If you have chronic conditions such as intestinal problems, skin problems, leaky gut, autoimmune diseases, allergies or hay fever, it can be a good idea to avoid cow's milk. Not because of the lactose, as is often thought, but rather because of the milk protein.

Almond milk can be a good alternative here, which is why I wanted to share how you can make it. Almond milk or the almond drink is ideal as a beverage, in coffee, in a smoothie or homemade muesli.

Now you may be asking yourself: Can't you buy almond milk? Yes, you can! But it usually contains additives, thickeners and, in some cases, sweeteners. Our homemade almond milk, on the other hand, is free from sugar, gluten and lactose and is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The recipe for homemade almond milk

Ingredients for 1 liter of almond milk

1 cup of almonds (200g)
3-4 cups of water (6-8 dl, depending on how "thick" you want the milk to be)
1 pinch of salt
Optional: 1 teaspoon of honey

Preparation

First you need to cover the almonds with cold water and soak them for 8-10 hours (this improves digestibility). I left them to soak overnight in the fridge.

Drain the soaked almonds, rinse them under running water, put them in a powerful blender or puree them with a hand blender. Puree the almond and water mixture until you have a white liquid with no pieces.

Then filter this liquid using a fine cloth or a nut milk bag. As I had neither of these, I strained the liquid by cutting off the bottom of a woman's stocking and pouring the almond milk through it.

I used a funnel for this. You could also simply hold the cloth over a bowl. You then squeeze the cloth until all the liquid has drained out. You can store the dry almond residue in the cloth and use it for muesli or baking.

The almond milk will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Alternatively, if you don't have that much time, you can simply take 2 tablespoons of white almond paste and puree it with approx. 2 to 2.5 dl of water! And you have your almond milk!

Serving suggestion

I made myself a muesli with the almond milk. I mixed 2 tablespoons of the leftover almonds, 2 tablespoons of coconut flakes, a few raisins and some apple pieces and poured in the almond milk. It tasted great! Or you can try my homemade gluten-free muesli without sugar.

If you want to give your milk a different flavor, you can puree 1 dried date or add some cinnamon or vanilla to the liquid.