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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Published: Sep 20, 2018 · Updated: Jan 19, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · We donate 10% of our profits to support good causes.

    Walnut Milk

    Jump to Recipe 0 Comments Share Pin Save Saved!
    A collage image of pouring a glass of walnut milk, with text in the centre reading Walnut Milk.

    Shake up your breakfast time with this homemade walnut milk recipe! It’s creamy, delightfully nutty and easy to make.

    A glass and a jar of creamy homemade nut milk.

    Walnut milk might not be as common as other vegan nut milks such as almond and cashew, but it’s really simple to make at home. 

    This walnut milk has a nutty taste and is not as mild as almond milk in flavour. However, one benefit of walnut milk over almond milk, is that walnuts are a good source of plant-based Omega 3.

    Making your own vegan milks at home is a great way to cut down on packaging and unnecessary additives and customise them to your own taste.

    A jug of water and a bowl of walnuts.

    And it's so easy too! All you need is:

    • Walnuts - we usually get organic walnuts in bulk. You can store them in the freezer to keep them fresh for longer.
    • Water - You can use filtered if you have it, but we just use tap water.
    • And optionally a sweetener of your choice. You can simply add a teaspoon of sugar, agave or maple syrup, a date or other sweetener to your liking.

    Table of Contents
    • Step by step
    • No soak method
    • Variations
    • Straining tips
    • How to use leftover nut pulp
    • Storage
    • Use it in…
    • FAQs
    • 📖 Recipe

    Step by step

    You'll find the recipe card at the end of the post, but here's a quick visual guide to making nut milk so you know what to expect:

    A glass bowl with walnuts that have soaked overnight in water, which is now brown.

    Step 1 - Soak the nuts in water overnight, or for at least 8 hours. Discard the water (which by that point will be dark brown), and rinse the nuts.

    A blender jug containing walnuts water and optional sweetener.

    Step 2 - Add the soaked nuts, fresh water and optional sweetener to a blender jug.

    The blended milk before straining.

    Step 3 - Blend in a high speed blender for 1 minute. If your blender isn’t so powerful you might want to blend for longer. 

    Squeezing the nut milk through a muslin cloth.

    Step 4 - Strain out the pulp for the smoothest milk.

    No soak method

    Skip the soaking, and instead boil the nuts for 5 mins in a pan filled with plenty of water. Drain the water, rinse the nuts, and continue to blend as above.

    Variations

    This method will work for other types of nut milk - you can make almond milk, hazelnut milk, pecan milk, or a combination of anything you like the sound of!

    You can vary the ratio of nuts to water to create your preferred texture:

    • Use more water for a milder taste and to get more milk from the nuts (makes it cheaper too). 
    • Or use less water for an even thicker, creamier texture.

    Fancy some chocolate walnut milk? Simply add in 1-2tbsp of cocoa powder and increase your sweetener of choice to taste.

    Try other flavours! You can add some vanilla extract for a lovely rich tasting milk, or add some gingerbread spice for a seasonal touch. 

    A glass of nut milk next to a bowl of organic walnuts.

    Straining tips

    To get the smoothest milk you’ll want to strain it well. You can use a nut milk bag, a fine mesh strainer or a sieve lined with unbleached, organic muslin or cheesecloth. 

    Gently squeeze the bag or cloth to get all the creamy goodness out. Or, if using a mesh strainer, press it through using the back of a spoon. 

    With a very high speed blender, you may find that the milk is smooth enough to skip straining. 

    And, depending on what you want to use your homemade walnut milk for, you might not even need to strain it. For something like a smoothie, or a bowl of porridge you can use walnut milk without straining. 

    How to use leftover nut pulp

    When you’ve made your yummy vegan milk, there’s no need to waste the walnut pulp that’s left behind. We’re big fans of zero waste! 

    You can store fresh nut pulp in the fridge for a few days or freeze it in a covered container.

    Nut pulp is a great ingredient to use in baking, cookies and energy balls. Try it in place of some of the nuts or seeds in our Easy Vegan Granola. 

    Try these other yummy recipes that use leftover nut pulp:

    • Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies by A Virtual Vegan
    • Chocolate Cherry Bliss Balls by Unconventional Baker
    • Leftover Almond Pulp Brownie Balls by Sweet Simple Vegan

    You can also dry the pulp in an oven to make walnut meal: 

    • Spread out the fresh pulp on a baking tray. 
    • Bake at 90°C or 200°F for 1 - 1 ½ hours until it is fully dry. 
    • Let it cool, and then grind into meal in a food processor. 
    • Store in an airtight jar for up to 1 month in the pantry. 
    • Sprinkle your walnut meal on oatmeal, salads, smoothies or use in baking.
    A bottle of walnut milk.

