Making your own nut milk at home is a cost-effective and convenient way to enjoy a wide variety of delicious, healthy, and sustainable milk. You know exactly what goes into your milk, eliminating any worry about preservatives or other additives. Keep reading as we look into some of the best nut milk makers’ options.
While you can make alternative milk right in your blender, a plant-based milk maker can make the whole process more hands-off and even reduce cleanup.
Think of things like a delay-start option, an auto-clean function, stainless steel interiors, filters to skip the nut milk bags, and even built-in safety features with preset milk-making programs.
Store-bought nut milk or other alternative milks create a ton of waste. Many contain added oils, salt, or thickeners and may not fit into your eating plan. It’s easy to make plant-based dairy with simple, whole ingredients.
Why Use an Appliance to Make Non-Dairy Milk Alternatives?
Plant-based milk made at home is more cost-effective, healthier, and more sustainable than buying store-bought milk. Plus, you get to experiment with different ingredients and flavors. You can make homemade milk with nuts, oats, hemp seeds, and more with a plant milk maker!
So, if you want to save money, control the ingredients, and have fun making your own plant-based milk, a plant milk maker is a great investment. It’s an easy and fast way to enjoy homemade plant-based milk that is fresh, healthy, and delicious.
But Can’t I Just Use My Blender?
Wondering if you should invest in a plant milk maker or stick to using the blender you already have to make plant-based milk? Well, both methods have their pros and cons, and it depends on your personal preferences and needs.
Note, if you are on a tight budget, there is nothing wrong with using your blender and a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag. You can even skip the straining if you can use cashews, balanced almonds, or pecans.
Pro: It’s cheaper, or you already have one
Con: might not be as efficient in grinding the ingredients as a plant milk maker | no heating
The good thing about a plant milk maker is it’s specifically designed for making plant-based milk. They have powerful blades and a strong motor that grinds the ingredients to a smooth and creamy consistency.
Some machines have a built-in strainer, which is nice if you hate messing with nut milk bags. Plus, some plant milk makers come with various settings to heat, clean, and even make soups and smoothies too.
You can also use JOI plant milk concentrates in your blender. It’s fast and easy but is not as cheap as buying bulk nuts or oats.
How to Pick the Plant Milk Maker Perfect for You
There are a few things to keep in mind to help you make the best choice. Here’s a quick list of some factors to consider:
Capacity: How much milk do you and your family need? Make sure you choose a machine to make enough milk to meet your needs. This can also translate to how often you want to make your vegan creamy milk.
Type of plant-based milk: Are you mainly going to be making cashew milk, coconut milk, soy milk, rice milk, or grain milks? Some plant milk ingredients need to be heated, like beans or some grains, but making almond milk does not need a heating element.
Ease of use: You want a machine that’s easy to operate and clean. Look for simple controls and easy disassembly for cleaning. If there’s no cleaning function, realize that you can fill it with less water and a drop of soap, then run on the shortest cycle to make your own.
Storage: The small milk makers with handles are light, portable, and can easily be stored in a cabinet and taken out as needed. Larger machines may need a place on your kitchen counter.
Price: Compare prices of different models to find one that fits your budget. Be sure to look on Amazon Warehouse for returns for a big discount.
Additional features: Some machines include features like built-in strainers like a grinding cup or the ability to make hot drinks or soy milk. Decide if these features are essential for you.
User reviews: Read user reviews to understand how well the machine performs in real-world use and the pros and cons of different models. Be sure to read the latest ones as well as the most favorable ones.
Almond Cow– Great for small or large batches
Pros: large and small batches | no straining needed because of filtering grinding cup | stainless-steel interior | perfect for homemade almond milk | great for raw vegans
Cons: No heat, cannot make soy milk in the machine alone
Similar to: Nutramilk & Soybella in no need to strain
I have to tell you I did not think I was going to be a big fan of the Almond Cow, but it can make small and large batches using the included collector cup.
The Almond Cow has just one button that turns blue when it’s gone through the three cycles to grind your ingredients. The grinding blade goes inside the grinding cup, so you do not have to strain your milk at all!
I run it at least two cycles since the grinding time is less than some of the other machines.
There are recipes that are hot, but they start with either water you heat up or cook on the stove.
Arcmira – My Current Favorite Small Milk Maker
Pros: fresh milks daily | has heat | can make soy milk, hot drinks, and soups | stainless-steel interior
Cons: only small batches of about 2 cups | needs to be strained
Similar to: Nutr
I found this one on Amazon and just took a risk. I find it quieter than most other milk makers and love making my morning chai in it! Perfect for making Ninja Creami bases in and for creating milk or creamer for 1 or 2 people.
The warm setting is amazing for making tea or coffee lattes like a pistachio latte, maple pecan latte, London Fog latte, chai latte, or hazelnut mocha!
See my creamer/ice cream recipes for vegan butter pecan and lavender.
Miomat – My Current Favorite All-Around Milk Maker
Pros: large batch | has heat | can make soy milk, hot drinks, and soups | stainless-steel interior | cleaning function
Cons: no small batches | needs to be strained
Similar to: Soyajoy
The free book of recipes included is one of the best I’ve seen so far. One thing to note is the raw milk setting uses heat, so it’s not the best for oat milk – however, you can use the smoothie setting, which has no heat with the grinding cylinder to make amazing oat milk.
Make porridge, soup, hot milk, raw milk, and more in the Miomat.
