Rice-Almond Milk

One of the greatest expenses for those of us who are 'dairy-free' has got to be milk substitutes, such as rice, almond or soy milks. Our family used to go through 2 litres of bought rice milk most days, which cost us at least $2.50 per day. The other day I met a lady who has many allergies, and she buys organic almond milk which costs her $10/litre!!! EEK! So I am very thankful for my wonderful Thermomix, which helps me save money, as well as helps keep us healthy. Here is my recipe for rice-almond milk made in the Thermomix - it's very quick, and tastes good. And it's very cheap! The almonds help the flavour, and add calcium. I buy insecticide-free almonds bulk, for about $11/kilo, and bulk organic brown rice, and you only need a little of each to make a litre of milk. 

If you don't own a Thermomix, try and make friends with someone who does, so you can use theirs! (Ha Ha!) Sorry, but I can't think of any other way to easily make this recipe! If you cook the rice, then blend it, it gets too thick and 'ricey' tasting - I used to try that before I had a Thermomix. Doing it this way, you don't get that thick 'rice-water' consistency.  If you have time (and are thinking ahead), try the pre-soaked method below the recipe, for easier digestibility.


[Note: I was adding 20g lecithin granules to the rice and almonds before grinding, and it does make the milk very creamy, but I've done some research on soy lecithin lately and decided it was safer to leave it out. See this article for more information on lecithin.]


This recipe makes 1 litre of milk - to make 2 litres at a time, just double everything except the water and follow as per recipe; then after whizzing it up, strain into a large jug and add another litre of water and stir.


1. Place in dry TM bowl and grind for 1 min on speed 9:
- 50g brown rice


2. Add & grind on speed 9 for another 30 seconds:
- 40g raw almonds (or raw cashews for a smoother, creamier milk)


3. Add, and cook at 60 degrees, 6 mins, speed 4:
- 1 litre water (or a little more)
- 1 T coconut oil (or other oil - for creaminess)
- 30g rice malt syrup, optional (or honey, or pure maple syrup, or other sweetener, to taste)
- pinch of salt


4. Puree on speed 8 for 40 secs, then strain into jug. (If you want it completely strained, use cheesecloth.) Cool, and enjoy!

Pre-soaked method: Soak rice and nuts in the water overnight, or for up to 24 hrs, then blend with other ingredients on speed 9 for 2 minutes.  Cook as per recipe.

If you want your milk thicker, add more rice, or less if you like it thinner.

You can use the 'sludge' that's leftover in any cakes/muffins/cookies etc, especially the 'blender-batter' ones, or in custard or soup - I pretty much just put it into whatever I'm making next! (Something's always going into the TM, so it generally gets used straight away.) It doesn't leave a lot of 'sludge', just a handful, and less if you use cashews or if you soak overnight.