Making homemade dairy-free milk is so easy. Honestly, I feel kind of silly even sharing this “recipe” because, for all plant milks, the technique is pretty much the same. Soak, blend, strain. That’s it! It’s so easy, and the results are out of this world. If you’re used to buying your almond, cashew, or other nut or grain milks at the store, you will be blown away by the taste and texture of homemade. Store-bought nut milks mostly water, and some thickening agents to give it a creamier mouth-feel. Homemade nut milk is truly creamy, with a fresh, nutty flavor. You can sweeten it naturally with dates, or leave it unsweetened, add a touch of vanilla or cinnamon, or leave it plain.

Having a carton of store-bought almond milk on-hand is convenient for recipes and smoothies, but making fresh cashew, almond, or macadamia nut milk is really a treat. I regularly make cashew, almond, and coconut milk, but I would say that my favorite dairy-free milk is, hands down, macadamia nut milk.

Macadamia nuts are probably the most decadent food found in nature: buttery, rich, creamy, and sweet. Though they may be high in fat, the majority of it is monounsaturated fat, as in avocados. I consider them an occasional treat, not a daily or even weekly staple, and their hefty price tag is all the more reason for me to keep them in the “special treat” category. That being said, making a creamy milk from macadamia nuts certainly is special, and everything you use it in will be about 50 times better than you ever though it could be…

Like homemade ice cream (don’t worry, I’ll be sharing this recipe soon!)…

Or coffee. Hot or iced…

Smoothies will become luxurious milkshakes, and just a splash of macadamia milk along with frozen bananas and other fruit will produce the dreamiest nice cream.

So go ahead, get fancy, and make your own macadamia nut milk. It’s a must-try!

Homemade Macadamia Nut Milk

Ingredients:

1 cup of macadamia nuts

3 cups of filtered water*

2 pitted medjool dates (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

pinch of cinnamon (optional)

pinch of sea salt (optional)

Instructions:

Soak the macadamia nuts in filtered water for only 2 hours, you don’t want to soak any longer than that and it isn’t necessary.

Strain the nuts and give them a rinse with cold filtered water.

Add nuts and 3 cups of water to your blender. Blend from low to high for about 1 minute, or until the liquid is white and smooth.

You can strain the milk for extra silky consistency, although sometimes I do not (similar to cashew milk). If you do not have a high speed blender like a Blendtec or Vitamix, you will probably want to strain the milk through a fine mesh sieve or nut milk bag.

Notes:

* Adjust the amount of water for thinner or creamier milk. For example, using 4 cups will yield a slightly thinner milk, and using only 2 cups of water will yield a very rich milk, perfect as a coffee creamer.