Are you looking for a delicious and easy recipe to make non-dairy milk? Look no further than this delicious pecan milk! All you need is raw pecans, filtered water, and an optional pinch of kosher salt to make this creamy milk.
You don’t often find pecan milk in grocery stores or coffee shops, but it’s an easy milk to make. You just need a big handful of pecans, so even though they can be expensive, this milk doesn’t have to break the bank.
Pecan Milk Profile
- Soaking Required: No
- Flavor Profile: Strong, nutty
- Requires Straining: No
- Needs Strong Motor for Blending: No
- Slime Issues: No
Why Choose Pecans For Milk Making?
There are so many alternative milk ingredients to choose from. Think almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, hemp milk, and all of the other store-bought dairy substitutes. I cycle through almost all of them, but I return to pecans because I love the dark, toasty flavor and the creamy texture it brings to my milk.
If you want dark rich undertones in your milk, the pecan flavor does shine through. You can skip straining because the skins are so thin that they blend finely, but if you do decide to strain it, you’ll get less than 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the pulp as long as you blend well. Cashew milk is another one that produces almost no nut pulp.
I don’t love dealing with gritty almond pulp, and pecan milk solves that problem.
Can I Use Roasted Pecans?
You can use raw or roasted pecans. Roasted will add more toasty, dark flavors that I love, but if I were you, I’d try both ways to see what your favorite is.
How to Enjoy Your Homemade Pecan Milk
My favorite way to use it is in my iced coffee with a splash of maple syrup. It’s the perfect blend of flavors and costs pennies compared to Starbucks. It’s an amazing base for a vegan hot chocolate, and you can even garnish it with a cinnamon stick.
Another great choice is to add in some cocoa powder or melted vegan chocolate chips and make chocolate pecan milk. Pecans love a little maple syrup, or you can sweeten it with dates, and a touch of chocolate flavor makes it even more of a treat.
You can also use in baking and cooking. Its nutty flavor complements sweet and savory dishes, making it a great addition to pancakes, waffles, smoothies, and even autumn soups and sauces.
Pecan milk is also a great alternative to dairy milk in coffee and tea and can be used as a base for homemade ice cream. I use it in the base of my butter pecan ice cream and swirl more toasted pecans in as a mix-in – double the flavor!
Do I Need a Nut Milk Maker to Make This?
One of the great things about making this pecan recipe is you don’t need a high-speed blender or even a milk maker to make it. Pecans are soft nuts without thick skin. You don’t even need soaked pecans to make this, so you can use an inexpensive blender.
However, if you are interested in getting a milk maker be sure to check out my plant based milk maker post to find the one that’s right for you.
Pictured in this post is the Miomat Milk Maker that’s larger, has heating settings, and the grinding cylinder you see below. (Use coupon code kathyhester to get $15 off!)
How do I Make Homemade Nut Milk?
To make this pecan milk recipe, you’ll need 1/2 – 1 cup of pecans to about 4 cups of water, depending on how thick you’d like your milk. I like to use 3/4 cup, but 1 cup makes a thick, rich treat too. If you don’t have quite enough, you can add in some cashews to make it richer too.
Place the pecans and water in your blender and blend until smooth. You can add a pinch of salt if you want. It can make it last a little longer in the fridge.
I make mine unsweetened, but you could add the sweetener of your choice to taste. I’d recommend maple syrup or date paste because it goes well with the pecan flavor.
I do not strain with a nut milk bag or a fine mesh strainer because there’s so little sediment, but you can if you’d prefer. I did when taking photos for this post, and you can see just how little there was.
FAQs
It will last for about 3-4 days when stored in the refrigerator. I store mine in a glass jar.
No, pecan milk separates more than some other milks and more quickly. Just give it a good shake and it will be ready to go.
Yes, pecan milk can be used in baking and cooking. It’s a great alternative to dairy milk in recipes.
No. I do not strain pecan or cashew milk unless it doesn’t blend well.
More Plant Milk & Creamer Recipes
- Homemade Instant Pot Almond Milk
- Pecan Milk
- Strawberry Oat Milk
- Almond Cashew Milk
- Coconut Oat Vanilla Nut Vegan Coffee Creamer
- Slow Cooker Apple Spice Creamer
- Cashew Almond Vegan Creamer
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Cashew Creamer
- YouTube Plant Milk Recipes
Homemade Pecan Milk: Nut Milk Recipe for a Blender or Milk Maker
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups water , or to the max line on milk maker
- 3/4 cup raw pecans , or use measure with milk maker
- pinch salt , optional
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to your blender or milk maker.
- Blend until smooth.
- I don't strain mine, but you can use a fine mesh strainer if you like.
- Store in the fridge for 3 – 5 days.
- Shake well before using!
CJ says
This milk sounds awesome, Kathy. In the Miomat, would you use an actual cup of pecans or a Miomat cup? I love the idea of a pecan and cashew combination – 2 of my favourite nuts in one milk!
Kathy Hester says
The Miomat cup is actualy a measured 1/2 cup. I would use 1 1/2 or 2 of them for a more whole milk mouthfeel, but you can do less if that’s what you like.
Kay Sockol says
Hi Kathy! This is such an easy recipe for a first-timer and it turned out soooo yummy!! I used a little maple syrup, too, and the flavor is so rich. I’ve been making almond milk and oat milk for quite awhile and both of them require straining. But with pecans, no straining and no slime! And the flavor is much more to my liking than the blander almond and oat milks. Thank you!!
Kay Sockol says
I forgot to include my star rating–of course a 5!!