Homemade Pecan Milk
Pecan milk is a staple in my household. I gave up cow’s milk my last year of college, even before I completely changed my diet. I started using almond milk because it was the most common nut milk found at the store, and the least expensive. Once I started reading the labels of my food more closely, I realized I didn’t like the extra ingredients (gums, natural flavors, carrageenan) that came with my store bought almond milk. Now there are some better nut milk brands available with simple ingredients, but they are super expensive.
Once I realized that nut milk is basically just nuts and water blended together I decided to try making milk with pecans instead. The pecan milk turned out delicious and I have been making it weekly ever since! Store bought pecan milk is prohibitively expensive, but making your own is so easy and so much less expensive!
Another advantage of making your own nut milk is that you can soak the nuts before using them. Nuts contain phytic acid, which is known as an anti nutrient because it can block other nutrients from being absorbed. Soaking helps to release the phytic acid, making the nuts easier to digest.
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mins | 5 mins | 10 mins |
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans
- 3 1/2 cups of water + more for soaking the nuts
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Soak the pecans for 12-24 hours. I usually let mine soak overnight.
- Discard the water used for soaking the pecans.
- Add pecans, 3 ½ cups of water, and 1 tsp of vanilla extract into a high powered blender. I use a Vitamix.
- Blend for 5 minutes. Start on a low setting for 1 minute and then gradually increase the power of the blend as each minute passes. Be sure you are on the highest setting your blender has for the last minute.
- Pour the mixture into a glass jar and store into the fridge for up to 7 days. Optionally, you can strain the milk with a fine mesh strainer or a cheese cloth as you pour into the glass jar. I don’t usually find this step necessary for my purposes, but if you plan on drinking the milk straight I suggest straining. I find that blending the milk using the method above makes the milk smooth enough to add to coffee or eat with some grain-free granola without straining.
- Shake well before each use and enjoy!
