Once you start exploring dairy alternatives for histamine intolerance and MCAS, a whole world of milk alternatives opens up to you! For those who are wary of trying or triggered by dairy, this homemade hazelnut milk recipe is for you.
It can be customized depending on your tolerance of different low histamine nuts and seeds, but any version is preservative-free and easily freezable for later use.
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About this recipe
Simple milk replacement. Even low histamine dairy options can be harder for some people to tolerate, which is why the only dairy I sometimes use in recipes is butter (ghee). You can use this nut milk in almost any recipe as a low histamine milk replacement, but keep in mind that the fat & carb levels may not be exactly equal.
Very customizable. Depending on your tolerances, you can make this with one or more nuts or seeds, as well as any number of sweeteners and spices (though remember that more sugar = more inflammation). It's great to use when making overnight oats or flax seed pudding.
Requires some preparation. This recipe is very easy to execute, but you do need to prepare a bit ahead of time by soaking the buts or seeds overnight (or least 6 hours before).
Ingredients
Hazelnuts: generally I'd recommend using raw hazelnuts, but you can also dry-roast your raw hazelnuts yourself to give them a toastier flavor before soaking them to make this milk. With the leftover nut pulp (see image above), you can dehydrate it and then use it make a variety of different recipes, such as energy balls or even granola.
This goes for any seed or nut you use to make this milk, but note that some seeds and grains don't require or benefit from much soaking, like oats or hemp seeds.
Honey or Date Syrup: this is an optional addition to your homemade nut milk, but it's highly recommended to sweeten seed- or nut-based milks a little bit. This is because it makes them taste a bit more balanced, like dairy milks, but it also helps to complement and curb the bitterness inherent in nuts, seeds, and legumes.
How to make homemade nut milk: step-by-step instructions
Step 1. You can use roasted or raw hazelnuts to make nut milk, but if you roast them, make sure to do it yourself (for 10 minutes on a stovetop over low heat). If using a smaller seed or nut, roast for more like 3-5 minutes, then soak your nuts or seeds 8+ hours or overnight.
Step 2. Drain off the water you soaked the nuts in, rinsing off any excess soaking water, as it contains all the stuff you're trying to avoid. Then put your nuts in a high-powered blender with 3 cups of fresh filtered water and your sweetener (if using).
Step 3. Blend everything for about 2 minutes, mixing it in long pulses of 10-15 seconds until completely blended. I like to make sure the sweetener blends with the nuts, because I think the teeny amount of residual sugar on the nut meal will help it lightly caramelize as it dehydrates, preserving it just a bit better.
Step 4. Line a large bowl with nut milk cloth or a very old 100% cotton piece of clothing, like an old white t-shirt, and then strain everything, squeezing all the excess milk from the cloth. Your milk is now all done and can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, but you'll be left with a lot of nut milk pulp. To deal with that, turn it into the nut meal described below, which can be used in a variety of other recipes.
Step 5. To use up nut pulp from making nut milk, you can make it into nut meal, similar to a flour but grittier. Simply spread out the nut milk pulp in the oven at 170°F (75°C) for 60-75 minutes to turn it into a high-protein nut meal you can use in recipes like my no-bake protein balls.
Recipe notes & tips
Nut Milk Cloth: If you don't have any nut milk cloth, unfortunately cheesecloth is not a suitable alternative, as it has too many holes. Try using a very old cotton bandana or t-shirt (preferably white & unbleached) instead.
Swapping Nuts: Feel free to switch the hazelnuts out for macadamias, pumpkin seeds, or almonds.
What to do with homemade hazelnut milk
- to thin out homemade pesto sauce
- froth it up to add to tea
- in tolerated cereal or granola
- to make delicious antihistamine smoothies
- any other way you would use dairy milk
Homemade Nut Milk FAQ
This homemade nut milk can keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (shake well before using), or in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Yes, you can use a variety of different nuts or seeds to make this milk; you can even try a blend. I recommend starting with almonds, macadamias, or pumpkin seeds.
Yes, you could use any solid or granulated sweetener, but make sure that you dissolve the sugar in the water before blending it.
As always, if you like the recipe, I really appreciate a review or comment!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Hazelnut Milk (Dairy Alternative)
Ingredients
- 1 Cup raw hazelnuts soaked 8 hours or overnight
- 3 Cups water
- 1 Tablespoon honey or date syrup optional
Instructions
- You can use roasted or raw hazelnuts for this, but if you roast them, make sure to do it yourself (for 10 minutes on a stovetop over low heat). Smaller seeds will need to be roasted for more like 3-5 minutes. Then soak your nuts or seeds 8+ hours or overnight.
- Drain off the water you soaked the nuts in, rinsing off any excess soaking water. Then put your nuts in a high-powered blender with 3 cups of fresh filtered water and your sweetener (if using).
- Blend everything for about 2 minutes, mixing it in long pulses of 10-15 seconds until completely blended.
- Line a large bowl with nut milk cloth or a very old 100% cotton piece of clothing, like an old white t-shirt, and then strain everything, squeezing all the excess milk form the cloth. Your milk is now all done and can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, but you'll be left with a lot of nut milk pulp. To deal with that, turn it into the nut meal described below, which can be used in a variety of other recipes.
- Spread out the nut milk pulp in the oven at 170°F (75°C) for 60-75 minutes to turn it into a high-protein nut meal you can use in recipes like my no-bake protein balls.
Notes
Nutrition
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Connie says
Can raw and/or roasted (w/ nothing added) almonds be used in lieu of hazelnuts? Where I live, hazelnuts are not easily available.
Max says
Yes, you could use almonds! But you'll probably want to soak them overnight, then rinse them well, and then use the fully-soaked nuts directly to make the almond milk, as that will get you the best extraction of nutrients & creaminess.