I’m really missing nut and seed milks at the moment. I love creating nut/seed milk elixirs jam packed with superfoods and flavour! They’re so rich and satisfying, especially when you gently heat them for a nice warm milk (with cacao). I guess there’s something comforting and satisfying about drinking a warm milk, reminds me of being a small person… Maybe it’s the insane coffee culture here in Reykjavik, everyone is obsessed with milky coffees over here!
So yeah, I’ve been thinking about the perfect nut/seed milk and thought I’d share my top tips to making an awesome nut/seed milk. That way you can make one and I can’t 🙂
Use different combinations – I love hemp milk but by itself it can be a bit err, hempy. The best combo for me is hemp, brazil and coconut flakes blended together. Hemp, brazil and almond is also good. The combinati on of all of these makes for a sumptuous milk! Experiment. Go WILD 😉 N.B. pine nut milk is baaaaaad!
Soak your nuts and seeds well – if you want them to digest well and to soak off enzyme inhibitors then an adequate soaking is required. I recommend soaking them in pure water overnight to make a milk in the morning.
Blend your nuts/seeds with your sweetener first – then strain through your nut milk bag and add back to the (rinsed) blender before you start to seriously CREATE!
Sweet – the best sweeteners I’ve found for making nut milks are coconut nectar, yacon syrup and xylitol. These are low GI and seem to combine well with the milk. Honey is also good.
Spice – don’t shy away from using things like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, mixed spice to add subtle flavours to your milk. These are also very warming!
Vanilla – I won’t make a nut milk without it. I just won’t. Don’t try and make me… Vanilla powder is the best for nut milks.
Cacao – I don’t care what anyone says, a cacao nut milk is the best thing ever. Use carob if you’re watching your cacao intake.
Superfoods – you’ve got to ramp it up to get all the goodness in and nut milks are a great way to throw some less than sextastic tasting superfoods in! Throw in some he sho wu or reishi (these are well masked by cacao and add depth to the flavour). You can also add in some maca (goes well with banana and lucuma), mesquite for a malty flavour and fruit powders (like blackcurrant with purple corn) for a fruity milkshake.
Leave the blender on – leave your blender running a little longer to gently heat up your nut milk. Don’t do this unless you have a high-powered blender, otherwise you’ might break it!
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Way to go Emma, doing a post on how to make the perfect nut milk is making me want one even more 🙂
So what do you think? Have I missed anything?
If you have any tips you’d love to share please leave a comment below. What makes your perfect nut milk? 🙂
I absolutely love cashew milk. I think I love it best because I don’t have to use a nut milk bag. 🙂 (I like to keep things really quick and simple.)
Emma, I love your photos of you in the bathtub. Brilliant! 🙂
mmmmm, love nut and seed milks! A bit obsessed, actually (:
brazil nut with vanilla is my favourite!
Never tried using coconut flakes though, sounds amazing…do you soak the coconut with the nuts overnight?
X
Oh yes, cashew milk is SUPER creamy! And very quick too, cashew nuts don’t seem to need as much soaking do they? 🙂
Thank you, it was great fun! Although a bit cold after a while… x
Brazil nuts are so yummy! Selenium-tastic 🙂
Yes I always soak the coconut flakes, seem to blend much better. It might just be a psychological thing though 😀 x