We tested five of the most popular and top-rated nut milk brands to determine which one reigns supreme.
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There are so many different types of nut milk makers available these days, and making your own nut, seed, or grain milk is a fun way to personalize your blend and experiment with plant-based recipes. In addition to milk, you can make a thicker creamer and adjust the viscosity for your next matcha latte or cold brew. Not only does the nut milk maker guarantee freshness, but you don’t have to buy multiple products for different drinks. Even if you buy the highest quality ingredients, like raw and organic nuts, it’s incredibly cost-effective. the best? Almost every nut milk maker we’ve tested makes the process easy and (dare we say it) fun!
To help you find the best nut milk maker, we spent weeks testing some of the industry’s best-selling models, comparing five popular brands including Nutr, ChefWave, and Almond Cow. We crushed over 10 cups of nuts, seeds, grains and legumes to evaluate yield, viscosity, speed, taste and overall ease of use. We also spoke with a registered dietitian to get more information and tips on how to make the best nut milk at home.
Nutr is versatile and comes with preset settings that bring milk to room temperature in no time, with consistent texture and flavor. Moreover, its operation is very simple.
Best suited for small batch production. Harder nuts such as almonds require additional cycles to achieve smoothness and the heating function takes longer.
It’s chic, compact, smart, and earns our best overall rating. That’s why. Nutr is very user-friendly: it has seven preset functions that can be controlled using the control panel, and different settings can be switched using the touch button. There is even a self-cleaning function. The ability to make milk at room temperature, warm, or boil adds versatility to this nut milk maker. During testing, we found the texture of the milk to be smooth, but we’re glad you can use it again for a smoother finish.
In most cases, you won’t need to use the filter that comes with the machine, but if you prefer, you can filter the milk directly into the cup. Nutr’s heat setting is designed for preparing milk that requires pre-cooking (such as soy or rice), with a cooking time of 20 minutes. In our testing, the taste and texture of all alternative milks were the same.
Considering the power of the machine, it can produce small portions of milk. If you need more, you can run it multiple times, but only after giving it time to cool between batches. In our testing, when we were running continuously, stirring would stop due to overheating. It is self-cleaning, making it easy to clean, and its compact size makes it very easy to store.
It makes about 2 1/2 cups of milk at a time, steams ingredients while blending them for better texture, and its multi-function design allows you to do everything at the touch of a button (including true self-cleaning).
ChefWave is a multi-functional device with preset buttons for a variety of nuts, soy, oats and coconut, allowing us to combine nuts and seeds to create unique flavor combinations. In less than 15 minutes, we were able to make 20 ounces of hot, coffee-ready almond milk because Chefwave uses steam when grinding the ingredients. The design is simple and intuitive, and we love that we don’t have to wade through various settings before we can drink our first cup of coffee.
The recipe did require some modifications and adjustments to the amount of ingredients to achieve a thicker consistency, but relatively speaking, we used fewer nuts and grains to make the creamy milk. The texture is slightly grainy and contains harder nuts such as almonds, which can be easily sifted through a fine mesh sieve. To clean, simply wash the waste bowl, reservoir, carafe and steam lid with soap and water. The grinding bowl is cleaned every time a batch of milk is prepared. We love its functionality, customization, and self-cleaning. If only he could still make coffee!
It is very versatile as it can grind dry ingredients such as flaxseed meal and coffee, as well as hot drinks. It is also easy to store.
This is a great option for people who frequently prepare soy milk, soups, and other drinks because the Tribest Soybella can heat, cook, and blend in one go. It is also easy to store if not used every day. We can easily prepare milk tea with cashews, warming spices and black tea leaves by simply adding the ingredients and pressing the hot drink setting button. This works similarly with soups and soups. Raw milk is made from nuts, seeds and oats and is not heated. The machine is equipped with fine and coarse mesh to filter mixed pulp. While we found the texture a little rough at first, we also learned that running a few loops and using a different filter can improve the texture.
It took us a while to figure out how to attach the head to a fine mesh container of nuts or grains. It is difficult to connect, especially when it is full of nuts and sometimes does not screw down properly. Cleaning took a little time as everything had to be washed by hand. We also noticed that when making hot drinks or soup, you need to wait a while for them to cool properly before washing them. Since the blade is attached to the motor head, cleaning is like a balancing act between keeping electrical parts dry and keeping an eye on the blade.
This is the fastest milk machine on our list, making nut milk in about a minute. In addition, it has a built-in filter that prevents the pulp from flowing back.
Attaching the filter basket once it’s full requires some work, and the cleaning process takes a little time. The device also does not have a heating function.
If speed is your main concern, we recommend Almond Cow, which is a huge time saver. When processing dairy raw materials, it rotates at a speed of approximately 10,000 rpm. This will take a minute at most, but usually even less time for softer nuts such as cashews and grains such as oats. The entire unit is stylish and consists of an electrical unit, a stainless steel filter basket and a milk collection container. Once downloaded, the operation is simple. Just press the cow button and let it run. The ingredients are crushed and mixed with water, and at the end of the cycle the pulp is returned to the filter basket. Although the unit does not have a heating function, you can add warm or hot water to bring the milk to the desired temperature.
We noticed that it left a lot of pulp, almost enough to hold half a glass of milk. Almond milk has a particularly rough texture. We found that running this cycle again and further filtering through cheesecloth gave the nut milk the desired flavor and increased yield.
