The first time I ever heard of macadamia milk was when it was offered as a milk option at a coffee shop. My husband decided to be brave and try it in his latte, and once I tasted it, I was instantly jealous that I hadn’t made the same choice. Macadamia milk has a creamy, slightly nutty and buttery flavor that is hard to resist.
And luckily for us, it’s also pretty easy to make at home.
Similar to making almond milk , all you’ll need is 2 ingredients—macadamia nuts and water— to get started, and it’s easy to customize to your liking. (That way you won’t waste any expensive nuts!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Macadamia nuts . For the most neutral flavor, shop for raw macadamia nuts that are not roasted or salted. The roasted nuts will still produce a creamy milk, but I think the roasted flavor is more pronounced, in that case. Since these are one of the more expensive nuts available, you may only want to start by making a half batch. You can add more water to dilute the creaminess, or add more nuts and blend again for an extra-rich texture.
- Water. When you blend water with nuts, it becomes ultra creamy.
That’s it! You can add a touch of maple syrup, vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt for a lightly flavored milk. Or, try using a pitted Medjool date to add sweetness, instead.
How to Make Macadamia Nut Milk
Step 1:
Add the water and macadamia nuts to a blender. Secure the lid and blend until very smooth and creamy, about 60 seconds. There should be no visible pieces of nuts when it’s done.
Step 2:
After the mixture is blended, arrange a nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the strainer, and squeeze the mixture to extract as much liquid as possible.
There should be a considerable amount of pulp leftover when you are done. (About a 1/2 cup, or so.)
If you want to use the leftover pulp in a recipe, check out my almond pulp hummus or almond pulp brownies for easy ideas. The macadamia nut pulp should work just as well.
Serving and Storage Tips
Pour the strained milk into an airtight container, and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Homemade macadamia milk can be used right away at room temperature, or stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can usually tell when a homemade non-dairy milk has gone bad, either by smell or by taste. (It will start to smell and taste tart, or sour, when it goes bad.)
Since this macadamia milk recipe has no preservatives added, it won’t last as long as the store-bought version, so make sure you only make as much as you’ll use in 4 days. The texture will also be different, and slightly runnier, since homemade versions don’t usually include ingredients like sunflower lecithin or gellan gum. (Which companies add for texture.)
Freezing Tip
Homemade nut milks can be frozen into 1-cup portions for up to 3 months in advance. When you’re ready to use it, simply thaw what you’ll need the next day overnight in the fridge. It should be ready to use the next day.
IngredientsUS CustomaryMetric1x2x3x
- 1 cup macadamia nuts (unsalted)
- 4 cups water
Optional Add-Ins
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the macadamia nuts and water to a high speed blender, along with any additional add-ins you would like. Blend until very smooth and creamy, with no visible pieces of nuts, about 60 seconds. ( Note: You can start with a half batch, in case you’d like to dilute the creaminess with more water. This recipe is easy to scale and customize as you see fit.)
- Arrange a nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, and pour the blended milk through the straining device to remove the macadamia nut pulp. Squeeze well, to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard the pulp, or save it for another use (like adding it to hummus, a smoothie, or oatmeal).
- Once the milk is strained, it’s ready to use. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or you can freeze it in individual portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before you want to use it again.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipes to Use with Macadamia Milk
- Healthy Hot Chocolate
- Chai Latte
- Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie
- Oatmeal Smoothie
- Healthy Granola
How to Make Macadamia Milk
Equipment
- Vitamix
Ingredients
- 1 cup macadamia nuts (unsalted)
- 4 cups water
Optional Add-Ins
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the macadamia nuts and water to a high speed blender, along with any additional add-ins you would like. Blend until very smooth and creamy, with no visible pieces of nuts, about 60 seconds. ( Note: You can start with a half batch, in case you’d like to dilute the creaminess with more water. This recipe is easy to scale and customize as you see fit.)
- Arrange a nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or fine mesh strainer over a large bowl, and pour the blended milk through the straining device to remove the macadamia nut pulp. Squeeze well, to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard the pulp, or save it for another use (like adding it to hummus, a smoothie, or oatmeal).
- Once the milk is strained, it’s ready to use. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or you can freeze it in individual portions for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before you want to use it again.
