emulsifier in homemade nut milk

benspell_33688

Hello,

I am working on making almond and other nut milks for use in steaming for milk based espresso drinks. 

I am curious if anyone has tried to add any emulsifiers to their nut milks to help create microfoam more like dairy?

I know some soy milks use carrageenan for this. Does anyone have any tips on where to start?

Thanks so much.

Ben

Joel_Esposito_114224

I haven't tried to make nut milks at home yet, but I have made some almond milk + espresso drinks on my Gaggia classic. I was using Blue Diamond almond milk and found that it basically watered down the espresso and added some really gnarly burnt-ish flavors. Almost like over-toasted nuts. I may have over-steamed the mil though. I do seem to remember getting a decent foam structure so you may start by checking what the manufacturers are putting in the milk (Blue Diamond is using carrageenan and sunflower lecithin). I would say find a nut that has a good balance of protein (for foam-building) and fat to prevent the foam from becoming too tight.