How to Make Nut Milk

How to Make Nut Milk on the Goodnature X-1 (with video)

Nut milk (also known as “mylk”) makes a great addition to any business that sells juice. Nut milks have grown in popularity both in the grocery store and in juice bars within the last few years. There are even companies now that are making only raw nut milks.

So what is nut milk?

Well, it’s not actually milk, which does make it naturally lactose free, and it’s also very low in calories when served without any added sweeteners. Nut milk is just nuts, almonds and cashews most frequently, and filtered water. Sweeteners like dates, vanilla, or honey can be added to enhance the flavor.

Making nut milk on the Goodnature X-1 is a simple process; it’s really just a matter of fine tuning your recipe to achieve the taste and creaminess you desire.

  1. Soak nuts in filtered water for 24 to 48 hours.
    That’s a pretty wide range but we have found that the longer the nuts are soaked, the less water is required later for blending. This should result in a creamier taste as well. Soaking should always be done in a refrigerator.
  2. Drain and rinse.
    The water will be dirty, especially if soaked closer to 48 hours. In the next step we will add in clean, fresh water.
  3. Weigh the nuts and add in filtered water.
    We weighed two pounds (.9 kg) of soaked nuts and added four pounds (1.8 kg) of water (about 2 liters / 68 ounces).
    Note: This is where some trial and error may be required as the ratio of nuts to water may vary depending on how you want it to taste and how long you soaked the nuts for. We found if we only soaked the nuts for 24 hours, the ratio had to be one part nuts to three parts water, at minimum, just to get the nuts to blend properly. With too little water, the slurry became like whipped frosting and wouldn’t press well. Soaking for 48 hours allowed us to do one part nut to two parts water.
  4. Blend the mixture into a slurry.
    We used the Vitamix XL because the size of mixture and it does a really great job of blending the nuts. We are only looking to break down the nuts into a smaller size, not get them so fine they will get into our milk. Typically 20 to 30 seconds is enough. Start the blender on a medium speed and take it up to high after 8 to 10 seconds.
  5. Pour into the press.
    The Monofilament Nut Milk Bag works the best as it is the most efficient and easier to clean. If you do not have one, a wide weave bag can be used.
  6. Repeat steps 3 – 5 until the bag is about halfway full or you’ve used all your nuts.
  7. Blend any additional solid ingredients
    For this recipe we used dates. After blending, add to the nut slurry.
  8. Start the press.
    Press very slowly to be sure the slurry doesn’t overflow the top of the bag. We set the press to take about 2 minutes to fully close.
  9. Add any additional liquid or powder ingredients.
    Popular ingredients include vanilla or cocao powder. Add to the nut milk and stir.
  10. Bottle, chill, and enjoy!

Just like cold pressed juice, raw nut milk has a short shelf life. Keep the product refrigerated, and check with local health regulations about recommended shelf life.  Make sure to fully clean and sanitize the X-1 before juicing anything else, as some customers may be allergic to nut based products. Also, there may be labeling requirements, read our article to learn more: FDA Labeling Requirements

Comment

Comments

Maria

Interested in starting juice bar business. Would love to receive useful information from you. Thank you.

Mar 20, 2023
Robin Frey
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Hi Maria, someone from our team will email shortly, thanks!

Mar 20, 2023
Laura

those ratios do not make sense. 2 lbs of soaked almonds soaked for 24 hours yields almost 2 L of nuts, which makes it closer to a 1:1 ratio with 2 L/ 4lbs of water

Oct 21, 2021
Ari Sexner
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The ratio for a standard almond nut milk is anywhere between two parts water to one part almond up to three parts water one part almond. The ratios depend mostly on personal preference and what other ingredient you will be adding.

Oct 22, 2021
Laura

so we can use the same press bag that we use for the juice? also why can’t you add dates in with the cashews when blending?why does this have to be an extra step?

Oct 21, 2021
Ari Sexner
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Yes, you can use the same bag as well as blend the dates at the same time as the nut if you wanted to, I actually prefer to add the pitted dates to soak with the nut mixture for about the last 20 minutes and this softens them up a bit as well before I blend.

Oct 22, 2021
Sebastien De Waele

Hi, what's the difference between a wide bag and the new nut milk bag monofilament ?

