After drinking and cooking with store-bought nut milks for years, Grace Avila, a San Francisco–based chef and nutrition consultant, decided to try making her own. “I was shocked to see how easy it was,” she says. “Plus, homemade milks have a better taste and richer texture than what you get at the store.” Give Avila’s simple recipe a try:

Ingredients
2½ cups raw nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, or cashews)
Filtered water for soaking nuts
6 cups filtered water for blending
Pinch of salt
Nut milk bag (available at health food stores and online)

Directions:

1. Soak nuts in filtered water for 12 hours. Be sure to rinse and change the water at least once.
2. Drain nuts.
3. Combine nuts and 6 cups filtered water in a blender.
4. Blend until all nuts are broken down but be careful not to blend too long—you don’t want the blender’s heat to warm the mixture.
5. Pass mixture through the nut milk bag, carefully pressing out as much milk as possible.
6. Sweeten with honey, agave, or vanilla if desired.
7. Store in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid in the fridge; the milk should keep for about 5 days.