All About Almond Milk

For many years, Almond Milk was seen as a niche health food. But all that changed in the early 2000s, when Nut and Plant Milk started to become mainstream. In 2013, Almond Milk surpassed soy as the country’s favorite Plant Milk, and today remains the most popular Plant Milk by far.

Elmhurst is the poster child for the plant-based revolution: a family dairy that closed its doors and reopened as an innovative Plant Milk company. Why would a company with 90 years invested in the dairy industry do this?

• Was it the array of health benefits, including antioxidant properties, weight management, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, that Almond Milk and Plant Milk offer?
• Was it the potential of Plant and Almond Milk to substitute for dairy milk in coffee, cereal, smoothies, and more?
• Was it that Elmhurst had the technology to produce Plant Milks and Almond Milk with a nutty flavor and creamy texture, free of gums and emulsifiers?

Actually, it was all of the above. Let's take a closer look!

ALMOND MILK NUTRITION

Unfortunately, not all Almond Milk delivers the same nutritional value. But because an Elmhurst Almond Milk contains up to four times more nuts per serving than other brands, you can use our nutritional information as a benchmark. Read the labels of other Almond Milks and you’ll soon see why you should stick with Elmhurst!

• Calories: 130
• Fat: 2-11g
• Cholesterol: 0mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 3g
• Sodium: 5mg
• Protein: 0-5g

Why such variation between Plant Milks?

Sadly, many Plant and Nut Milks exist as water emulsions. When drinking these beverages, you might assume that the creaminess you taste comes from the almonds themselves – because it IS Almond Milk, after all! But for certain brands, the actual nut percentage can hover around just 2%. Other ingredients like thickeners and gums are then added to make your drink taste and feel like milk.

On top of that, fewer nuts per serving also translates to lower fat and protein counts. The calories in these Almond Milks will invariably be lower, which some point to as a benefit. But when you consider that these calories are what deliver the nutritional value of Nut Milks and ensure you’re making a healthier choice by swapping to such a product, this is not such a good thing.

If you're looking for unparalleled authenticity, as well as containing up to four times as many nuts as other brands, Elmhurst's Unsweetened Almond Milk is made with just two ingredients: water and almonds. 

Plus, our unique HydroRelease™ method ensures that the finished product retains all of the nutritional value of the almonds, and gives you a tasty and satisfying drink without any hidden ingredients or additives!

There are various factors that make Almond Milk a healthy alternative to dairy milk, so long as you choose a brand, like Elmhurst, that doesn’t throw in lots of added junk.

• Collectively, all of these components work together to help to keep blood sugar levels steady.

• Consuming a diet high monounsaturated fats has been shown to help with weight management and promote weight loss.
• High amounts of monounsaturated fats have been shown to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease.Monounsaturated fats has been shown to improve joint health.

• Vitamin Ehelps prevent wrinkles by defending our skin from free radicals and UV radiation.
• It helps combat inflammation.
• And it enhances immunity, too.

• Diets high in protein are more satiating than those high in fat or carbohydrates, and thus, are more effective for weight loss.

• Ancestral diets high in potassium have been linked to lower blood pressure, reducing risk of cardiovascular disease.

 WHAT DOES “UNSWEETENED” ALMOND MILK REALLY MEAN?

Many brands that produce Plant and Nut Milks interpret “unsweetened” quite literally as no added sugars or sweeteners. They're technically right, but here at Elmhurst, we go even further and ensure our Almond Milk includes no unnecessary added ingredients at all. Remove one ingredient and you have either a container of whole almonds or carton of water.

Here are some of the ingredients found in other Unsweetened Almond Milk on the market. Your Elmhurst only has the first two!

• Water
• Almonds
• Sea Salt
• Natural Flavor
• Locust Bean Gum
• Gellan Gum
• Ascorbic Acid
• Potassium Citrate
• Sunflower Lecithin
• Calcium Carbonate

Almond Milk isn’t just for pouring over your cereal. It can also be a terrific dairy substitute for recipes.

To get you started, here’s a look at five amazing creations you can conjure up using Elmhurst Almond Milk, with links to the full recipe. Remember to check out our full Recipes section for further inspiration - the great thing about Nut Milks is that it’s often easy to swap one for another, so you can always use your favorites in whatever recipe you decide to make!

1. Creamy Vegan Spinach Cauliflower Alfredo

This mouthwatering recipe not only shows you exactly how amazing Almond Milk can be to cook with, it also has the potential to serve multiple purposes.

Whether you’re cooking up a main meal for a hungry family after a busy day at school or work, or are batch cooking easy lunches to enjoy during the week, this keto and vegan-friendly dish takes less than 30 minutes to make.

2. Layered Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

If you love a decadent breakfast but want to avoid the mid-morning sugar crash that often comes with such tasty treats, Elmhurst has the solution right here.

This amazing breakfast is easy to make and is an excellent way to give the children a nutritious start to the day instead of a sugar-packed cereal. And if you don’t have time to eat it in the morning, it also works as a beautiful dessert to cap off your evening meal.

3. Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Whether you’re cooking up a treat for a party or just love having comfort food to hand when you need it most, these vegan chocolate chip cookies tick all the boxes. Our recipe will yield 36 cookies in less than an hour, meaning you can easily make them at the last minute if you somehow forgot about them!

Did you also know that August 4th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day? If you needed an excuse to bake up a batch of these incredible cookies, you have it right there!

4. Vegan Gluten Free Waffles

Next up is another tasty guilt-free breakfast, or a tasty treat to enjoy whenever you need one or simply have 20 minutes to whip up something amazing. 

This recipe will leave you with an Insta-worthy looking plate of food, but it’s so good we’ll understand if you want to keep it all to yourself!

5. Easy Mixed Berry Smoothie

Okay, so this recipe says you can use your Elmhurst Plant Milk of choice, but we always love Almond Milk as the base for a smoothie.

This recipe is perfect for a quick breakfast fix in the morning - especially if you have frozen fruit or prepped your fruit the night before - or as a lunch alternative during the summer if you feel it’s too hot to eat but know you need to consume something.

GET ALL THE GOODNESS AND NONE OF THE NASTY STUFF WITH ELMHURST!

So there you have it! Not only do you know what to look for when buying Almond Milk, you have some incredible ideas for what you can do with it, too.

Save yourself the time shopping at the store and reading long ingredients lists featuring oils, gums, and thickeners, and embrace healthy, plant-based living with Elmhurst Plant Milks.