Plant-based mylk heaven

Giving up milk can be hard, especially in India where we are used to chai and coffee day in and day out. Turns out that making plant-based milk at home is not that hard. Plant-based milk is easily available outside but it can be a little expensive. Making it at home is a big YES because it’s healthier and more economical. You’ll be shocked to see the variety of plant-based milk which can be made at home!

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Servings: 1

Ingredients and things you will need:

1. Cloth for straining
2. 1 cup water
3. 1 cup soy/almond/cashew/coconut/oat/rice/peanuts/chickpea/hemp seeds/hazelnuts
4. Vanilla essence (optional)
5. Sugar (optional)

Procedure:

For almond/cashew/peanuts/rice/chickpea/hazelnut/hemp/soy/oats:

1. Soak any of the above ingredients in water overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours.
2. Add an equal quantity of the ingredient and water in a mixer and blend till it becomes smooth.
3. Strain the blended mixture using a cloth.
4. You’ll get milk after straining. Boil this milk on a medium-high flame and add sugar and vanilla extract if you wish.

For coconut milk:

1. Grate the coconut first.
2. Add an equal quantity of grated coconut and water into a blender and blend.
3. Strain the blended mixture using a cloth.
4. You’ll get milk after straining. Heat this milk on a medium-low flame and add sugar or vanilla extract if you wish.

Tip: Add cornflour and heat the milk till you get custard-like consistency because coconut milk tends to separate into two layers: Water and cream. Please avoid boiling coconut milk as it can change its taste.

You can mix 2-3 combinations of milk if you don’t like the taste of individual milk. For example, cashew + oat milk for tea/coffee and peanut + rice milk for making curd.

You can choose milk which suits your requirements. For example, if you’re making ice cream, you don’t want ice crystals to be in it, right? So use cashew or coconut milk as they are comparatively thicker. So many types, so many tastes, and so many textures! Why consume the same boring cow, goat, and buffalo milk? You can try out so many dairy alternatives with this variety! Also, please check which milk suits you nutrition-wise.

Humans don’t need to consume any milk on daily basis, but still, if you feel like having tea, coffee, or other dairy alternatives, then definitely go for plant-based options. It’s a healthier, environmentally friendly option, and keeps dairy animals out of the scene!

Recipe is by Vaibhavi lonkar, one of our long-term volunteers. You can check more of her work here: Guide to everything vegan

Reach out to us on Instagram if you have any questions or if you want to contribute vegan recipes.