Homemade Hazelnut Milk
A simple tutorial for how to make homemade hazelnut milk!
It has been way too long since I made homemade nut milk. And yes, I realize how odd that entire sentence sounds. I would really appreciate it if someone could come up with a less-awkward word to describe this stuff.
And no, I won’t even mention nut milk bags. I won’t go there. But yeah, they exist.
Ok, I’m done. Promise.
This is only the second time that I have ever made nut milk from scratch. I’ll admit, I’m sort of a traditionalist when it comes to milk. I prefer regular dairy milk over anything else, and I can’t seem to get past that no matter how hard I try.
But I was inspired to make hazelnut milk and was pleasantly surprised by the results. It might just be my favorite nut milk ever! And rightly so…
Hazelnut milk is creamy and rich, and has a lot of body. Plus, it doesn’t have that bitterness that I tend to associate with regular almond milk or other nut milks. It was good enough to drink cold out of a glass. Since hazelnuts are expensive, this is more of a special occasion nut milk (SONM) than anything else, but don’t let that stop you.
Add some cocoa powder and medjool dates, and you can whip up delicious chocolate hazelnut milk in a no time at all! I haven’t experimented just yet, but I also think it would be excellent in baked goods (see the recipe notes for additional tips for the leftover hazelnut pulp!).
Homemade Hazelnut Milk
Equipment
Ingredients
Homemade Hazelnut Milk:
- ¾ cup hazelnuts
- 3½ cups (840 mL) cold water
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Hazelnut Milk:
- 1 cup (240 mL) homemade hazelnut milk see recipe above
- 1 heaping tablespoon (8 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 Medjool date pitted
Instructions
- Homemade Hazelnut Milk: Place the hazelnuts in a bowl or blender container. Add the cold water and allow the hazelnuts to soak in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- Once the hazelnuts have soaked overnight, transfer to the blender and add the vanilla extract. Cover with lid and blend until very smooth, white in color, and hazelnuts are finely blended.
- Line a fine-meshed sieve with a coffee filter, cheesecloth (secured with rubber band), or nut bag and set over a large container. Strain the hazelnut milk and separate the hazelnut pulp (see notes for ideas on how to use the pulp). Pour slowly and allow the milk to strain. If you are using a coffee filter, this step can take as long as 30 minutes or longer.
- Chill and store the hazelnut milk in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. Shake well before using.
- Chocolate Hazelnut Milk: Place cold hazelnut milk, cocoa powder, and the date in a blender and puree until very smooth. Serve immediately.
Tips for Success:
- Leftover hazelnut pulp can be dried in a dehydrator, or used in baked applications or added to smoothies.
40 Comments on “Homemade Hazelnut Milk”
Another alternative to nut bags is paint strainer bags from the hardware store. At one time they were much cheaper, now I think they’re about equal in price. Just about the same thing.
Hi…anxious to try…fyi…the commetcially available ‘Elmhurst Hazelnut Milk’ (2 – ingrediants: hazelnuts/water) says on their nutritional side panel:
1g – Carbohydrate
1g – sugar
In an 8 oz serving! Thnx!🤎
Raw hazelnuts or toasted , with or without skin?
Hi Marisabel, the milk is strained so it does not matter if they have skin. Typically it is very hard to find whole hazelnuts without skin (or at least a good portion of it) and they cost substantially more. Toasted hazelnuts will produce a more toasted hazelnut milk flavor, so again, that would be a personal choice depending on what you can find and what you prefer. I would lean towards raw.
I prepared mine without the vanilla and without the mejooli date. It’s delicious. I use it with my cereal and then add a bit of maple syrup as needed.
Thanks for the recipe.
This was soo good!!! Thanks, so easy and I love the result. Tastes just as good as store-bought hazelnut milk while being cheaper, producing less waste and being more satisfactory to make. Plus I can make whatever quantity whenever I want without prior planning as none of the ingredients expire.
I added 1 TS of maple sirup and a pinch of salt the second time I used the recipe it, worked great for me. Thanks for sharing!
Hello! I would like to know if it is possible to make Yogurt with this Hazelnut milk?
Unfortunately I’m not an authority on how to make vegan yogurt – it is a very different process and usually requires additional ingredients to help thicken and stabilize. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. I would recommend googling vegan yogurt recipes and seeing if hazelnut milk can be substituted for other nut milks. I assume it could, but I can’t say for sure.