Did you know the 22nd August is World Plant Milk Day?
There are all sorts of reasons why you might look to explore plant-based alternatives to dairy milk… your health, the environment and animal welfare typically being the top three.
But plant-milks are so varied, so delicious and so easy to make yourself, we encourage you to give them a try!
Instead of buying off the shelf, it is easy to make your own for a fraction of the cost and you’ll know exactly what goes into it. All you need is a blender and a fine mesh cloth to strain the nuts or seeds. You can also add extra flavours such as dates and cocoa as you blend, so get creative and find your own favourites.
Making your own plant milks helped the environment in other ways too… you can avoid the tetra packs that plant-milk is often sold in, or the plastic bottles that dairy milk comes in. Store your homemade milk in a glass bottle in the fridge for a few days and simply make more in minutes whenever you need it.
We have shared a blog post below all about making nut and seed milks and also tiger nut milk if you fancy giving that a try!
You can make your own oat milk too, but it can be a little tricky to get the best texture, so we have provided some tips below if that’s a route you’d like to explore.
What’s your favourite plant-milk and will you be making your own for World Plant Milk Day on Sunday?
How to make your own nut milk…
Check out this blog post to make your own nuts and seed milks. You can use any nuts you like, but we recommend almonds and cashews as great to start with for a mild creamy milk… and hazelnut is wonderful for coffee or a chocolate blend. Plus pumpkin and hemp seeds make great milks too, especially for those with nut allergies.
Tiger Nut Milk
Tiger nuts make great homemade milk as the flavour is subtly sweet with a hint of caramel. Of course you could add cocoa powder and a touch of coconut syrup if you want a more indulgent chocolate milk. Alternatively add a handful of strawberries or a banana for a fruity blend.
Easy Oat Milk
Oat milk is also a cheaper option compared with nut milks, but it can be a little tricker to get the texture right – the best oats to use for this are regular porridge oats vs the quick cook variety. Mixing oats half and half with nuts is also a good start point!
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Or why not grab a selection of nuts from our 250g Wee Eco range. Cashews are a great starter and they blend down such that they barely need straining. Make sure you shake your milk before each serving in case of settling.
But what do I do with the pulp once I have strained my nuts?
Some varieties of nuts, such as cashew or blanched almonds, barely leave any residue. Other nuts or seeds with skins will leave some pulp behind on the fine straining cloth.
You can add this pulp to cookies, cakes, porridge or overnight oats, homemade granola, pancake batter and lots more!
As a rough guide, try substituting up to 1/3 of the dry ingredients (such as flour) for the nut pulp. Drain it as well as possible as it may affect the liquid content in your recipe.
But most of all, enjoy experimenting!