DIY Rice Milk

I've been having some heavy-duty cereal cravings lately. Thankfully, I've managed to perfect a granola recipe that includes local flour, pecans, and honey as well as a host of other delicious organic ingredients. But being a vegan, a locavore, and an environmentalist, I've been struggling over purchasing milk substitute. I'm not a huge fan of soy milk, so I've been buying either rice or almond milk. That sounds fine, I suppose, until I have to throw away those aseptic containers. It's such a waste and it bothers me to no end.

For some reason it never occurred to me to attempt making my own milk substitute. Or perhaps it's the presence of a blender (thanks to our new housemate) that has me inspired. Let's see...

Local rice - check

Water - check

Salt - check

Blender - check!

Really, that's all it takes to make your own rice milk! Here's how it's done.

Homemade Rice Milk

1. Cook 1/2 cup of brown rice per package directions (typically 1 cup water and a dash of salt).
2. Allow rice to cool.
3. Fill blender with 4 cups of water, then add rice.
4. Blend until water turns white and mixture is smooth (a minute or two).
5. Pour into jars and refrigerate.
6. Shake before using.

Note 1: Some recipes have you filter the milk through cheesecloth, but I found that if you pour it slowly out of the blender, the rice sediment stays at the bottom. Just toss this out or save for a dish (rice pudding, maybe?).

Note 2: After blending, the rice milk will be pretty thin. Refrigeration seems to thicken it up so don't panic at consistency.

Additions: For more flavoring, add a bit of honey or vanilla before blending.

That's it. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make my own rice milk. And now I've satisfied my vegan, locavore, and environmentalist self with a non-dairy, package-free, local milk substitute. Oh, and did I mention it's super frugal? Give it a try! Cereal anyone?

For all you veg*ns, you can also check out this and other posts at McDougalling with Chile and Friends.