Attaching the strainer basket takes some work, especially when it’s full, as getting the blade through a cup full of whole almonds can be tricky. Looks like we’re not the only ones having trouble installing the recycle bin. Almond Cow’s FAQ has a video demonstration showing how to attach the basket. I wish there were clearer instructions on how to install the filled basket, especially with the harder nuts. Cleaning the Almond Cow also proved challenging since the blades are mounted on top where all the electrical components are also located. It’s hard to hold with one hand while using the other hand to wash food and try to keep water out of the vents.
This is a versatile nut milk maker that allows you to make smoothies, sauces, and nut butters. It has a large capacity, is intuitive and easy to use, and is very easy to clean.
We might be a little obsessed with the versatility of the Nutramilk nut milk maker and how easy it is to use. Even after our testing, we continued to make bean spreads, hummus, soups, and salsas in addition to nut butters and milk. The process is simple: place the nuts in the container, close the lid and run the oil cycle. It turns everything into smooth butter and thickens the contents automatically. Once the oil cycle is complete, you can add fluid and let the machine run. When finished, the milk may flow out of the tap. We also like the ease of cleaning since the parts are dishwasher safe.
Taste is another aspect of Nutramilk that confused us. It produces the creamiest cashew and oat milk with very little almond milk residue. One cup of nuts makes about a liter of nut milk. The component is very intuitive and works just like a food processor. Once you start processing nut or grain milk, this device does it all with just one button. The machine operates in several stages: first the nut butter is prepared, the liquid is added, and then it is dispensed—all of which require manual operation or data entry. The sink, blades and wiper blades are dishwasher safe or hand washed with soap. For additional cleaning, the tap must be unscrewed.
After weeks of rigorous testing, we rate the Nutr machine as our top pick due to its versatility, ease of use, and selection of built-in settings for quickly making warm and room temperature nut milks. We found that the taste and texture of almond milk, cashew milk, and oat milk remained consistent after each test.
We conducted side-by-side testing of the best nut milkers by making three different milk alternatives with almonds, cashews and oats. We pay special attention to the quality of the alternative milk produced and the ease of use, assembly and disassembly of the machine. We also assessed the noise of the machine, the amount of pulp remaining, the time it took to prepare each serving of milk, the mouthfeel, the flavor and the yield of the milk. We also noted how easy the product is to clean and whether it is dishwasher safe.
Since you’ll be using this machine a lot, look for something that’s easy to store or has a stylish design that will look good on the counter. An intuitive interface with pre-programmed functions eliminates guesswork and saves you time. Some nut milk brands come with a filter; Some don’t. Choosing one depends on whether you prefer your nut milk with a light texture or completely smooth.
The sizes of the products we tested ranged from one or two servings to six cups. Depending on how much nut milk you typically consume per day or even per week, choose the size that suits your needs. Also, consider the time required to prepare and mix a batch of alternative milk (including cleanup time) and decide whether you would be better served by purchasing a larger capacity machine.
A machine that can produce a variety of plant-based milks, including nuts, grains, and seeds, gives you more flexibility. If a machine can do more, like make nut butters, soups and spreads, it adds value.
If cleaning the machine takes longer than preparing milk, you likely won’t use it often, so look for a machine that’s easy to clean and maintain. Some machines are self-cleaning, others have dishwasher-safe parts, and others require hand washing.
“When you make nut milk, you avoid many of the processing additives used to keep the nut milk fresh and can control any additional flavorings and sweeteners that are added to the nut milk,” says Dr. Katie Couch. It also reduces waste by eliminating single-use packaging of store-bought alternative milks. Homemade nut milk can also be customized depending on the application: creamy and thick for coffee, a little thinner for adding to cereal, and somewhere in between for adding to smoothies.
Individual nutritional and dietary needs vary greatly, as do the nutritional profiles of dairy and nut milks. “Milk contains more protein, a lower glycemic index and more micronutrients, especially calcium,” Couch says. Many bioactive ingredients in nut milks, such as phytic acid, oxalates, and lectins, can bind and inhibit absorption. essential minerals and trace elements (calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc).”
“In terms of fats, milk does contain saturated fat, whereas nut milks sometimes contain a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids. You should also keep in mind that the nutritional value of nut milk varies greatly depending on the brand and the nut. with a dairy allergy or intolerance, nut milk is a great alternative that allows them to still enjoy many foods,” Couch said.
Homemade nut milk is just water and nuts, while store-bought nut milk can (and often does) contain additives such as thickeners, stabilizers, and emulsifiers. “Some people cannot tolerate foods containing these processed additives,” Couch said. For them, being able to produce nut milk without additives and control the nutritional value of the milk is important to their health.
Making nut milk at home opens up many possibilities and options for using nuts, seeds, and grains. The most popular choices are almonds, pistachios, cashews, hazelnuts, oats, soybeans, rice, hemp, chia seeds, flax seeds and quinoa. Popular flavors include vanilla, chocolate and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, turmeric and black pepper. Popular sweeteners include dates, honey, and maple syrup.
Renu Dhar is a personal chef and cooking coach who is passionate about making cooking accessible, developing simple yet nutritious recipes, and finding tools to make cooking fun and easy for everyone. She combines expert kitchen experience and ingredient knowledge to test and review products found on The Spruce Eats. For more information, we spoke with Dr. Katie Couch, R&D. Couch’s areas of research include nutritional sciences with an emphasis on metabolism, obesity prevention and treatment in primary care, obesity pharmacotherapy, and weight management.
Post time: Jan-06-2024