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This homemade Tiger Nut Milk (aka Horchata De Chufa) is a delicious new dairy-free milk recipe to add to the collection. Creamy, sweet, and requiring only two ingredients to make – it’s also vegan, GF, dairy-free, lactose-free, and nut-free too!
You may have noticed that I’ve been on a bit of a dairy-free milk kick at the moment – with recipes for a wide variety of nut milks, oat milk, rice milk, soy milk, etc. So how could I not add this homemade tiger nut milk recipe to my collection?
Now, you may be wondering what are tiger nuts. Have no fear; the answers are all below in the blog post. As well as how to eat tiger nuts pulp leftover from the milk-making process.
While tiger nut milk isn’t as widely acknowledged as certain other dairy-free milk options here in the UK, it is a beloved drink in Spain. This drink is called horchata de chufa and is served ice-cold in the hot summer months. It is also consumed in Mexico with cinnamon and vanilla.
However, it is also a great everyday dairy-free milk option all year round and definitely worth trying.
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What are tiger nuts?
First things first, tiger nuts aren’t actually nuts. Nor do they have anything to do with tigers. Tiger nuts (aka cyperus esculentus) are a part of the ‘tuber’ family, like potatoes and artichoke – which means they’re an excellent alternative for those with nut allergies and grain allergies.
- Tiger nuts are a fantastic food for a majority of diet choices; paleo, gluten-free, vegan, low FODMAP, grain-free, whole food, etc.
- They have a few names including tiger nut, chufa, earth almond, yellow nutsedge, etc. and were originally cultivated in Egypt as far back as 4000bc.
- In terms of taste, it can be a bit hard to describe. Some day they are similar to almonds with a rich, nutty flavor. However, they are also naturally sweeter – with others likening them more to coconut.
What about tiger nut nutritional value?
Tiger nuts are a rich source of a variety of vitamins, minerals, and other good plant compounds. This includes containing high levels of Vitamin E (278% of your DV, in fact, in a 1oz serving) and Iron. They also contain good amounts of Vitamin C, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and potassium.
How to make tiger nut milk in six easy steps
Tiger nut milk is a great alternative to cows milk and creates naturally sweet, nutty plant-based milk. Here is the recipe to make tiger nut milk in just a few simple steps.
Ingredients
All you need is:
- tiger nuts
- filtered water
Steps
Start by soaking the tiger nuts for six hours or overnight. They will swell in size ever so slightly and will make them easier to blend into creamy, smooth milk.
Add the soaked tiger nuts into a high-speed processor/blender. Blend the nuts down to rough pieces.
Add the 4 cups of water and blend again till creamy and smooth. This usually takes between 2-3 minutes.
After blending the nuts with the water, pour the liquid into a bowl through a nut milk bag. Squeeze the nut milk bag to get all the milky liquid out. Then pour into a bottle.
You could also use a fine-mesh sieve and press out the leftover tiger nut pulp to drain any liquid.
The leftover tiger nut pulp can easily be made into flour by leaving it to dry (or dehydrating it at a very low temperature in the oven). This can then be used in a variety of bakes and works similarly to almond flour, although is slightly sweeter. The tiger nut flour can then be used for crackers, no-bake bars, pancakes cookies, etc. Alternatively, you could leave it wet and blend it into smoothies
Store in a glass bottle in the fridge for 3 days. You will notice it begins to smell slightly sour as it spoils.
Note* before using it, give the bottle a good shake to mix up any loose sediment at the bottom of the bottle – Then, you’re good to go.
Other simple DIYs
If you’re interested in trying some more delicious dairy-free milk recipes, then look no further. I have a variety of different dairy-free milk recipes on my blog including this Homemade Oat Milk ( that isn’t slimy), Zero Waste Homemade Almond Milk, and How-to: DIY Homemade Coconut Milk.
For the full list, feel free to browse through the DIY section of my blog or search ‘milk‘ in the search bar for options including rice, soy, cashew, walnut, etc.
