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How to Make Hazelnut Milk at Home

Hazelnut Milk

Not only is hazelnut milk incredibly easy to make in a blender or a nut milk maker at home, it also tastes fresher and usually has fewer ingredients than the hazelnut milk you can buy in the store. What's more, homemade hazelnut milk can be customized in a number of different ways. Here's how to make your own hazelnut milk at home.

  1. When purchasing hazelnuts for your homemade hazelnut milk, go for raw, unsalted nuts. Also make sure the hazelnuts are fresh and of high quality. Low-quality hazelnuts are more likely to contain aflatoxins, toxic substances that have been linked to cancer and many other health problems.
  2. The process of making hazelnut milk at home involves soaking rinsed hazelnuts in water, and then grinding them with fresh water. The resulting thick liquid can be used as is, for example in smoothies or on muesli, or it can be strained to create a silkier, more milk-like consistency.
  3. If you decide to strain the liquid, you can use a fine-mesh strainer lined with a cheesecloth if you don't have a nut milk bag or a nut milk maker with a built-in filter. However, if you plan to make hazelnut milk on a regular basis, you may want to invest in a good nut milk bag which is easier to use and clean than a regular cheesecloth.
  4. If you like, you can also flavor your hazelnut milk with spices like cardamom, allspice, vanilla bean powder or nutmeg. Or, if you like to idea of boosting the nutritional value of your homemade hazelnut milk, try mixing in some baobab powder (it's loaded with vitamin C) or a bit of pure turmeric powder.
  5. After straining, you'll be left with hazelnut pulp. Packed with nutrients, this by-product of the "milking" process has tons of great uses, so don't throw it away! You can use hazelnut pulp as a substitute in many recipes that call for ground hazelnuts, or you can incorporate it into smoothies, yogurt or oatmeal for a boost of nutrients. For more ideas on how to use nut milk pulp, you might want to check out Melissa King's DIY Nut Milks, Nut Butters, and More: From Almonds to Walnuts which has an entire chapter dedicated to recipes that use leftover nut pulps.