    Storage

    Store in a clean bottle or jar in the fridge for 3-5 days. To make it keep for longer, use very clean utensils and sterilise your bottle before filling.

    It’s natural for homemade nut milks to separate, because they don’t have any stabilisers added. Simply give the bottle a gentle shake before using.

    Use it in…

    This deliciously nutty milk tastes great with granola for breakfast. You can use it to make porridge, mix it into smoothies or milkshakes, use it in baking...

    It also makes incredibly good custard! Just use it as the milk in your favourite custard recipe, add a dash of cinnamon and serve with our Vegan Apple Strudel. 

    FAQs

    Can you make walnut milk without soaking?

    Soaking the walnuts before blending makes a big difference to the flavour of the final milk, so it’s important not to skip soaking. The soaking time draws out tannins from the nuts, which have an astringent and bitter flavour. The soaking water will turn brown and should be discarded.

    If you don’t have time to soak the nuts, you can use our quick method to make the milk, which boils the nuts before blending. 

    Can walnut milk be heated?

    Yes you can heat walnut milk. Heat gently in a saucepan or microwave. It makes very tasty, nutty hot chocolate!

    Can I use walnut milk in coffee?

    Because of the acidity of coffee, homemade nut milk often splits when added to coffee. Commercial or barista style nut milks often have stabilisers added to stop them from curdling in coffee.

    Pouring the milk into a glass, next to a bowl of walnut halves.

    If you enjoyed this homemade walnut milk recipe, please leave a comment or rating - it makes our day when we hear from our happy readers! Love, Sophie & Paul

    Try these other homemade vegan recipes:

    These very tasty Easy Vegan Crackers

    This three minute recipe for Vegan Parmesan Cheese

    And these very moreish Sweet and Spicy Nuts, which are one of our favourite snacks!

    📖 Recipe

    Pouring the milk into a glass, next to a bowl of walnut halves.

    Homemade Walnut Milk

    by Sophie & Paul
    5 from 3 votes
    This walnut milk has an amazingly nutty, soft and full flavour and creamy texture. It's quick and easy to make your own nut milk at home.
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Makes: 3 cups
    Course: Drinks
    Cuisine: American, British

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup (100 g) walnuts
    • 3 cups (750 ml) water decrease for a creamier milk, or increase for a more mild taste

    For sweetened walnut milk

    • 1 tsp sugar, maple or agave syrup or 1 date adjust to taste

    Instructions
     

    Raw method

    • Soak the walnuts in plenty of water for at least 8 hours or overnight.

    Quick, no soak method

    • Skip the soaking and instead, boil the walnuts in plenty of water for 5 minutes.

    Blending and straining

    • Drain the brown soaking or boiled water, and rinse the nuts.
    • Add the nuts and fresh water and blender for least 1 minute.
      For sweetened walnut milk, add the sugar or your sweetener of choice.
    • Strain your nut milk using a nut milk bag, a fine mesh strainer, or a colander lined with a muslin cloth. To get all the creaminess out, squeeze the cloth or bag until you have just the pulp remaining.
    • Fill into a jar or sterilised bottle, and keep refrigerated for 3-5 days.

    Notes

    Variations
    You can use this same method to make other nut milks. To boost or vary the flavour you can add: 
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1-2 tbsp of cocoa powder and increase your sweetener of choice to taste.
    • Some gingerbread spice
    Blending nut milk
    In our experience, the tall 'liquidizer' type blender works best for making nut milks. If you are using a regular food processor or a handheld immersion blender, you might have to blend for a bit longer to achieve the same smooth result.
    Shelf life
    For longest shelf life, use very clean, sterilised equipment and container. You can also pasteurize by briefly bringing the nut milk to a boil, or at least  72 °C (162°F) for at least 15 seconds.
    See the post for ideas on how to use the leftover nut pulp! 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 100ml | Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg

    This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.

    Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment to let us know! Share a photo and tag @veganonboard - we love to see what you make!

    Hope you enjoyed our recipe! With love from,

    Sophie and Paul

    A freshly foraged walnut cracked open to reveal a heart shape inside
    A lovely surprise when opening a freshly foraged walnut!
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