Before you get started, you're going to need a few things.
Here's a list:
Blender (or food processor)
Nuts, seeds, grain (almond, rice, sunflower seeds, flax seed, coconut, cashew, hemp, etc.)- usually 1 cup nuts/seeds, grain per 4 cups water
Water
Nut milk bag ($6 to $16 – hemp bag is the most expensive)
Large to medium-sized bowl
Colander (fine mesh strainer for hemp & other small seeds)
Glass container with lid (for storing your milk)
Bottle brush (optional for cleaning the blender & container)
Okay, once you've got these together, you're ready to go.
Here's what to do:
Some nuts and seeds need to be soaked in water. Some don't. Check to see if yours do (see Soaking Times). If the ones you're using need soaking, now's the time . . If you're using grains, sometimes they need to be cooked first (see Recipes).
Rinse well. If what you're using doesn't need to be soaked, they still need to be rinsed.
Blend with roughly 1 cup of water for 1 – 4 min (depending on your blender).
Blend with the rest of the water (see Soaking Times for ratios of nuts/seeds to water).
Place your nut milk bag into your bowl.
Pour the blended milk into the bag.
With one hand hold the top of the bag closed (even if you've cinched it with the drawstring). With your other hand, squeeze the liquid out of the bag and into the bowl.
If you're going to add sweeteners, fruit, spices, emulsifiers, salt, or anything else (see Things to Add), pour the milk back into the blender and blend a second time. Otherwise, skip this step.
Once you've blended a second time (or if you're not adding anything else), pour your milk into your container.
You can use what's in the bag (the pulp) for cookies, cakes, smoothies, muffins, etc. If it's coconut or almond pulp, you can make almond meal (see Tips).
Your milk is DONE!
You can drink your milk now or refrigerate it for up to three days.
