Pumpkin Spice Almond Milk

Did you know today, October 26th, is National Pumpkin Day? Even if you didn’t, happy #NationalPumpkinDay, friends! I made us a pumpkin spice almond milk to celebrate. We all know everyone is obsessed with pumpkin. And why shouldn’t we be? It’s delicious!

Recently, a Jrink Juicery opened near my apartment. I love their Pumpkin Chai and they were sold out this weekend. Apparently, others love it too! To satisfy my craving, I made my own.

Here is my recipe:

• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup raw Brazil nuts
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (You could use 1/2 cup if you don’t want a strong pumpkin flavor. **See notes.)
• 4 cups filtered water
• 3 dates
• 1 teaspoon maca powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 pinches of ground ginger
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Steps:

• Before you make your pumpkin spice milk, soak almonds and Brazil nuts in water for at least 6 hours. I soaked mine overnight.
• Soak dates in water for 10 minutes to soften.
• Add soaked almonds, Brazil nuts, dates, and the rest of the ingredients to a blender. (**See notes.)
• Blend for 1-2 minutes until combined.
• Pour the mixture through a fine strainer, cheesecloth, or a nut milk bag. This is the one I use and I love it. (Bonus, you can use the code “crunchykat” for 10% off!) 
• Save your ready-to-use pumpkin spice milk in a mason jar! Refrigerate and allow to cool.

**Notes:

• I wanted my pumpkin spice milk to have a stronger pumpkin flavor so I added a cup of pumpkin puree. If you want just a hint of pumpkin, I would suggest adding between 1/2 and 3/4 cup.
• You can play around with the spice levels. I wish I had ground cloves on hand to make the milk have more of a bite, but adding a bit more ginger helped.

What are you doing to celebrate such an important holiday?!