Dec 4, 2018
Charlie Wettlaufer
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The wide bag is actually woven fabric material, while the mono-filament bag is not woven, it is made from a single piece of fiber and works better and is easier for cleanup than the regular bag for nut milk.

Dec 5, 2018
Craig Becker

Hi there Great video! Do you know where I can purchase the circular food containers with the spigots that soak the nuts? Craig

Oct 1, 2018
Charlie Wettlaufer
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You can buy them in our onlinse store here: Juice bucket with spout

Oct 2, 2018
Nilesh Kulkarni

Hi, How much of the nut mill/cake was left after this batch pressing and what did you do with it? Any suggestions on any potential uses? Thanks.

May 8, 2018
Ari Sexner
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Hello Nilesh, Yes on one of our previous blog post we have a great recipe for pesto using the remaining pulp. Thanks

May 15, 2018
Jael

With this video, about how many oz did this batch make? We have been producing all of our nut milks on a Norwalk and I would love to find a more efficient way so that it is easier on our machines but also my staff who has been hand squeezing the bags.

Jun 7, 2017
Charlie Wettlaufer
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I believe this made about 300 liquid ounces.

Aug 30, 2017
Apple

Hi, I'm worried to know the price that should have each bottle Should the powders be put into the blend or and the end? Is the same formula as cold press? Thank you!

Feb 21, 2017
Charlie Wettlaufer
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Apple, if you are adding powder ingredients, they can be added to the juice as the end.

Feb 22, 2017
Val edwards

Hello, I wondered what sort of yield you would be looking to get from 1kg of almonds. I just made my first batch on the X1 but was a little disappointed to only get 6x500ml bottles from it. Thanks!

Jan 25, 2016
Charlie Wettlaufer
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Hi Val have you heard from our consultant? I passed your information onto him.

Jan 26, 2016
Aaron

I have found that out nut milk has a shorter shelf life than our juice, 2 days at max. Does this sound about right?

Dec 12, 2015
Charlie Wettlaufer
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Aaron, since nut milk is not acidic, it will generally have a shorter shelf life. Make sure to keep everything cold during the entire production process. This will ensure longest shelf life. 2 days does seem shorter than normal.

Dec 14, 2015
Kyle

Great video! All others as well! How would you sanitize the entire x-1? Can you explain?

Sep 21, 2015
Charlie Wettlaufer
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The X1 should be cleaned just as any other stainless steel appliance. Wash, rinse, and sanitize according to health codes. This usually involves the last step as spraying with sanitizer and letting it air dry.

Sep 23, 2015
R. Perry Jones

The comment above "There are even companies now that are making only raw nut milks." ... Do you know of any US based outside of the mega producers like Silk?

Aug 9, 2015
Charlie Wettlaufer
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Check out Pop and Bottle in San Francisco. http://www.popandbottle.com/

Aug 9, 2015
Jordan Fronk

Fronks in Austin! www.freshfronks.com

Sep 18, 2017
Channon

Hi there, I was just wondering what type of press you use to compress and extract your nut mylk? Thanks, Channon

Aug 6, 2015
Charlie Wettlaufer
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That is the Goodnature X1.

Aug 9, 2015
Katelin Slifer

Hi - have you tried putting the almonds and water direction into the grinding portion of the X1, versus the vitamix? I have done this on a Norwalk to ensure no loss of nutrients and am curious how this would work on the X1.

Jul 11, 2015
Charlie Wettlaufer
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Hi Katelin, we have tried this and the grinder doesn't work well on nuts. The nuts don't break down into fine enough pieces. We have yet to find a solution that works as well as the Vitamix for grinding the nuts before putting them into the X1 press. (Edit: the grinder on the X1 Mini works well on nuts too).

Jul 12, 2015
Hernandez

Great Post.Looking delicious.

Jun 13, 2015
Bev

Great instructional video. More of these please Charlie 😄

May 11, 2015
Charlie Wettlaufer
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You got it Bev!

May 13, 2015
Nick

Great walk through! Any ideas on blenders when you outgrow the Vitamix XL?

May 10, 2015
Charlie Wettlaufer
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Nick, thanks for the comment. You would be looking for a "vertical cutter-mixer." Check out the Hobart HCM450.

May 11, 2015
Michiko Jones

looks delicious!

May 9, 2015