In case you missed it, last week I posted review of almond milk lattes around the city of Toronto. Mylk Uncookies won by a landslide for one simple reason – they make their own almond milk with unpasteurized almonds. You can taste the difference between a latte made with Almond Dream and one made with fresh almond milk. It’s a foodgasmic experience. The foam is perfectly balanced and the fatty profile of the milk is like silk on your tongue.
If you don’t have the option of making your own almond milk and want to make a latte from home, then the next best thing is a brand called Pacific Foods, which you can purchase at most health food stores. The almond milk is organic and you will notice the difference. You have to shake it really well because the fat separates from the liquid a bit, but it tastes more natural than Almond Dream.
Here’s what you will need for the perfect almond milk latte:
- 1 cup almond milk (preferably organic)
- 1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 shot fair-trade organic espresso (decaf if you like, that’s what I normally use)
- Ground cinnamon (get the non-irradiated stuff from health food store. It’s the most heavenly scent EVER!)
There are various ways to make a latte from home. If you are lucky enough and to have an espresso machine, I won’t insult your intelligence here and tell you how to steam milk or make the perfect shot of espresso. But 2 things to keep in mind:
- Almond milk has delicate “good” fats that if you steam for too long, you will denature them. Steam for a shorter time than you would cow dairy milk.
- If you are using Pacific Foods almond milk, remember to shake the carton well before steaming.
If you don’t have a milk steamer, than you can heat your milk on the lowest temperature possible on your stove top in a pot. This is a bit of a pain to be honest, so I’m going to assume that most of you have an espresso machine or a milk steamer.
Once you’ve got your espresso shot and steamed milk, pour your milk into cup over top of the espresso, add the vanilla, sprinkle with blood sugar balancing cinnamon and voila – the perfect almond milk latte!
Want to skip the espresso altogether? I don’t blame you. Here are some other options to create a most delicious warming almond milk drink, add the following once the milk is heated (including the cinnamon of course):
- 1/4 tsp organic ground nutmeg
- 1/8th tsp organic ground cloves
The beautiful thing about these ingredients is they are ridiculously high on the ORAC scale. Now for those of you not familiar with this scale, in simple terms, they are super-charged with antioxidant (AO) goodness. They will give you superPOWERS! Well, not really… but you get my point. AOs are involved in everything from preventing premature aging to reducing the risk of cancer. In today’s environment where are are subjected to more chemical toxins than ever before and our stress levels are at an all-time high, we NEED to saturate our bodies with AOs.
Enjoy your non-dairy warming antioxidant drink!
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What temperature do you steam it to?
Hi Samantha,
I don’t actually check the temp with a thermometer. I just feel the outside of the cup with my hands and stop steaming when it’s getting warm and it’s never overheated.
Yum! I love to make the same thing with Teeceeno (an herbal coffee) for something decaf. The caffeinated version is good too though
I recently found this brand of almond milk at Whole Foods and was wondering why tiny bits kept coming out. Since reading this post I’ve shaken it much more before pouring and it’s been so much better. Thanks for the tip!
Which almond milk brands do you recommend? I also use the one from Pacific.