Instant Pot Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk – Plus Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry!

Fresh, homemade almond milk is an absolute treat.  Skip the overnight almond soak by using this little Instant Pot trick and have it ready in minutes instead of hours.  Variations for Healthy, Sweetened Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry Almond Milk also included here! 

Today’s post is sponsored by Vitamix, AKA, my favorite blender of all time

The little tricks I continue to discover with my Instant Pot experiments never cease to amaze me.  Think Vanilla Extract, Infused Water, Burnt Pot Cleaner, Freezer Meals, etc.

Today’s recipe just so happens to be one of those tricks.  Fresh Homemade Almond Milk in less than 15 minutes, YES!

If you’ve never made your own almond milk, you likely have a confused look on your face, wondering why this is even cool.  Let me explain.

To make ultra creamy almond milk, the almonds need a good overnight soak to get to that plump, saturated state.  The Instant Pot will do that in 4 minutes.  In the words of my son, “That’s sweet!”

This white, silky, vanilla-kissed drink is one of my life’s simple pleasures.

If your palate is used to store-bought almond milk, I’ll warn you in advance, that it does taste different and at first you’re going to think, “Hmm, interesting.  I think I like it.”

Once you get through a quart of homemade almond milk you’ll likely buy your usual almond milk again, taste it and then exclaim dramatically, “What is wrong with this almond milk!”

Once you start enjoying this rich, clean tasting homemade almond milk, store bought just tastes . . . I don’t know . . . wrong?

Use it over your cereal, oatmeal, hot drinks (like Crio Bru), in smoothies (my favorite application), or in baked goods.  Sky’s the limit!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK

• Again, it just tastes fresh and clean.  I like to compare it to the taste difference in store bought yogurt vs Homemade Yogurt.  No contest
• Cheaper!  I can make my own almond milk for half the price of store-bought
• It doesn’t contain the additive thickeners and preservatives that store bought does
• Lower in calories and carbs than cows milk.  Note: Homemade almond milk doesn’t have calcium, vitamin D, and other minerals added to it like store-bought does – something to keep in mind
• It’s naturally dairy free, which is great for lactose sensitivities or allergies
• It’s completely customizable to your taste!  Make it plain, sweetened, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, etc.  More on that below

HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT ALMOND MILK

1. Add almonds and water to the pressure cooker pot
2. Cook for 4 minutes
3. Drain, rinse, repeat
4. Throw them in a high powered blender
5. Let er’ rip!
6. Blend until white and smooth
7. Strain out the almond pulp with a Yogurt Strainer or
8. Pour through a nut milk bag
9. Discard pulp or check out these uses for leftover almond pulp
10. Add vanilla extract
11. Pour into a mason jar for storing
12. Cap it for easy pouring

Once you’ve mastered the basics, the flavor potentials are endless!

BEST HIGH POWERED BLENDER

I tend to search high and low for the best possible appliances and I’m sure Amazon and my local kitchen store dread seeing my name because of it.

It took me a few years (well 9 years) to finally find the blender of my dreams, but we have finally found each other and I sing it’s praises every day when I make my favorite Chocolate Cherry Smoothie.

Vitamix is 100%, hands down, my winner in the world of blenders.  It is a very popular brand of blender for several reasons:

• Super durable, long lasting motor (plus an impressive warranty to go with it).  They are not cheap, but looking back, I would have saved money just buying one Vitamix instead of 3 different blenders.  Live and learn
• Multipurpose: I use it to blend soup, make batters, nut butter, smoothies, fruit “ice cream”, salad dressings, nut milk, and more.  If my Instant Pot is my #1 most used appliance, my blender is a very close second
• The Tamper!  THIS is genius.  How mad do you get when you have to constantly scrape down the sides of whatever you’re blending?  Vitamix blenders use a tamper to make blending thick ingredients so much easier.  A tamper is basically a long tool that allows you to push your ingredients down as they blend.  It fits right through the middle of the lid and is just short enough that it won’t reach the blade.  I LOVE this feature!
• The lowest setting is more of a gentle stir which is heaven sent when making batters and you want to get the dry mixed with the wet before it poofs all over, ya know what I mean?
• Self Cleaning – I had my doubts that this could work, but with a few drops of soap and water, I can press the clean button and in seconds all I have to do is rinse it and it’s good to go

I personally own a blender from the Ascent Series, the A3500 model (more colors on the Vitamix website) and have loved it from the get-go.  The popular Vitamix E310 is one of the more affordable options and just so happens to be the one my little sister has that peaked my interest a few years ago.  Check out this Vitamix Guide for more options and price points.

