6 Tips to Make Creamier Homemade Plant-Based Milk with your Almond Cow

With the Almond Cow, you can tailor your milk to make it perfect for your preferences. There are plenty of ways to make your next concoction higher protein, allergen-friendly, more nutrient dense—you name it! But aside from flavor, the texture is just as crucial to satisfy your taste buds. And just like flavor, when it comes to texture, everyone has their personal preference.

While store-bought alternatives use additives, fillers, and gums, Almond Cow allows you to make your milk taste great without the synthetic ingredients. Check out a few of these tips to make your next batch creamier than ever!

Make Creamer

If you’re in need of something to make your morning coffee more palatable, or just want a thicker, creamier beverage, making creamer is the easiest method to try first! Following the directions in our How to Make Creamer video, you can use our “collector cup method” to create a more concentrated, creamy beverage. This method yields just 2 cups of plant-based goodness (compared to the standard 5 - 6 cups), but it’s our community’s favorite way of getting richer milk! To help you master this method, try out all our delicious creamer recipes.

Use Hot Water

Yes, it really could be just as simple as using hot water in the base of the machine. Using water around 120°-140°F can give you a creamier, more nutrient-dense beverage, especially if you are making coconut milk or almond milk. With coconuts, the hot water helps soften the coconut fat, allowing it to flow more easily out of the filter basket and into your milk. A similar reaction happens with almonds, but to a lesser degree. We do not recommend using hot water that is boiling or close to boiling, as the machine could overheat.

*Note, this hot water method may seem like magic, however it does not work as well with cashew milk, and you should skip it entirely if you are making oat milk. The starch in the oats can react with the warmer water, making the resulting oat milk a tad slimy.

Use Less Water in the Base

It may sound like a no-brainer, but if you use less water in the base, you’ll end up with a thicker beverage. Next time you make milk, instead of filling the base with water to the MIN line (5 cups), use only 4 cups of water, and then add ice to the water until you reach the MIN line.

*Note, this method isn’t recommended for coconut milk, as the cold water can cause the fats in the coconut milk to clump together. We recommend hot water for coconut milk instead.

Add Cashews or Hemp Seeds

Because they’re softer and have higher fat content, cashews and hemp seeds are perfect for creating a creamy texture. Next time you make almond milk, try a measurement of ⅔ cup of almonds with ⅓ cup of cashews or hemp seeds in the filter basket with your other ingredients to taste. Hemp seeds in particular have a strong flavor, so you can have fun experimenting to find your personal sweet spot. Just make sure not exceed the one cup line in the filler basket.

The Double Ingredient Run

You can also run the Almond Cow twice. First, make milk as normal, but don’t pour the milk out of the base. Instead, take the top off the machine, and remove the pulp from the filter basket. Leave the milk in the base of the machine, and replenish the filter basket with one cup of new, fresh ingredients. Press the cow button and run the machine through the full three stages for a second time. Once the three stages are done, the Almond Cow light will stop blinking (a solid light indicates the milking process has finished).

*Note, we just ask that you do not do this more than three times consecutively or the machine may overheat.

Make your own “Barista Blend”

If you’ve tried everything else and are really looking for something to help make your milk creamier and more easy to froth for your morning coffee, we recommend trying out small quantities of sunflower lecithin. Sunflower lecithin is a natural emulsifier that helps stop the separation of fats and liquids, and it can be found at your local health store. Like hemp seeds, it has a stronger flavor, so we recommend starting out by adding just a teaspoon of sunflower lecithin to the rest of the ingredients in your filter basket.

But what is sunflower lecithin? Many people have heard of soy lecithin, which has a bad rap. But unlike soy lecithin, sunflower lecithin is cold-pressed rather than extracted through chemicals. It is made by dehydrating sunflowers, and then separating out the various parts, and has been reviewed by the FDA.

Give one of these tips a try next time you’re in the mood for a creamier creation. A more luxurious milk is waiting for you!