Learn How to Make Walnut Milk in under 5 minutes! This Homemade Walnut Milk is made with only 2 ingredients. Vegan, dairy and gum free!
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If you’re tired of buying expensive walnut milk at the store made with fillers, gums and added sweeteners- you have to try making your own walnut milk at home!
It’s easy to make homemade walnut milk with only 2 simple ingredients: water and walnuts.
Homemade walnut milk is super creamier and so delicious-so much better than anything you’re going to find at the store!
Walnut milk actually isn’t that easy to find in stores. I’m not sure why, but it hasn’t exactly caught up with its almond milk and pecan milk counterparts. (This brand is the only one we buy!)
I love that there are awesome options like these brands for when we need something quick, but they’re expensive! At close to $7 for 32 oz of milk, you can make your own walnut milk for a fraction of a price.
If you have a blender and a few pantry staples, you’re well on your way to having nondairy milk that is so much better than milks at the store. Homemade walnut milk has no fillers, emulsifiers or preservatives – it’s a much better (and tastier!) option!)
Ingredients for walnut milk:
To make walnut milk you’ll need:
- a high powered blender
- nut milk bag – you could try it with a fine mesh strainer, but I’m not sure if it will work
- walnuts – look for raw, unroasted walnuts
- cinnamon – is optional, but adds a little flavor!
- pitcher or jar (for storing)
Substitutions for this homemade nut milk recipe
Nuts- You can make this recipe with any type of nut (Thrive Market has lots of great options for buying in bulk). Cashews, or pecans will both work! We also have a Homemade Almond Milk Recipe on our site
Spices- You can skip the cinnamon or add ginger if you’d like a less flavorful walnut milk
Sweetener- You can sweeten walnut milk with maple syrup or a date, but it will not be Whole30 if you add maple syrup. Dates do not blend as well as the maple syrup.
Vanilla Walnut Milk- You can add in 1/4 of the center of a vanilla bean that you’ve scraped out. You can also use Unsweetened vanilla bean powder to get more vanilla flavor.
Nut Milk Bag- If you don’t have a nut milk bag, you can strain through a cheese cloth but they don’t work as well.
How to Make Walnut Milk
- Soak walnuts for 8 hours.
- Strain and rinse walnuts. Add to blender with water and cinnamon and blend walnuts on high for 1 minute
- Strain through a nut milk bag
- Place in a glass jar + store in the fridge!
Do you need to soak walnuts for walnut milk?
Yes, you do need to soak walnuts for walnut milk. The walnuts need to be soaked for at least 8 hours.
If you’re in a hurry, you can boil the walnuts for 10 minutes to save time.
Do you need a nut milk bag to make walnut milk?
You will need something to strain your walnut milk with. I prefer to use a nut milk bag over a strainer or a cheesecloth because it works the best!
The best part about this walnut milk is that it is paleo, vegan, Whole30, and completely dairy free!
This means that if you have dietary restrictions you’ll be able to enjoy this!
I actually prefer this easy homemade walnut milk in my coffee versus anything from the store or milk from any other type of nut.
It’s creamy, smooth, and has almost no taste. I personally feel as if walnuts have a very earthy taste if you eat them raw, but I think they lose most of that when you soak them!
Walnut Milk Flavors
- Vanilla: You can easily make vanilla walnut milk by adding scraping out the center of a vanilla bean and stirring it into the walnut milk. Vanilla beans are expensive, so we like this vanilla bean powder, or vanilla bean paste. Start by adding 1/4 teaspoon at a time and add more to taste.
- Chocolate: I haven’t tried making chocolate walnut milk, but I’m sure you easily could! I’d add 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder or cacao powder and 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup. Make sure to blend well and add more cocoa powder or sweetener to taste.
- Cinnamon: I like blending in 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon into my walnut milk. It adds a nice flavor!
Tips for Homemade Walnut Milk
- Make sure to really blend it! You don’t want to under-blend it and then have it be too chunky. It should be relatively smooth when you pour it out of the blender. I really love my Vitamix blender. It’s awesome!
- Make sure to store it in an airtight container! I keep mine in a big mason jar.
- Shake before using/drinking. The milk can separate (which looks pretty gross) so just make sure to shake it to combine it back together.
How to store walnut milk
Storing: It’s best to store your homemade walnut milk in an airtight glass jar or pitcher. The walnut milk will last 4-5 days in the refrigerator. (remember there are no preservatives!)
Walnut milk likely will separate, but just shake it to combine it again. If you’ve wondered if your walnut milk has gone bad, simply smell it – you should be able to quickly tell!
