Here’s a fantastic collection of easy plant-based milk recipes. Learn how to make dairy-free milks and creams with oats, nuts, and seeds.
Making milk-like beverages from nuts isn’t anything new. Almond milk was a common item in medieval kitchens; before the age of refrigeration, nut milks kept better than animals’ milk.
Not so long ago, there were few choices in the realm of nondairy milks. We were pretty much stuck with rice milk and soy milk before the wave of plant-based milks came along with beverages based on oats, nuts, and seeds. Here’s a quick guide to commercial nondairy milks.
And now, home cooks have discovered how easy it is to make plant-based milks at home, most with minutes of prep time and fewer than 5 ingredients. We’ll get these recipes in a moment. But first …
Great reasons to use plant-based milks instead of dairy
- Vegans avoid dairy milk due to a conscious choice to avoid any animal products; others avoid it due to allergy to them or lactose intolerance.
- The notion that humans aren’t meant to consume cow’s milk (unless you are a calf) is taking hold. Remember, nature formulated cow’s milk for calves, who grow to nearly 1,000 pounds in their first year. Even calves are weaned early in their life, making humans the only species to drink milk after weaning (not to mention the only species to drink the milk of another animal).
- For many people, dairy products are hard to digest, cause allergies, sinus issues, headaches, and more.
- Non-organic dairy is filled with steroids, and antibiotics, because cows are pumped full of them. Dairy products also pass along all those hormones required to gestate and feed calves.
- Many of today’s feedlot cows eat grain (grown with pesticide, and possibly GMO), though nature intended them to graze on grass.
- Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes, and other forms of transportation combined.
- According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading culprits.
Plant-based milks are a humane (and delicious) alternative to dairy. Whether you buy plant-based milk or make your own, you’re on the right track. Here are some truly easy and delicious ways to make your own. Many thanks to the talented food bloggers who gave permission for their recipes and photos to be included in this roundup.
OAT MILKS
From Let’s Eat Cake: What is Oat Milk? What are oat milk’s nutrition facts? And, where can you find this new, popular plant milk? We tackle it all, and even provide a recipe on how to make homemade oat milk.
From Clean Eating Kitchen: This easy oat milk creamer recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and perfect to use in coffee or your favorite hot, creamy beverage.
From Real + Vibrant: Homemade Oat Milk is delicious, creamy, and perfect for smoothies, lattes, and more. Make it at home with this quick and easy 3-ingredient step-by-step recipe. Made with rolled oats, water, and a pinch of salt, it takes less than 5 minutes to make.
From Occasionally Eggs: Homemade oat cream, with just four simple ingredients and no palm oil. Try making oat cream at home and stop buying the overpriced store bought version! Try this in soups, pasta, puddings, as a coffee creamer, and more.
SEED MILKS
From The Honour System: Learn how to make hemp milk. This non dairy milk is so easy to make yourself with no straining required! Vegan and gluten free, this homemade milk is allergy friendly.
From Clean Eating Kitchen: Here’s a super easy and delicious homemade hemp milk recipe that is dairy-free, vegan, and paleo. Use this recipe for smoothies, chia puddings, or on your cereal.
From Emily Kyle: This creamy, delicious Homemade Sunflower Seed Milk is a natural plant-based milk alternative that is ready in as little as 30 minutes. Sunflower milk is naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, Paleo-friendly and a great allergy-friendly milk alternative for those with nut or tree-nut allergies.
TREE NUT MILKS
From Just What We Eat: Not only is making almond milk super easy, but it also tastes so much better than store bought almond milk! It only requires 2 ingredients and takes 10 minutes to prep!
From Thrifty Jinxy: While you can buy cartons of almond milk in the supermarket, the Homemade Protein Almond Milk recipe tastes SO much better than the store bought variety. It is much more fresh and you know exactly each of the ingredients that went into it.
Homemade Almond Milk Coffee Creamer
From The Rising Spoon: An easy recipe for almond milk coffee creamer with a concentrated flavor and creamy texture, perfect for splashing into your favorite coffee or tea. You’ll never want to go back to the store-bought stuff after you make this!
From Vegan Huggs: Learn how to make Cashew Milk with this quick and easy-to-follow recipe. It requires just 5 simple ingredients and takes just minutes to make. You’ll never buy store-bought again!
From A Virtual Vegan: Learn how to make homemade cashew milk. It’s rich and creamy and super quick and easy with no straining involved! Easily customize the thickness to suit your needs by adding more or less water when blending.
From The Honour System: Avoiding dairy and sugar but still want to enjoy your morning coffee? This vanilla cashew coffee creamer is vegan, gluten free and completely sugar free.
From VegKitchen: Though you can buy pre-made coconut milk beverages in stores, try making your own ‚— it only takes a few minutes. Make sure to use only unsweetened and preservative-free shredded coconut. Note that this is not the same thing as canned coconut milk, which is very concentrated.
From Rhubarbarians: Easy homemade hazelnut milk recipe! Learn how to make dairy free hazelnut milk at home in just a few simple steps. Optional vanilla cardamom flavor too.
From Plant.Well: There are so many dairy free milks available at stores and coffee shops everywhere you go, but pecan milk is one that isn’t as well known quite yet.
Creamy Homemade Roasted Pecan Milk
From Such the Spot: I’ve added this ridiculously easy pecan milk to our ever-growing list of fridge staples because it’s legit. Like, as in, legit delicious.
From The Roasted Root: How to make walnut milk, or any other nut milk – a photo tutorial for homemade walnut or almond milk without any gums or emulsifiers.
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