I started making my own nut milk when I decided I just wouldn’t spend 15 to 20 bucks on a quart of organic almond milk. There are plenty of other nut milk options available in markets, but there is also other unnecessary stuff in the ingredients like preservatives and artificial flavorings, which you might not want in your system bright and early in the morning. Making your own nut milk is so satisfying and easy. Once you start experimenting with different flavor profiles, the choices are simply limitless.

Start by choosing your favorite nut. I love hazelnuts and macadamias for this because the creaminess goes well with my morning coffee. Those nuts in particularly are rich and nutty (and a tad more expensive than other nuts). Pistachio is a unique choice for this; I find that it goes great with granola and makes a nice alternative to dairy in dessert recipes.

Now you're going to milk your nuts, as absurd as this sounds. First, you'll soak the nuts in water to break down the enzyme inhibitors, natural toxins, and tiny amounts of phytic acid that coats them while growing. Phytic acid is indigestible to the body if consumed in high amounts and can make you feel sluggish. Soaking them will make everything easier to digest while boosting and improving the flavor.

Soak times for your nut milk (at minimum):

Almond : 12 hours

Hazelnut, macadamia, peanut, and pine nut : 8 hours

Pecan and walnut : 4 hours

Cashew and pistachio : 2 hours

_Ingredients:

_- 2 cups of your selected nuts

- 6 cuts of filtered/purified water

- Medjool dates or matcha powder to taste

_Method (This recipe makes 1½ quarts):

_Submerge the nuts in the water according to the time table above. Be sure they're completely submerged. Then, use a muslin cloth to drain. Place the activated nuts into a blender and fill the blender with filtered water. At this point, if you would like to sweeten or flavor the milk, you can add two Medjool dates and/or a teaspoon of matcha powder. Cover and blend on high for 2 minutes. It should look milky and foamy on the top. Strain the milk again in your muslin and pour the nut milk into an airtight glass jar or bottle for freshness. It should last for four to five days.

P.S. You can use the left-over pulp for a hummus dip recipe or blend it again on high and use as a soup thickener.

—Dionna Lee

Photos courtesy of author. Dionna Lee is a photographer and visual artist from Singapore. Follow her on Instagram @tofurier and @studio.oooze.