I started making my own cashew milk about 4 months ago. I read many blogs and saw many Instagram posts about making your own nut milk and thought, "I should try that, it doesn't look so hard." And I'm SO glad I did. Prior to making my own cashew milk, I was using the Califia Farms nut milks. The Califia Farms Unsweetened Almond Milk was my go-to. It is Whole30 compliant and pretty tasty. However, I decided to experiment and try making my own nut milk. Note: I do not drink cow's milk or any other animal milk. Nut milk is what I use in place of dairy milk in any recipe, in my coffee, and so on. 

I experimented with using different types of nuts and nut combinations. I started with cashews and then tried macadamia nuts and hazelnuts. Each nut provides a different type of flavor but I found that cashews are my favorite type of nut to use. They soften nicely and produce a silky smooth nut milk! The following recipe is the one I use. I make a fresh batch of this cashew milk once a week.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups of raw cashews (I use the Terrasoul Mylk Cashews) 
• 6 cups filtered water and more for soaking cashews
• 3-5 pitted dates (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• Dash of Himalayan Pink Salt (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pour raw cashews into a glass bowl.
2. Cover with filtered water and lid and place in the fridge. Leave for at least 8 hours. I usually leave it overnight. This helps to soften the cashews.
3. Drain and rinse cashews.
4. Add soaked cashews, filtered water, dates, vanilla, himalayan pink salt, or any other flavorings into your blender.
5. Blend on high for at least 1 minute. I use my Ninja Blender and usually blend it for two minutes, just to be safe. 
6. Strain the nut milk through a nut milk bag or cheese cloth. I use Ellie's Best Nut Milk Bag and it's awesome. 
7. Pour your delicious, creamy nut milk into a glass container and store in the fridge. It should last you 4-7 days. 
8. You can discard the cashew pulp or you can get creative and use them in another recipe! I love using the pulp to make Fat Ballz! 

Here's a quick bonus recipe for Fat Ballz! 

Ingredients:

• Pulp from cashew milk
• 2 dates, chopped
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil 

Instructions:

1. Chop pecans and dates.
2. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
3. Grab a small handful of the mixture (I estimate) and roll into a ball. 
4. After rolling all of the ballz, place them in a container with a lid and put them in the freezer. 
5. Allow them to freeze and then enjoy! 

Cashew milk is a staple in my house and I love making my own. I love knowing exactly what's going into the milk and I really appreciate the lack of fillers and gums in this milk. 

If you're looking for a dairy milk alternative, here it is! I hope you will also take the leap to try to make your own nut milk! Let me know what you think!

With love,

Emily