I’ll talk about some variations at the end.
Bonus – this is another vegan-friendly recipe!

A note about soaking cashews: it’s not technically necessary…but I’ve done some reading and it looks like soaking nuts aids digestion. I toss the cashews in a tupperware, top with water, and throw in the fridge the night before I’m going to make milk. Super easy.

Directions:

Put all the ingredients above into a high-speed blender.
Using less nuts will create a thinner milk; using more will give you a thicker consistency. [Think of it like the difference between skim, 2%, and whole cow’s milk]
I prefer using 1/2 to 3/4 cup cashews for more of a 2% – whole milk creaminess.
You could also experiment with the amount of water you use – I prefer using 20-24oz. Blend!
I use the “extract” setting on my Ninja – it’s 1 minute of continuous blending.
Pour into a bottle or glass jar (I rinsed out a store-bought milk bottle and reused it).
Store in the fridge, and drink up!

Please note that I do not need to strain my milk – but if you are using a lower-watt blender, you may need to pour through a nut milk bag/cheesecloth to get out the “grit”/leftover pieces of nuts. This is yet another reason why I love my Ninja – no need for that!

Variations

• Using 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla bean paste will intensify the vanilla flavor, so if you have this in your pantry I suggest using it!
• This time of year, I love adding cinnamon to my nut milk – especially if I’m going to be using it in coffee. Try adding a couple shakes (or 1/4 tsp) of ground or roasted cinnamon to this recipe.
• Another great idea for coffee – adding 1/2 tsp of caramel extract instead of vanilla (or you can do a blend of vanilla and caramel).
• Add 1-2 tbsp unsweeted cocoa or cacao powder for a chocolate kiss.
• If you don’t have dates, you can substitute the following: 1/2 to 1 tbsp honey (but be aware that many vegans do not consume honey, so if you’re making this to impress a vegan friend, leave this out!), 1/2 to 1 tsp (~6 drops) Stevia extract, 1/2 to 1 tbsp agave nectar. **It really depends on how sweet you want your milk – add a little bit at first. You can always taste-test and add more later.
• You can also leave the dates/sweetener out completely, if you are looking for an unsweetened milk! You may be sweet enough as-is (or maybe you need this milk for a savory recipe).

Please be aware that this milk doesn’t have any preservatives in it, so it won’t keep as long in the fridge as shelf-stable milks. I would only recomment keeping it for 4-5 days – though you’ll probably drink it all up before then.

Non-dairy milk is a staple in my fridge. I use it in shakes, oatmeal, coffee, tea, matcha lattes, cereal…the list truly goes on and on. Drinking cow’s milk not only breaks me out, but I like the flavor of nut milks more. Recently, I’ve been trying to cut down on added preservatives as much as possible, avoiding emulsifiers/gums/and carageenan. “All natural” nut milks easily cost $5-8 per quart! That’s $2 per cup!

I get a pound of cashews at my local store for around $8.
This pound of cashews will make at least 4 bottles of cashew milk.
That works out to $2 per bottle.
So if there are 4 servings (cups) per bottle, that’s only $0.50 per serving!
(I have dates/vanilla/Stevia in my pantry at all times, so I don’t include those in the cost)

I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you make it, tag me in a picture on Instagram (my username is @fitmissjennie) or leave a comment below!

Portion Fix
8oz (1 cup) nut milk = 1 tsp in portion fix terms.
Here’s where things get a little tricky. I’m all about balance, so there are certain things that I don’t stress about – using dates in this recipe is one of them. However, if you are concerned with following the 21 Day Fix program as written, I’d suggest swapping out the dates for Stevia (the dates should technically be counted as 1 purple/”treat swap” each) or making unsweetened milk.

Your Fitmiss in Progress,
Jennie