Freezing: We have not tried freezing this walnut milk. I don’t think it would freeze well in large quantities, but if you wanted to freeze it in small ice cubes and use it in a smoothie that would probably work well.
Homemade Walnut Milk FAQ
Homemade walnut milk will last 4-5 days in the refrigerator. (remember there are no preservatives!) It can separate so just make sure you shake it up!
Homemade nut milk is much better than store bought milk because it isn’t loaded with gums and other stabilizers.
They are both healthy homemade nut milk options. Walnut milk does have a higher fat content than almond milk which can help keep you full longer.
It can be higher in calories and fat than other milks, but it is still a healthy milk option.
Best Recipes to Use homemade walnut milk:
Easy Homemade Walnut Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3.5 cups filtered water
Optional Mix Ins
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 1/4 teaspoon maple syrup optional if you like sweetened
Instructions
- There are two options for making this recipe. Boiling: if you’re in a hurry- boil the walnuts for 10 minutes to soften them.Soaking Overnight: If you have time, soak the walnuts over night in a bowl of filtered water for at least 8 hours.
- Strain/ rinse soaked (or boiled) walnuts. Place walnuts in blender, add 3.5 cups filtered water. Blend on high for 1 minute until smooth.
- Strain through nut milk bag (there should be minimal pulp with walnuts) + store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Optional: You can add maple syrup, cinnamon or vanilla beans to flavor your walnut milk.
Nutrition Facts
Did you know I have a FREE 7 Day Whole30 Meal Plan? Click here for the details!
Sharon Evans says
This is my second time using your recipe. I tweak it to my liking with sweetener and a pinch of salt. Highly recommend!
Sharon
Rameeka Jones says
New path for me I will be trying this recipe
DoÄŸukan says
So we don’t have to peel the skins of walnuts right? I was kinda worried that skins will make the color of the milk dark.
The Clean Eating Couple says
You need to use shelled walnuts, not the ones with the hard shell on them.
Linda Camp says
Holy Smokes is this good!
I’ve been trying to make a satisfactory nut or seed milk forever, it seems, but I never found one I liked. I never even considered making walnut milk because I don’t like walnuts. They are too bitter for me. I do like BLACK walnuts but not ENGLISH WALNUTS. But black walnuts are expensive and I never see them for sale except for tiny amounts in the baking section of the grocery store, so I decided that I would just finally give up on making homemade nut or seed milk (sesame seed – yuck – super bitter even the hulled and toasted ones) but I finally decided to try walnut milk and wow!! I don’t like vanilla or sweetener so I left them out, but I added 1 tsp of sunflower lecithin so the milk wouldn’t separate. It worked like a charm and the walnut milk is DELICIOUS! I think maybe the long soak (overnight took the bitterness out of the walnut because when I tasted one of the nuts after soaking and rinsing, it had no taste. Anyway, I finished making the milk and it is EXACTLY what I think a nut milk should be. I also made a creamer (less water) and it turned out perfectly! I’m stoked!!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Linda! So glad you liked this!
Marina says
Will be trying this recipe in a couple days, thank you so much! Walnuts are my favorite nuts! I love the taste of toasted walnuts, could I toast them before soaking?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I wouldn’t recommend roasting these before you soak them – I think it will give this a burnt flavor.
Alain says
Could you tell me what is the difference between filtered water and soaked water ? Don’t we through away the soaked water? If not, it must be filled with omega 3… in that case why do we need “fresh water after soaking ?
Please demistify the steps. Thanks.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Alain -You soak the raw walnuts in filtered water. Once the walnuts have soaked, you drain the water. If you would prefer to use the water instead of draining it you can, but it will give the walnut milk a raw, bitter taste. I don’t know the amount of omega-3’s that are in the water – but I wouldn’t recommend keeping it. Feel free to do whatever you want!
Leana Lovejoy says
Hi there,
I have discovered walnut milk, too and love it! It is worth mentioning that it keeps longer than almond milk, also if you don’t have soaked walnuts, unsoaked work just fine too… and I add hempseed to mine for a bit more creaminess and protein… no need for cinnamon either…. I don’t understand why it hasn’t caught on, but I’m spreading the word, too!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Leana – Yes walnut milk is great! Glad you’re enjoying it. Soaking the walnuts helps them to get creamy and makes them easier to digest.
Kylie says
I’m trying to reduce my plastic waste and realized a main culprit was store bought almond milk in a tetrapak. I’ve tried homemade oat, almond and even peanut milk, but this is by far my favorite! I’m so excited about this recipe because it’s healthier, yummier and more environmentally friendly than what I used to use! So easy, too.
