This is how I make my sweetened almond milk. You can experiment with variations, such as using honey or maple syrup instead of dates.

I also regularly add about 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to this recipe which gives the milk a delicious flavor. If you don't have this spice blend you can make your own with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds

3 cups filtered water (Add less if you want to make the milk more creamy, or more water to reduce creaminess)

1-2 pitted dates

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Pinch salt

Directions:

Place almonds in a container with at least 2 cups of water. Soak the almonds for 12 to 24 hours (#NOTE: If you have a high powered blender such as a Vitamix you can skip the soaking step).

Once almonds have soaked, strain the almonds and add them to the blender with the 3 cups of filtered water and salt. Blend for 30-60 seconds.

Place nut milk bag over a large bowl and pour the blended liquid into the bag. Squeeze the bag to strain the milk into the bowl (Be careful as you squeeze the milk as it can squirt out in different directions).

Once all liquid has been strained, pour the milk into a bottle or jar and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Shake or stir before each use as the milk will separate while sitting.

You can discard the pulp, or to reduce waste you can save it and add the pulp to healthy baking recipes, smoothies etc.

Here is the recipe for basic, unsweetened almond milk. What you will need is a nut milk bag (I use this one), a blender or food processor and the ingredients. Here's how I make it: