How to Prepare Tiger Nut Milk

Last Updated: March 29, 2023 References Tested

Believe it or not, tiger nuts aren’t actually nuts at all—they’re part of a weed known as yellow nutsedge. They’re high in antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, and other valuable nutrients, and are pretty common in the Eastern Hemisphere.^{[1]
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Research source} If you’re vegan, lactose-intolerant, or looking to make a change in your diet, tiger nuts might be a great replacement for ordinary dairy milk. Once you’ve soaked your tiger nuts overnight, it only takes a few minutes to prepare fresh and delicious milk that you can enjoy for up to 1 week.

Ingredients

Tiger Nut Milk

1 cup (150 g) of tiger nuts
2 c (470 mL) of water, for soaking the nuts
2 to 4 c (470 to 950 mL) of water, for the milk
½ tsp (2.6 g) of cinnamon, ground (optional)
1 tsp (4.9 mL) of vanilla extract (optional)
1 US tbsp (15 mL) of maple syrup (optional)
3 cardamom pods (optional)
¼ cup (60 g) of jaggery (optional)
1 sweet potato, cubed (optional)
1 ginger root, sliced (optional)
A handful of dates (optional)

Makes 4 servings

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making Plain Tiger Nut Milk

1
Pour 1 cup (150 g) of tiger nuts into a bowl of water. Fill a large mixing bowl with about 2 to 4 c (470 to 950 mL) of tap water. Once the bowl is ready, dump in your tiger nuts so they can soak. Make sure all the tiger nuts are soaking, or else they may not soften evenly.^{[2]
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- If you want to make a lot of milk at once, you can always double the recipe.
- If your tiger nuts are already skinned, you’ll only need to soak them in about 2 c (470 mL) of water.^{[3]
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2
Cover and soak the nuts for 1 day in the refrigerator. Take a sheet of plastic wrap and cover the top of the bowl so no water evaporates. At this point, stick the covered bowl in the refrigerator. Keep in mind when you started soaking the tiger nuts so you can take them out again in 24 hours.^{[4]
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- Soaking the nuts makes them softer and easier to blend into milk.
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3
Strain the soaked nuts in a colander. Set a large colander in your sink, then pour in the tiger nuts. Drain away any leftover water to make sure they’re completely clean.^{[5]
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4
Add the tiger nuts into a blender. Make sure that your blender is really powerful, so it can blend the ingredients super easily. Ideally, you want your milk to have a smooth, even consistency.
- You can also use a food processor for this, as long as your food processor can process liquids.
5
Pour in at least 2 c (470 mL) of water. You can add in more water, depending on how thin you’d like your milk to be. If you’d prefer a creamier consistency, start off with just 2 c (470 mL).^{[6]
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6
Blend the ingredients together for at least 3 minutes. If possible, choose the “blend” or “smooth” setting on your blender. Let the blender run for at least 3 minutes, or until your tiger nut milk looks like it’s an even consistency.^{[7]
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7
Use a muslin cloth to filter the milk. Drape a muslin cloth over a glass, pitcher, or another container. Pour the blended tiger nuts through the cloth, which filters out the pure milk. Continue straining until you’ve collected all the milk that you possibly can.
- You can also use a sheet of burlap, like the material of a nut bag, to strain your milk.
8
Refrigerate any leftovers for up to 1 week. Pour any leftover tiger nut milk into a sturdy container, like a jar or pitcher. Label the date of when you made the tiger nut milk, so you can remember when it goes bad. Enjoy your dairy-free milk for the next week!^{[8]
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Did You Know? Tiger nuts may help lower your bad cholesterol and provide a boost to your GI system.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Adding Extra Ingredients

1
Include cinnamon and vanilla to make a tasty horchata. While making traditional tiger nut milk add in 1 tsp (4.9 mL) of vanilla extract, along with ½ tsp (2.6 g) of ground cinnamon. As an extra touch, pour in 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of maple syrup. You can refrigerate this drink for up to 3 days, or enjoy it right away!^{[10]
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- If you’re making a lot of this recipe, consider transferring the drink to a glass jar or pitcher.
2
Create an aromatic drink with cardamom pods and cinnamon. While softening your tiger nuts, soak them with a cinnamon stick in a covered bowl. When you go to prepare the milk, toss in 3 cardamom pods, as well as a ¼ cup (60 g) of jaggery, or sugar. Blend all the ingredients together, including the cinnamon stick, then refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour. Once it’s chilled, strain it through a nut milk bag and enjoy your beverage with ice.^{[11]
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- You can find jaggery and cardamom pods online, or in certain marketplaces.
- A nut milk bag helps you strain any homemade nut milks that you make at home. You can purchase this online, or use a cheesecloth, sieve, or another fine strainer instead.
3
Toss in some dates, sweet potatoes, and ginger for a tasty drink. Wash and peel a small sweet potato, then cut it into small cubes. As you get ready to make your tiger nut milk, toss the sweet potato chunks into the blender along with the softened nuts. To add an extra kick, peel and chop up some ginger root and add it to the other ingredients. As a finishing touch, throw in a few dates to the mixture. Blend everything together, then strain out the milk.^{[12]
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- You may need to add at least ¹⁄₄ c (59 mL) of water to thin out your milk.
- If your drink isn’t sweet enough, consider stirring in a spoonful of sugar.
- This type of drink tastes best cold.