Normal nut milk bought from the grocery store are pumped with preservatives, additives, and different flavorings to support shelf life as well as appear more attractive to the consumer. Although these are labeled organic or natural, their ingredient list says otherwise. With these additives and flavorings, comes extra chemicals and sugars you don't always realize are in the store-bought options.
There are also environmental drawbacks to store-bought nut milks. They are packaged in single-use cartons, usually made fully of plastic or lined with plastic, leaving the paper cartons unable to be recycled. That means these contains will stick around for a long time, unable to be recycled or reused.
In contrast, homemade nut milks contain only the ingredients you add (nuts and water!) and avoids the plastic packaging all together as you can just store it in an upcycled glass jar.
To make your own nut milk, you really only need two ingredients: nuts of choice (or nut butter) and water. It really is that simple. The best part is, you are in control of how much you make and therefore, how much you will use which reduces food waste and you can store it in a reusable glass jar (reducing plastic waste!)
All in all:
Store bought nut milk:
- is less sustainable: comes in single-use containers
- is filled with added preservatives, flavors and more…
Homemade nut milk:
- is made with only water and nuts!
- can be stored in a reusable container (and can be zero waste if you buy your nuts in bulk or compostable packaging)
- can save you money! Only 1 C of nuts is required to make 4 cups of nut milk
Check out a simple nut-milk recipe here or watch how easy it is to make it at home here.