A clean eating coffee house remake – this healthy Vanilla Almond Milk Latte is made with homemade vanilla almond milk, and is naturally sweetened with dates! Enjoy this paleo and vegan almond milk coffee hot or over ice. The almonds need to soak overnight, so plan ahead.
Contents
Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk Creamer
I was so excited when I found out Starbucks was going to start carrying almond milk — and then sorely disappointed to try it only to find it was way too sweet, and not very creamy.
A store bought carton of regular almond milk doesn’t make a good latte. Almond milk is mostly water, so mixed with coffee, the almond flavor is totally overpowered by strong coffee.
This homemade almond milk is so rich and creamy, it doesn’t even need a sweetener. I love it lightly sweetened with a date, which adds a subtle caramel flavor and a natural sweetness that isn’t overpowering at all.
Almond Milk > Oat Milk. Almonds have healthy fats and protein with minimal carbs. Adding oat milk to your coffee is basically adding sugar water (it’s simply starch). This homemade almond milk gets just as frothy and foamy as oat milk!
Beware: This Iced Almond Milk Latte recipe is so good, it will be difficult to be satisfied with coffee shop versions!
Love homemade coffee drinks? You’ll also love this Dairy Free Vanilla Iced Coffee (made with cashew milk) and this Iced Caramel Mocha Coffee.
What You’ll Need
- Cold Brew or French Press Coffee
- Almonds
- Vanilla Beans (or vanilla extract)
- Dates (sub maple syrup or coconut sugar, or allulose for a sugar-free option.)
Helpful Kitchen Tools
No fancy equipment needed! This homemade latte is made with kitchen tools most homes already have.
A good almond latte needs to be made with a thick homemade vanilla almond milk creamer.
You’ll LOVE this Healthy Almond Milk Coffee Because:
- Homemade almond milk is richer and creamier than store bought, meaning this coffee is satisfying and full of almond flavor!
- It takes minutes to make – just add soaked almonds, water, a date, and a vanilla bean to a blender, process it, and then strain it through a nut milk bag. Keep the creamer on hand and enjoy these for days!
- Using homemade cold brew coffee or French press coffee is a great way to save money (and time in lines!) on your favorite coffee drinks all year round. If you have an espresso machine, a shot of espresso is a great option as well! Any strong brewed coffee is an option here.
- It can be served over ice, or heated up and served hot.
How to Make a Creamy Almond Milk Latte
Step 1: Place almonds in a jar or bowl, and cover with water. Allow almonds to soak overnight (cool room temperature or refrigerated is fine).
Step 2: Drain the soaked almonds, and then put them in a blender along with fresh water, a date (1 or more, depending on desired sweetness), and vanilla bean. Process the almonds until they are broken down, which takes 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Pour the almond mixture over a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to strain out the almond pulp.
Step 4: Combine cold brew coffee and almond milk creamer over ice cubes. You can also use shots of espresso, or even instant coffee made extra strong. I give suggested amounts in the recipe, but use the coffee to almond milk ratio that you enjoy!
Optionally: Reheat both the cold brew and the almond milk creamer in a small saucepan over medium heat to enjoy a hot almond milk latte. Use a handheld milk frother to add some foam to your latte. This is easier if you just start with French Press Coffee and gently reheat the almond milk creamer to add to it. Add warm milk to a coffee mug and then add hot coffee on top.
Make this a Perfect Vegan Iced Latte
Make it Frothy: This vanilla almond milk creamer gets frothy in a blender, with a whisk in a saucepan, or using my favorite technique- with a milk frother. Since you most likely already have your blender dirty, just let it run an extra minute, and you’ll have enough foam to make cappuccino-like treats. Even if I am making them iced, I froth the almond creamer well so I have a frothy top to my drink.
Naturally Sweeten Your Almond Milk Latte Recipe: Dates are a great sweetener for drinks, especially when you’re already blending up nuts for a vegan or paleo option. If you love the idea of a healthier coffee or tea beverage, check out my Hazelnut Iced Chai Latte, or my Caramel Mocha Iced Coffee Concentrate.
Tips for the Best Almond Latte
- If you don’t have dates on hand, use 1-3 teaspoons of date syrup or pure maple syrup instead.
- I use a nutmilk bag to make homemade almond milk. I’ve used coffee filters and cheesecloth also, but it’s so much faster and easier using the purpose made bag, it’s worth the small investment.
- I use my Vitamix to make nutmilks, but soaking nuts ahead of time makes them easy to blend in any blender.
- You can make the frothed almond milk using a blender, a whisk in a saucepan (the hard way!), or my favorite method, using a handy milk frother ( <– really fun buy if you love homemade coffee drinks, or want a fun stocking stuffer idea.)
- If you make almond milk lattes at home often, invest in a Nescafe Aeroccino, which makes the perfect frothy milk for all your coffee needs. It also allows you to chill or heat the milk, so you can use this for a hot latte or an iced latte easily.
- Experiment with other latte recipes by adding a little cocoa powder for an almond milk mocha, or pumpkin spice to give it a fall twist. Almond extract amps up the nutty flavor.