Use my code kathyhester to get $15 when you order directly from Miomat.
Nutr – THe One that started the trend
Pros: fresh milks daily | has heat | can make soy milk & hot drinks | cleaning function | compact design
Cons: only small batches of about 1 1/2 cups | needs to be strained
Similar to: Arcmira but more expensive
The packaging for the Nutr machine is super nice and includes a strainer and lovely measuring spoons.
Watch me make a candy bar creamer in the Nutr.
NutraMilk – A power house That Makes Milk, Nut Butter, & More
Pros: large batches | also makes nut butter | fine screen filters milk as it pours out | most parts dishwasher safe
Cons: high price | larger counter footprint | no heating
Similar to: it’s really in a class of its own as a nut butter and milk maker, but it does strain the milk
You can see me unbox the Nutramilk on YouTube.
You can soak nuts and seeds to make milk in it, but you need to use dry ingredients
I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I do, but it’s pretty awesome. It is the priciest of the milk makers, but it is very well made. Most of the parts can be placed on the top shelf of your dishwasher, which can only be done with some blenders, and none of the other milk makers in this article.
You can purchase your Nutramilk on Amazon or directly from the manufacturer.
SoyBella – My First Milk Maker & Affordable
Pros: filter cup | has heat | can make soy milk, hot drinks, and soups | stainless-steel interior
Cons: a little hard to clean when making soy milk
Similar to: There’s not a one-to-one comparison, but it has a filter like the Almond Cow and heat like the Miomat
This was my first milk maker machine, and I used it over the pandemic to make homemade soy milk when it was hard to find in the store.
Note: after I make my soy milk in the Soybella, I cook it on high pressure for 10 minutes, and it tastes so much better!
Making Raw Vegan Milk
Almost all milk makers have a setting that doesn’t use heat, or they don’t have heat at all. They process raw almond milk at room temp or at a temperature like the Miomat, which is in the raw food range.
So you can make delicious raw plant-based milk using a nut milk appliance. Two that don’t have heating elements are the Almond Cow and the NutraMilk Nut Processor, and both are perfect for raw ingredients like flax seeds,
You might think these two makers would be the cheapest, but they are not! Don’t forget you can make raw milk with the other choices too.
Beyond Milk
Many of the machines include heat settings, and you can make delicious puréed soups, hot cocoa, chai lattes, and so much more.
This is something to keep in mind because I notice that once I have a new kitchen appliance, I try to get all the use out of it that I can.
Why Should You Make Your Own Nut Milk?
Well, there are many reasons why you should make your own nut milk. It will be worth your while, I promise!
Save Money: With England’s ban on single-use plastics in 2021, it’s becoming increasingly more expensive to buy pre-made nut milks, so many people are opting to make their own at home to save money. Plus, you have more control over the ingredients used
Reduce Waste: Making nut milk at home can help you save money by reducing the amount of single-use plastic packaging. Plus, making your homemade plant milk can reduce food waste by making the exact amount you need, so there’s none thrown away.
Make Customized Milk: Customizing nut milk at home is easy and fun. With the right ingredients and equipment, you can make delicious and nutritious alternative beverages unavailable at the store.
You can experiment with different nuts, seeds, grains, and flavorings to create your unique blend. Think strawberry macadamia milk, chocolate cinnamon pumpkin seed milk, seed creams for your coffee or tea, fresh soy milk, and you can even use superfood cereals in your vegan milker.
Sweeten as You Like: Don’t do refined sugar? No problem! You can use date syrup, date paste, soaked dates, maple syrup, coconut sugar – anything you want. You can try the latest, greatest sweetener or leave it unsweetened. It’s all up to you.
Easy to Make: Making nut milk at home is easy with the right tools. You can use a high-speed blender, a nut milk bag, or a cheesecloth to strain the milk, and you’ll have fresh homemade milk in no time.
Convenience: Making nut milk at home is very convenient. You can make 5-6 cups of fresh milk with a nut milk maker at the touch of a button without any mess, straining, or pre-soaking necessary. Plus, you can customize flavors and control the sugar content of your milk.
Amy Vanzant-Hodge says
My son gave me a ChefWave milk maker for my birthday and I love it. Though it is small batch, there are no leftover particles and it’s self cleaning. I use it every couple of days and stopped buying plant-based milk. I guess the best milk maker is the one that you have and will use. 🙂
Andie says
Hello! Thank you for this great review/comparison page and videos!!!
I have a few questions. For you in regards to the MioMat and Arcmira. I think I’m between these two and these may help my decision. Can either make pea milk? Do you feel one is more efficient than the other in how much grain/bean/nut is requires? Lastly, can the MioMat be used to make coffee creamers?
Thank you in advance!
Kathy Hester says
You can make pea milk in either, the Arcmira makes about 2 cups and the Miomat makes about 4. You can make creamers in either by using more main ingredient to water.
Sheryl Basco says
Hi Kathy. Have you ever done a comparison between the Mio Mat and the Soyajoy? These were the two machines that I was considering. Thanks for all you do Kathy. Thank you, Sheryl
Kathy Hester says
I don’t have the Soyjoya because it’s so similar. I have students who love it, so I think you can’t go wrong either way.
Elaine says
Greetings! How long does refrigerated homemade plant-based milk last? That will help us decide on size. We purchase unsweetened vanilla hemp milk. Is the Miomat our best option to make at home? Please elaborate on the required straining and any other considerations. Thank you!