How to make Brazil nut milk resulting in creamiest dairy-free nut milk that actually sort of tastes like real milk PLUS why adding Brazil nuts to your diet might make a huge difference in your thyroid health.
Truth be told, I have never been a big fan of most nut milks. They always taste a bit weird to me and leave me feeling really heavy! Thankfully I tolerate cream just fine, but don’t drink any actual milk.
If you have read my latest personal health update, you will know I have been struggling with severe adrenal fatigue (thankfully mostly in the clear) and recently some thyroid issues. I am so thankful to be working with the most amazing nutritionist (yes, even nutritionists like myself have nutritionists) and she said I need to be eating brazil nuts each day.
Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, a mineral essential for efficient thyroid hormone synthesis as well as helping calm inflammatory activity in thyroid auto-immune diseases. Selenium is one of the key nutrients involved in the conversion of T4 to the active T3 thyroid hormones, which is where my thyroid is currently revolting.
Good news is you only need a few Brazil nuts, to get adequate selenium in your diet—1 to 3 is plenty!
I decided to take a whirl at making Brazil nut milk and was shocked by how much I loved the taste and it actually tastes sort of like real milk to me! I have been using this to make rooibos cinnamon lattes and matcha iced lattes and it is so delicious! I will have a few more recipes for you soon, so stay tuned.
The only part with this recipe, is it leaves a lot of pulp, which I am not the biggest fan of, so I am also testing a few recipes to use up that pulp!
Have you ever made Brazil nut milk or had success with getting more selenium in your diet? I would love to hear your stories! Leave a comment below.
How to Make Brazil Nut Milk
Makes slightly more than 1 quart
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup raw brazil nuts
- 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
- filtered water + 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt (for soaking)
- 4 cups filtered water
- 1 vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Place your nuts and salt in a stainless steel or glass bowl and cover with filtered water. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a room temperature/cool place for 8 hours or overnight.
- Rinse and drain completely.
- Add the rinsed nuts, 4 cups of water and vanilla to a high speed blender. Blend on high for about 20-30 seconds or until completely smooth.
- Use a nut milk bag to strain out the pulp.
- Transfer your nut milk to a glass container (love these as they are easy to pour) and refrigerator for up to 5 days.
isn’t it potentially dangerous to consume too much selenium?
You would have to be taking therapeutic levels for a long time. Consuming a few Brazil nuts wouldn’t cause that 🙂