Other DIY Coffee Drinks
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Vanilla Almond Milk Latte
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds soaked overnight
- 1 1/2 cups water + 1/2 cup more
- 1-3 medjool dates
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- cold brew coffee or espresso*
Instructions
- Add soaked and drained almonds to a blender with pitted dates and vanilla. Choose 1-3 dates depending on desired sweetness.
- Start by adding 1 1/2 cups of water, and blending into a fine puree, about 2-3 minutes in a high speed blender.
- Add 1/2 cup more water, and pulse to combine well.
- Strain almond pulp out of the cream by pouring into a jar with a nut milk bag or with cheesecloth. After the creamer has stopped dripping through, be sure to squeeze as much creamer out of the pulp first before discarding. Quite a bit of liquid will still in in the pulp.
- If making hot lattes, heat cold brew coffee or make espresso or strong French press coffee. I like these with slightly more than half being almond creamer.
- If making iced lattes, fill glassed with ice, and pour them about 1/2 way full with either cold brew coffee or espresso. Fill the rest of the glasses with vanilla almond milk creamer.
Video
Notes
Tips for the Best Almond Latte
- If you don’t have dates on hand, use 1-3 teaspoons of date syrup or pure maple syrup instead.
- I use a nutmilk bag to make homemade almond milk. I’ve used coffee filters and cheesecloth also, but it’s so much faster and easier using the purpose made bag, it’s worth the small investment.
- I use my Vitamix to make nutmilks, but soaking nuts ahead of time makes them easy to blend in any blender.
- You can make the frothed almond milk using a blender, a whisk in a saucepan (the hard way!), or my favorite method, using a handy milk frother ( <– really fun buy if you love homemade coffee drinks, or want a fun stocking stuffer idea.)
- If you make almond milk lattes at home often, invest in a Nescafe Aeroccino, which makes the perfect frothy milk for all your coffee needs. It also allows you to chill or heat the milk, so you can use this for a hot latte or an iced latte easily.
- Experiment with other latte recipes by adding a little cocoa powder for an almond milk mocha, or pumpkin spice to give it a fall twist. Almond extract amps up the nutty flavor.
O nothing beats homemade nut milk <3 SO fresh and this looks like a delicious latte for it!
Thanks Rebecca — I am having another one right now as I watch the snow fall 🙂 We are supposed to get over a foot in the next 24 hours! I have missed winter.
This latte looks delicious!! But I agree, I feel like Starbucks can be a little heavy-handed with the sugar. It’s so much better to make your favorite drinks at home! 🙂
I was looking for a great non-dairy creamer and now it looks like I found one. I have not made homemade nut milk yet and now I will have to try. Great recipe!
A healthy non-dairy creamer is hard to find! I prefer my own homemade nut milk creams, but if you want convenience (which I do from time to time!), try Nutpods — you can buy it on Amazon, and it’s made from coconut milk and almond milk — and unsweetened.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I will definitely try this first thing tomorrow!
You’re so welcome Ashley! It makes such a difference to use homemade almond milk– much thicker and uh.. “almondy” – the store bought almond milk is mostly water and I really don’t like it in coffee.
BTW– checked out your blog- looks fantastic. I signed up for the Vegan Meal Plan but got a 404 message 🙁
Thank you for checking out my blog and I’m so sorry about the error. I’ve been having some issues, but I will definitely let you know about the meal plan as soon as I work out the kinks.
I understand Ashley! No worries — just didn’t want you to miss out on potential new subscribers 🙂 It’s hard being a one-man show, I know!
Is it possible to make it with something other than the dates? Say, prunes for example? Thanks so much:)
That’s a good question Kathryn! Do you not like dates? I am sure that using prunes would leave a very prune-y flavor and wouldn’t have the same sweetness. You can definitely just add honey, or leave the sweetener out!
It’s just that I can get pitted prunes and not have to deal with taking the pits out of dates 😉 but I wouldn’t mind trying it with agave syrup or honey… I’m loving this by the way. I’ve been making my own almond milk twice a week since I found your recipe. However, I’ve had to throw a few batches away because it kind of ‘jellified’.. I can only assume it has to do with bacteria. I’m not sure if this is coming from the nut bag. I’ve tried washing it in my washing machine but then the milk has a chemical flavor. I’ve resorted to boiling the bag two or three times and then drying it. It’s the only way I can think of to make sure it’s bacteria free, but it is quite time consuming, 5-10 mins each boil.. Do you have any other suggestions? Xxx
Hi Kathryn! So good to hear from you again. My mom has made my date recipes with prunes for the same reason — I don’t really like the taste, but she thinks it’s fine. You can now buy pitted dates at Costco – a giant bag for like $9 that will last a while! Do you have a Costco nearby? You can also buy them pitted at regular grocery stores but they get pretty expensive that way. I have never had my almond milk jellify, but it does go sour fast. I have read you can keep them around for 4 days, but in my experience, they only last 2 days. I have done research and experimented with things like sterilizing my storage containers (like you!), but nothing seems to prevent it. If I figure out the secret, I will definitely write a post about it! So glad to hear you’re enjoying this latte recipe — I am making it today for a special holiday breakfast with my family!
It’s called majdool, not medjool.
Can you make a bigger batch and refrigerate? How long do you think the cream will last?
Homemade almost milk lasts about 3-4 days refrigerated — not as long as store bought! But you definitely could for a few days! Enjoy.