Homemade Almond Milk Kefir

(Gluten Free, Vegan, Raw, Fermented, Refined Sugar Free) 


I love almond milk.  I love kefir.  What better than homemade almond milk fermented with kefir grains?!

This drink is smooth and tangy at the same time, and chock full of great probiotics for you.

Drink it straight, put it in your muesli, or mix it with some chia seeds for a raw dessert - however you use it it won't last long.

There are two steps to this process, first to make the almond milk, second to ferment it.

Do watch the slide show below for key steps in images and captions.  

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups of almonds, soaked for 4-12 hours
  
• 5 cups of water
  
• 5 dates (soaked for 2-12 hours)
  
• 1/2 Tablespoon of vanilla extract
  
• 1/8 teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt 

Directions

• Drain and rinse the almonds after they have soaked
• Put all ingredients in your Vitamix or other high speed blender
  
• Blend until smooth - 1-2 minutes
  
• Strain through a cheese cloth, nut milk bag or Chinese soup bag**
  
• Squeeze to get all the liquid out

• Put the almond meal aside to use in the fabulous Raw Brownies with a Secret recipe.

• Pour the almond milk into a glass jar
  

Now, you could just stop here, and enjoy your almond milk - and trust me, I did, at least one glass before fermenting the rest!

To Ferment

• Add 2 Tablespoons of kefir grains*** to your large glass jar of almond milk
  
• Cover with a cloth and rubber band and place in a warm place to ferment (the top of the fridge is good)
  
• Ferment for 4-12 hours depending on the weather - taste after 4 hours, then every couple hours until it is the taste you like
  
• Don't worry if the almond milk kefir separates (see photo below), it is normal, just stir it with a non-metal stirrer and either keep fermenting or strain depending on the taste.  
• Once it tastes right to you, strain the grains with a plastic strainer
  
• Save the grains in a glass jar in the fridge to use again

Once fermented, put in a glass bottle with a lid put in the fridge.

We usually finish it within two days, but it will last almost forever in the fridge. Did I mention a glass of Almond Milk Kefir goes great with these Raw Brownies?

You can also use this to make an awesome smoothie - almond milk kefir, some berries, acai berry powder and a banana - sooooo good!  This is a great way to use it if you accidentally ferment it a bit too long.

** Chinese Soup Bags can be found in the local ParkNShop or Wellcome in Hong Kong, they cost about 10 HK for 3 bags - great value and perfect for nut milk!

*** I use water kefir grains, then I keep them separate from my other grains in a jar dedicated to using with nut milks.  You can also use dairy milk grains, and they will work fine as well, it depends on what you have.

**** The reason I keep my nut milk grains separate from my other grains, is so that if I am sharing grains with someone with a nut allergy, I know not to give them the nut contaminated grains.  This is just a precaution because I love sharing my kefir grains.

Related Links
LoulaNatural - Raw Almond Milk
LoulaNatural - Kefir FAQ

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