enriching the milk or making the milk thicker. Well, I just don’t need to be enriched or thickened, thank you very much. I need a simple almond milk recipe that I can use on a daily basis and feel good about.

Now, does that mean I never buy store-bought alternative milks? No! I generally have a couple boxes of almond milk in my pantry in case I run out of what I made or I just don’t feel like making the milk that week. It just feels good to make my own product and to know that I am cutting down on any unnecessary additives in something that I drink almost every day.

This recipe is a copycat of my favorite coconut almond beverage. As in many of my recipes, I encourage you to add your own spin to it. Want a hint of sweetness? Add a couple teaspoons of agave or sugar. Need some vanilla flavor? Add a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Like the coconut more than the almond? Use 1 cup of coconut and a 1/2 cup of almonds instead. The choice is all yours and you should feel free to experiment! All you need is to be able to answer this question: Do you like what you are putting into your body?

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Four-Ingredient Coconut Almond Milk

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Servings: 4
Time: 10 minutes (after prepped)

1 cup Raw Almonds
1/2 cup Unsweetened Dried Coconut (chunks, shaved, or shreds will work)
1/16 teaspoon Salt (aka 1 pinch)
7 cups Filtered Water (divided)

*Let the experimentation begin! Try this recipe with hazelnuts, cashews, or mixed nuts.

1. Prep: Measure out your almonds and coconut into your storage container of choice (I use a 1-liter Mason jar). Fill the container with filtered water until the contents are covered (about 3 cups of water). Leave this covered in your refrigerator for 4-8 hours to allow the almonds and coconut to soften.
2. Strain your softened almonds and coconut and dump the contents into a blender. Add your pinch of salt, then pour in 4 cups of filtered water. Snap that top on your blender and get to blending!
3. Use the puree, smoothie, or blend setting on your blender and let it go for 1 minute. There will be some froth on the top of the liquid and tiny specks of golden brown almond throughout the mixture when finished.
4. Wash your hands!
5. In a medium-sized bowl open a fine mesh cheesecloth bag and hold upright with one hand. With the other hand, slowly pour your coconut almond mixture into the bag.
6. Lift the bag a few inches above the bottom of the bowl and squeeze! Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze until your fingers get tired and liquid is no longer coming from the coconut almond ball.
7. Pour your coconut almond milk into your storage container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days!

*Use the leftover coconut almond pulp in recipes that call for almond meal (I usually freeze it), compost it, or just toss it!

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