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!

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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 APPLIANCE FOR MAKING ALMOND MILK – TWO CHOICES

1) 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.

2) ALMOND COW – PLANT-BASED MILK MAKER

This appliance is the new kid on the block at my house and it has been an absolute joy to test.

The Almond Cow is an all in one appliance that blends the nuts (or coconut, oats, etc) and strains it too with the press of a button.  Guess what that means?

NO NUT MILK BAG!  Hallelujah!

I've made cashew milk, oat milk, coconut milk, Horchata, creamer, etc.  It's so much fun!

Whether you currently make your own plant based milk or you want to start, you need to check this baby out.  If you decide to order one, use the code MARCI to get $15 off your Almond Cow.

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 or Almond Cow, 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 OF ALMOND MILK

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
• Almond Cow or
• High Speed Blender
• Euro Cuisine Yogurt Strainer
• Nut Milk Bag

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