Maybe you're like me, and your tummy just doesn't love dairy milk anymore. Don't get me wrong, I am never passing up a good ice cream. (This one comes immediately to mind.) When I use milk for smoothies or cereal, or anything where dairy milk isn't essential, I usually reach for an alternative.
This rice milk is divine in a smoothie recipe I'm going to share in a few days. It's naturally sweet with no added sugar and kissed with vanilla.
In the past, I've just purchased rice milk, but when I took a look at the ingredients recently, I thought maybe I could do better at home.
I start with Jasmine rice. I feel sure you could use another white rice, but I've had success with Jasmine since I started making it and haven't switched. You'll let that soak in hot water for a couple of hours.
Drain the rice; there's no need to rinse.
Add the rice to a blender with filtered water, chopped dates (I recommend these), vanilla, and sea salt. Blend it up!
Next comes a double round of straining. To begin, you'll strain out all of the larger pieces. Don't those date pieces look like bacon? Is it time for lunch?
The second strain is through a few layers of cheesecloth. It will take a while for it to filter through. Give it a little stir every so often to nudge it along.
Viola! You made your very own rice milk!
Cover and refrigerate. It'll keep for about 1 week or so. I always use mine in a few days. It is ESSENTIAL that you whisk the rice milk before using it as it separates as it sits. This is normal.
Vanilla Rice Milk
3/4 cup Jasmine rice
5 cups filtered water, divided
2 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt
Place the rice in a bowl. Heat two cups filtered water until hot, but not boiling. Pour over rice and let sit for two hours.
Strain the rice in a fine-mesh sieve. Pour the strained rice into a blender. Add 3 cups cold filtered water, dates, vanilla, and salt. Blend on high about 1 minute. After 1 minute, pulse several times to ensure any large date chunks are blended.
Strain into a bowl using the fine-mesh sieve. Discard and solids, rinse the strainer. Line sieve with 3-4 layers of cheesecloth. Place over another bowl or large measuring cup. Strain the liquid once more, pouring in as much as the strainer will hold. This process will take several minutes. Guide the process along by stirring the mixture in the cheesecloth, scraping the bottom. When the last bit of milk is straining, lift the cheesecloth and give it a squeeze.
Cover and refrigerate up to one week. Whisk well before using.
*adapted from Minimalist Baker
Do you have a favorite non-dairy milk?
