Quick and Easy Rice Milk

Hi Everyone!

Thought I might share with you how I make very quick, easy, and inexpensive rice milk.  I LOVE this rice milk, primarily because it IS quick, easy, and inexpensive!  Of course, then there is the added benefit of knowing I am not feeding my family unhealthy additives.  And my recipe is SO easy to remember, since it only has two items.  #1. Brown Rice, #2. Water.  There--I told you it was easy! 

First you need to cook your rice. I usually make a double batch when I make this up, since we use it every single day on our cereal for breakfast.  But for a regular batch, you will bring 1 cup water to boil, then add 1/3 cup brown rice.  Turn down to a simmer, and let cook for 40 minutes.  If you want to end up with a larger amount of milk, just double the amounts.

When your rice is cooked, place it in your blender.  You will now need 4 cups of warm water.  I just stick mine in the microwave for a couple minutes.  Make SURE your rice and water are both warm when you are making this.  If you cannot make it up while the rice is still warm from cooking, warm your rice up before you do blend it when you come back to it later.

Anyway, place your rice in your blender, and add half of your 4 cups of warm water.  Blend on high for three minutes.  Then add in the remaining 2 cups of water, and blend briefly just to mix it in.

 Next you need to strain your milk.  I have a mesh strainer that fits in the top of my pitcher.  Works great--I just start slowly pouring the milk through the strainer.  After a while I do need to start stirring so it will all strain through.

 You will be left with just a tiny smidgen of chopped up brown rice that is too large to go through the strainer.  When all gathered up, it fits on my stirring spoon, so I throw this into my compost bag without guilt.  If you want to use it up in a casserole or something you are making, go ahead.  This picture above shows from a single batch of rice milk.  Basically, it makes four cups plus a little over.

This picture shows what I have from a double batch of the recipe.  At this point, you are almost done but not quite.  Let the milk sit for 30 minutes.  During this time, heavier rice particles will pool on the bottom of your pitcher.  After it sits for 30 minutes, I simply pour off the top milk slowly into another pitcher, leaving around the bottom inch which is thick and sludgy and I throw it away.  No, I don't feel guilty.  If I am needing rice milk for a recipe I am making, I will use it.  But if I only want milk at that time for cereal, it's too thick for cereal use.  If you want to sweeten your milk with something--sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar--now is the time.  I have tried this, and honestly, my family pretty much cannot tell the difference if I have sweetened the milk or not.  So why bother?  You can also add vanilla flavor if you want to.  Again, I tried it, but my kids use the milk and never even notice if it has vanilla flavor in it or not.

So that's it--just chill in the fridge and use.  I will say, in my opinion this milk is best for cooking or using over cereals.  I do not personally just drink it straight as a drink. If I want that, I will make up a batch of home made soy milk which is much richer tasting (soy beans have quite a high natural amount of fat in them).  But for our every day use, this rice milk is my favorite.  Hope you like it too!

~Susan