The New Milks

diy Dairy-Free Milk

Dairy-free milk is incredibly easy and inexpensive to make from scratch. All you need are the base solid ingredient (such as almonds, oats, or dried soybeans) plus water. Equipment-wise, you require only a blender, nut milk bag or cheesecloth (if you plan to strain), a couple of large bowls, and a pitcher for storing the finished milk.

The basic process involves soaking the solid ingredient for several hours, then draining and rinsing. Puree the solid ingredient with water in a blender. If desired, strain. You can flavor the non-dairy milk with salt, a sweetener, and other ingredients, such as vanilla extract. You can also fortify it with calcium and vitamins. Although in most cases, you need to first soak the solid ingredient for several hours, the active time required to make vegan milk is only about 15 minutes!

For a detailed description of how to make soy milk at home, read my piece on Food52.

My forthcoming book, The New Milks; 100-Plus Dairy-Free Recipes for Making and Cooking with Soy, Nut, Seed, Grain, and Coconut Milk (Atria, May 2016), includes detailed instructions for preparing a range of dairy-free milks.