These Easy Plant-Based Milk Recipes and how-tos are super simple and so quick you can even make them in a minute or less! Yes, you heard that right. You don’t have to struggle with a messy nut milk bag, either!
Let’s say you run out of your favorite commercial brand of vegan, plant-based milk. Don’t worry! If you want to or need to make your own, or just love plant-based milk and want some inexpensive options to store-bought, you have lots of choices! Look at all the things you can make your own plant-based milks from!
You Choose How To Make These!
I like my plant-based milk a little on the thin side, usually. All these recipes are flexible and you can use anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of nuts, seeds, or grains to every 2 cups water. That obviously works out to a 1/2 cup to 1 cup per every four cups water if you’d like a larger or double batch. Adjust your ratios to how you like it or what you feel like having that day. Do you need more calories? Less? Will your recipe be better with thick or thin milk? It’s totally up to you.
Best Blenders for Plant-Based Milk
Any bullet type blender is going to work for these milk recipes and how-tos. Less powerful blenders may leave a few bits that can be strained out with a fine-mesh strainer if desired. A high powered blender like a VitaMix or BlendTec is going to pulverize everything and you can skip the straining part.
Oats Make Delicious and Inexpensive Plant-Based Milk!
I’m starting with the simplest, easiest, and cheapest ingredient first. Oats! Oat milk is everywhere right now. Lots of new brands are popping up in the stores. But what if you run out or your local store doesn’t carry this? In about a minute you can make your own.
Oats are full of healthy carbs and starches and even a decent amount of protein.
They’re quite inexpensive and a batch of this, using a 1/4 cup of oats, will cost about $.20 … or even less if you use cheaper oats.
Quick Oat Milk Recipe
1/4 uncooked oats
2 cups of water
1 tsp oil
pinch of salt (optional)
Process all ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds and then strain through a fine-mesh strainer.
Nuts Make Delicious Plant-Based Milk! High in Protein, too!
Nuts are fantastic for making plant-based milk. They’re high in protein and minerals, are easily stored until needed, and blend quickly into creamy, tasty deliciousness. Everyone is familiar with almond milk but just about any nut makes delicious milk! Here’s a list of easy to find nuts. They average about $6-$10 per pound so count on these recipes costing about $1 per batch, give or take.
Nuts are oily and so can go rancid fairly quickly, in as little as a month or so depending on the nut, how fresh they are, and how they’re stored. For the longest life, store in the fridge for up to a few months or in the freezer for up to several months to a year.
Nuts for Nut Milk!
- Almonds
- Cashews
- Pistachios
- Hazelnuts
- Macadamia Nuts
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Brazil Nuts
- Pine Nuts
- Coconuts (use 1/4 dried coconut flesh in this recipe)
- Peanuts
- Chestnuts
Easy Nut Milk Recipe
1/4 cup nuts of your choice, or a mix
2 cups of water
pinch of salt
Process all ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds and then strain through a fine-mesh strainer.
Seed Milk is Simply Tasty
Did you know you can make milk out of seeds? Yeah, totally can! And it’s nutritious, high in omega-3s and protein, and tastes great!
We’re all pretty familiar with hemp milk, made from hemp seeds. It’s so delicious and creamy and just as easy to make as any other milk. But they’re not the only seed that is yummy as a drink. Here’s a list!
Seeds for Seed Milk
Here are some seeds that work well in making milk.
- Hemp Seeds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Flax Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds/Pepitas
- Sesame Seeds
Easy Seed Milk Recipe
1/4 cup seeds of your choice, or a mix
2 cups of water
pinch of salt
Process all ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds and then strain through a fine-mesh strainer.
Rice Milk is an Old Favorite!
The first plant-based milk I tried, years ago, was rice milk.
Rice mild and is one of the least allergenic and easiest to digest ingredients for most people. It’s super simple, too. Save some of your cooked rice for this recipe and it’s just as fast as the other recipes!
Basic Rice Milk Recipe
1/4 cup cooked white or brown rice
2 cups of water
pinch salt (optional)
Process all ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds and then strain through a fine-mesh strainer.
Banana Milk is Sweetly Delicious!
Ripe bananas are lovely blended into milk and are sweet, too.
Three Ingredient Banana Milk Recipe
1/2 ripe banana
2 cups of water
pinch salt (optional)
Process all ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds and enjoy. No need to strain!
Super Easy Vegan Chocolate Milk!
Want some quick and delicious chocolate milk? To any plant-based milk, add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and one tablespoon sweetener per cup milk and blend well.
Basic Measurements for Any Plant-Based Milk Recipe
For ALL these recipes, the basic measurements are about a 1/4 cup to a 1/2 cup of grains, nuts, or seeds (or any combination!) to about 2 cups water. Simply blend any combination for a good 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. Lower fat ingredients may benefit from the addition of a teaspoon of oil, but this isn’t necessary at all. Nuts, of course, have a higher fat content and so will be a bit creamier.
Want a bigger batch? Double or triple any of these. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days.
No Nut Milk Bag! Wait, What’s a Nut Milk Bag??
When I first started making plant-based milk years ago, it was quite a production. It was messy, seemed to take forever, was inconvenient and involved the use of the dreaded nut milk bag. A nut milk bag is basically a fine mesh bag that any blended plant-based milk can be squeezed through to remove any bits of nuts or seeds or whatever you made the milk from. This is a pic of how to use one from my book, Easy Affordable Raw. Any of the milks in that book can be made this way, as well. It works great if you want yours totally smooth, and go ahead if you have one, but it’s not essential.
When I was in a hurry or just want more convenience, I realized I could make my own milk without making a mess with bags! Just pour these through a fine-mesh wire strainer and, bam, you’re done. Save any leftover pulp, if there is any (with a Vitamix there may not be anything left) and add to any baked good recipe.
Sweetened or Unsweetened?
Unsweetened plant-based milk can be used for any recipe at all. They’re good when you don’t want super strong flavors in something or don’t want sweet or vanilla flavor. For example, I love making vegan breakfast gravy and that absolutely has to have unsweetened plant milk. For unsweetened milk, just add a tiny pinch of salt … and even that’s optional.
If you want a sweetened version of milk, you can add any or a combination of regular sugar, coconut sugar, agave, maple syrup, stevia, raisins or chopped dates, etc. Add about a tablespoon per every batch.
A teaspoon or two of vanilla can be added as well. Taste test as you go to see what you like.
To recap … Here’s the basic idea …
Use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of any nut, seed, grain, or sweet fruit blended with 2 cups water. Strain if desired. That’s it.
XOXO Lisa
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Enjoy these recipes with a big glass of cold, homemade milk!
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Hello! I’m Lisa, a vegan artist, photographer, author, Vegan Life Coach Educator, and RYT 200 yoga teacher. I love showing others how simple and delicious a plant-based diet can be. I draw and paint, cook, write, take lots of pics, eat lots of chocolate, and practice gratitude daily.
We will try this this weekend, thanks!
Great! Let me know how it turns out for you!