The Clean Eating Couple says
This makes me so happy to hear, Kylie! One of the reasons I started making my own nut milks was because of how much I was wasting with the empty packages.. I love that this is eco friendly and better for you 🙂 This method also works with cashews and almonds – although almonds require straining I have a whole post on how to make almond milk
Naseema Modak says
Pulp, plus a spoon of oil, plus a tablespoon of flaxseed and some spices like oregano, thyme, basil, chilli flakes.
Mix it all up into a dough.
Place in a baking tray, thinly flatten out, cut into squares and dint fork marks in it; cook for around 30 mins at 200 degrees C.
The Clean Eating Couple says
That sounds great! Thanks for the idea!
Sharon Norris says
mine was extremely watered down compared to the Elmhurst brand. Did I do something wrong or is there a way to condense it a little more?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Sharon – If you want the milk to be creamier you can use more walnuts or less water. I don’t know the ratio that Elmhurst uses and I don’t personally drink their milk, but you could always add more walnuts and play around until it’s the consistency you like!
Jennifer Hill says
we’re not finding the amount of calories in pulp – do you know?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Unfortunately I don’t know how to calculate that. The calories are based on all the ingredients, including the pulp because I wasn’t able to accurately calculate them otherwise.
Hina says
I made this and it’s so delicious! However, I added some to my tea and was disappointed to find it had separated! It almost looked curdled. Have you had this happen to you when you add it to coffee?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m glad you liked it, Hina! Yes – sometimes it does separate a bit. It’s not curdled though – just give it a stir. It’s totally fine to drink! It will also separate in the fridge so just shake it up!
Kat says
This was a neat idea, glad i did it.
Only thing is i wish i would have used the water i soaked the nuts in. I think it would have helped keep the flavor of the black walnuts . I dont find there is any taste to it. And its a littlw disappointing.
Will use it in some recipes, see how that works.
Can use substitute for cow milk without having to change anything?
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Kat! I would definitely not use the water you soak the nuts in. You need to use fresh water to avoid a bitter taste. There is not meant to be a taste to this milk, but you could add vanilla bean or cinnamon if you’re looking for more flavor. You can substitute for dairy milk in most recipes but not all. It would depend on the recipe!
Jill says
Would cheese cloth work as well?
The Clean Eating Couple says
You could try but I find that it’s difficult to do with a cheesecloth. I recommend investing a few dollars in the nut milk bag!
Monica says
I made this yesterday and it turned out great but now has separated, milk and oil I presume. Is this normal? Should I just shake to combine ?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Monica – yes, this is normal. Shake it up and you’ll be good to go!
Inigo Montoya says
Thanks for the recipe. I added 1 tsp. vanilla extract, a pinch of Himalayan salt, and 1.5 T. of coconut sugar. I then put it in the Vitamix on the soup setting. It turned out great!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!! I’m going to try that with the vanilla!
Michelle Blomstedt says
This walnut milk is delicious. It’s so smooth and creamy and easy to make.
I used my food processor because I don’t have a blender
and it was a bit challenging with all the water wanting to spill out of the side but it worked okay on pulse. I doubled the recipe so I could have a big batch and my boyfriend and I have been steaming it for our lattes in the morning, it’s so good! I will be buying a blender ASAP because I want to make this stuff regularly.
The Clean Eating Couple says
This makes me so happy to hear, Michelle! It definitely is so much easier to make in a blender. Either way – I’m glad you’re enjoying it in your lattes 🙂
Crystal says
I wonder if this would keep if I froze it? Then I could just take out what I need as I need it.
Is this something you have tried?
Thanks for the post!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Crystal – I haven’t tried this but honestly I don’t think it would work well. If you need a smaller serving you can cut this in half or even in a quarter. Sometimes I do this because I don’t use a ton of milk!
Katherine Buckley says
Hey!
I’ve been looking for walnut milk too and rarely find it in stores. Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Do you have any way to use the leftover pulp in other recipes?
Best,
Kathy
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Katherine – Glad you found it 🙂 Unfortunately I don’t have any recipes that use up the pulp, but this post has some ideas that might be helpful!
Gine dc says
Katherine…..theres a fabulous Persian lentil, spinach and pomegranate dish that uses ground walnuts. I also throw it in my morning oatmeal
Katie B says
Crackers, muffins, throw some in the pancake batter
Steph says
Love the walnut milk so much I prefer this in my coffee rather than my usual creamer LOL!
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m glad you liked it, Steph!