Ingredient

Almond milk

Almond milk is almonds blended with water and strained. It is thin, mild and faintly nutty, it is the lowest in protein and fat of the common plant milks, and being honest about what that means is more useful than pretending it substitutes for dairy everywhere.

What is in the carton

Rather less almond than most people assume. Commercial almond milk is typically a small percentage almond — often around two to four per cent — with the rest water, plus a stabiliser or two, frequently added calcium and vitamins, and sometimes sugar.

That is not a scandal; it is what makes it pourable and affordable. But it has a real consequence for cooking: almond milk contributes very little protein and very little fat, so it brings almost no body to anything. Where dairy milk enriches a dish, almond milk mostly adds water with a faint flavour.

Homemade almond milk, made with a much higher proportion of nuts, is a different and considerably better product — thicker, more strongly flavoured and more useful in cooking. It is also more expensive per litre, which is why the cartons are made the way they are.

Where it works and where it does not

Good — on cereal and in smoothies

Its thinness is irrelevant and its mild nuttiness is pleasant.

Good — in some baking

Fine in cakes and muffins where the milk is largely liquid. Expect a slightly drier, less tender crumb than dairy or oat.

Poor — in coffee

Low protein and low fat mean it separates readily in hot acidic coffee and froths badly. Barista versions with added fat and buffers exist and help.

Poor — in sauces

It brings no body. A béchamel made with almond milk depends entirely on the roux.

Poor — in custards

Not enough protein to set. Soya milk is the plant milk for this.

Good — in some Middle Eastern and medieval European cooking

Almond milk has a long history as a cooking liquid in its own right, particularly in dishes where its flavour is wanted — ajoblanco, blancmange, some Moroccan dishes.

Making it at home

Worth doing once, and considerably better than a carton.

1. Soak raw almonds in cold water overnight, or in hot water for an hour if you are in a hurry. They plump and soften.
2. Drain and rinse them. Slip the skins off if you want a whiter, milder milk — after soaking they come away easily.
3. Blend with fresh water — roughly one part almonds to three or four parts water for something with real body — for a minute or two.
4. Strain through a nut milk bag, muslin or a clean tea towel, squeezing hard.
5. Add a pinch of salt, and a date or a little vanilla if you want it sweet. Salt in particular makes a surprising difference to how it tastes.
6. Refrigerate and use within a few days. It will separate on standing, which is normal — shake it.
7. Keep the pulp. Dried in a low oven it becomes almond meal for baking, and it goes into porridge, biscuits and crackers.

Reading the carton

The labels reward a moment of attention, because the differences between products are larger here than for dairy.

• Almond percentage. Often printed, usually between two and seven per cent. Higher means more body and more flavour, and it is the single most useful number on the box.
• Sweetened or unsweetened. Sweetened almond milk in a savoury sauce is a mistake that is obvious only after it is made.
• Fortified or not. Most cartons add calcium and vitamins; many organic ones deliberately do not. Worth checking if that is why you are buying it.
• Barista or standard. Barista versions add fat and stabilisers so they froth and resist splitting. In coffee the difference is substantial.
• Stabilisers and gums. Usually gellan gum or similar, present to keep the solids suspended. Their absence means it will separate on standing, which is not a fault.
• Roasted or raw almonds. Rarely stated, and cartons made from roasted nuts taste noticeably more of almond.

Common questions