Shortcut Homemade Milk (Almond, Coconut, Cashew, Oat, Rice) – great non-dairy milk substitute when you have no time for presoaking nuts or grains.
I got the idea for Shortcut Homemade Milk the other day when I needed substitute for milk in a recipe, but had no time to cook rice or soak nuts over night. I was thinking what would be quicker way to do it, so I decided to use rice flakes (the whole grain kind that is used for porridge) and turn them into milk. Since that was a success, I repeated same thing with oat flakes, dessicated coconut and ground almonds and cashews.
The best milk I got this way was almond milk. I used ground blanched almonds and got naturally thick, creamy and great mild tasting milk (unlike store-bought which is made with toasted almonds and has too strong aroma). Cashew milk was almost as good. Rice and oat milks were pretty fine, too. I was least satisfied with coconut milk which turned out much thinner then I expected.
One Ingredient Chef shared how he accidentally stumbled upon a trick to make almond milk thicker. When heated, milk turns to a thick liquid. But, in that case, it is not raw any more, obviously. I didn’t need all of my milk to become super thick, so I heated about 1/3 of it and then blended it with the rest of the raw milk. In that way, I got just the right consistency.
If you’re not in a hurry, let the ingredients soak for 30 minutes (or at least 5-10 minutes). Blend them with water and add some salt and sweetener, like date paste or stevia, to your taste. Or use them as they are for your smoothies. When strained, this milk can be used in your coffee or tea.
When less water is used, you will get a nice thick creamer for your coffee or a cream substitute for a sweet or savory dish you prepare.
If you plan to store Shortcut Homemade Milk in the fridge for a day or two, you should know that it will separate after few hours. You just need to shake the bottle or stir the milk with a spoon or blend it for a second in a blender to get homogenized milk again.
Shortcut Homemade Milk is a great non-dairy alternative when you have no store-bought milk in your house and no time for presoaking* nuts or grains.
*Note: I am aware of phytic acid and the need to soak grains and nuts, so I’m not suggesting that this is the way to make your milk every day, but when you’re in a hurry, this can be a quick solution.

Shortcut Homemade Milk (Almond, Coconut, Cashew, Oat, Rice) - great non-dairy milk substitute when you have no time for presoaking nuts or grains
- 1 c rice or oat flakes or dessicated coconut or ground almonds or cashews
- 4 cups water
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Put rice (or oat, coconut, almonds or cashews) in a bowl and cover with water. Let them soak for about 30 minutes (or more).
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Strain the water from rice, oat flakes and coconut and put them in a blender. It is not possible to strain water from almonds and cashews since they are almost powder like, so use them together with the soaking water.
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Add 4 cups water and blend for about 1 minute. Strain the liquid.
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Optional step: to get thicker milk, heat about 1/3 of the liquid until it becomes thicker and comes almost to a boiling point (do not boil for too long or it will curdle). Mix this with remaining unheated milk.
I absolutely love this idea! I love homemade nut milks but it’s such a pain having to wait and soak them.. it’s like, I want them NOW!! haha this is such a great option!!
Thanks, Vicky! 🙂
Great recipie. When my Vegan daughter drops in I don.t always have her food on hand so this will come in very handy. Thank you
Awesome, let me know how it turns out, Deirdre! 🙂
nice