Back to the almond milk . . .

TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK

• Use raw almonds, skinless or regular.  If you use skinless, you’ll have less pulp in the end.  DO NOT use roasted or salted almonds
• Strain it.  I’ve seen recipes that don’t strain it, but even with my powerful blender, it definitely needs to be strained to avoid being gritty
• Use within 3 – 5 days.  Homemade doesn’t contain any preservatives, so it doesn’t last as long.  And believe me, when it goes south, you’ll know.  It smells and tastes really awful.  I’ve never tried freezing it, but here is a neat article about Freezing Almond Milk if you’re interested
• Use a high powered blender like Vitamix.  It breaks down the almonds so well and the result is an ultra-creamy milk with less pulp
• If you don’t have a high powered blender, don’t let that stop you from making your own almond milk!  Pressure cooking the almonds softens them enough that I suspect most blenders may be able to break them down.  Let me know if you give it a try!

VARIATIONS

Once you’ve discovered the magic of the basic Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk flavor, try out the Sweetened Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry versions, naturally sweetened with dates.  See recipe card below for details.  They are delicious on their own, but pour them over fruit and granola, and Wowza, heavenly!

You could further mix up the flavors by adding cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, almond extract, or try different sweeteners like honey, agave, maple syrup, etc.  Be creative!  Let me know what you make so I can give it a go too, deal?

How I adore simple recipes like this!  Simple recipes that make a huge statement and allow so much room for the imagination.

Enjoy!

TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT ALMOND MILK

• Instant Pot
• High Speed Blender or
• Euro Cuisine Yogurt Strainer
• Nut Milk Bag

*This post contains affiliate links. Thank you!

Instant Pot Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

No overnight soaking of almonds required.  In less than 10 minutes you can have a jar of fresh, creamy Vanilla Almond Milk in your fridge.  Try all of these flavors: Sweetened Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate.

• Author: Marci
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 4 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups
• Category: Drinks
• Method: Pressure Cooker
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 2 cups and 4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

• same ingredients as Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk plus:
• 2-4 pitted Medjool dates

Strawberry Almond Milk

• same ingredients as Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk plus:
• 4 pitted Medjool dates (more if strawberries are very tart)
• 2 cups strawberries

Chocolate Almond Milk

• same ingredients as Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk plus:
• 2-4 pitted Medjool dates (optional)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Add almonds and 2 cups water to the pressure cooker pot.  Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position.
2. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.
3. When cooking is complete, use a quick release.
4. Drain almonds.  Rinse with fresh water; drain almonds again.
5. To a high-speed blender add the almonds and 4 cups water.  Blend on high speed until smooth, about 1 ½ – 2 minutes.
6. Two options for straining:
   1. Pour almond milk through yogurt strainer (like a Euro Cuisine Yogurt Strainer) and let drain 6 hours or overnight.  
   2. Place a nut milk bag inside a medium size bowl and pour milk into bag. Gently twist and squeeze the bag to release milk into the bowl.
7. After the milk has strained, add vanilla extract and whisk to combine. 
8. Discard leftover ground almond (or see note for how to repurpose it).
9. Pour strained almond milk into a quart size mason jar and store in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days.  
10. Shake well before serving.

For Sweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1. Add 2-4 dates to the blender when blending the almonds and continue with above instructions.

For Strawberry Almond Milk

1. Add dates and strawberries when blending the almonds and continue with above instructions.

For Chocolate Almond Milk

1. Add dates and cocoa powder when blending the almonds and continue with above instructions.  

Notes

• Dates can be substituted with 2 -4 tablespoons of maple syrup, sugar, honey, agave, etc
• Check out this list of Uses for Leftover Almond Pulp
• Nutritional Facts are for Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Keywords: instant pot, almond milk, non-dairy milk

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