Homemade Tiger Nut milk (Horchata De Chufa)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Tiger Nuts
- 4 cups filtered water
Instructions
- Start by soaking the tiger nuts for six hours or overnight. They will swell in size ever so slightly and will make them easier to blend into creamy, smooth milk.
- Add the soaked tiger nuts into a high-speed processor/blender. Blend the nuts down to rough pieces.
- Add the water and blend again till creamy and smooth. This usually takes between 2-3 minutes.
- After blending the nuts with the water, pour the liquid into a bowl through a nut milk bag. Squeeze the nut milk bag to get all the milky liquid out. Then pour into a bottle. You could also use a fine-mesh sieve and press out the leftover tiger nut pulp to drain any liquid.
- Store in a glass bottle in the fridge for 3 days**.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Samira,
Do I use fresh or dried tiger nut?
Hi Toyosi,
I used dried tiger nuts, unpeeled. I hope this helps.
Did you use whole or peeled tiger nuts?
Hi,
You can use either peeled or unpeeled tiger nuts. I used unpeeled/whole nuts. I hope this helps.
What brand of tiger nuts do you use? I can’t have dairy and want to make this milk but while shopping for tiger nuts there seem to be a lot of complaints of various brands being rancid or moldy. I am allergic to mold and cannot afford to consume it so not sure how to avoid this issue. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Hi Chris,
I’m sorry I currently can’t recommend a specific brand. Maybe you can get advice from a local farmer’s market or a store that sells organic foods. I hope you find a solution.
Thanks for being there please cups of tiger nut,date,and coconut wil be okay for family use. Thanks
Hi Jessica,
This sounds like a good combination. If you like the taste, I don’t see why you can’t consume it. But if you have any health-related questions, it’s best to consult a professional. I hope this helps.
Very amazing
Thank you so much for your comment!
I have really learned a lot here I will give it a trayer
Thank you for your comment, Anita. I hope you like it.
Just tried my first attempt at this recipe. While I enjoyed it, my sister felt the milk had a lingering lotion or perfume taste. Could this be a result of soaking the nuts for too long? Or can tigernuts sometimes have that taste? We had them soaking for 48 hours pre blend. Thanks for your expertise!
Hi Katie,
If you are planning on soaking the nuts for a long time, or simply didn’t manage to make the milk after 8 hours of soaking, it’s best to soak them in the fridge. I hope this helps.
Thank you so much Samira for this wonderful recipe. I am definitely trying this over the weekend with some coconut and date to taste
Thank you so much for your comment! I hope you gave it a try.
Hello, I made this not so long ago but left the tiger nuts soaking for 2 days as they seemed not to soften. When I did finally blend it and drained it it became slimy by the next day in the pitcher. What could have happened?
Hi there,
Certain nuts will become slimy when they are soaked for too long, perhaps you should try to soak them overnight only. Did you store the milk in the fridge?
Thanks for everything.pls can this drink be packaged and sold?and how much will be required for the preparation and packaging?
As there aren’t any preservatives in this milk I wouldn’t recommend it for selling as the shelf life fairly low. Though, if you wanted to look into possible preservatives, then it may be an option, as long as the product is in constant refrigeration.
Thanks so much for learning and gaining alot from your blog
Thank you for your comment, Thomas.
Thanks. I’m soaking the nuts now to try! I love the bottles that you use in your photos. What size are they and where can they be purchased?
Hi, that’s great to hear, remember you can customise your milk by adding flavours like cinnamon etc. I got those bottles mostly from ikea and some Ebay. I find ikea to be the cheapest.
I enjoyed this drink when I was in Valencia, so refreshing on what was a hot day. I live in Australia and am going to attempt to make the drink, cheers for the receipe.
thanks
Debra
Thank you for your comment, Debra. Hope you give the recipe a try – it’s really easy to make and you can flavor it to taste if needed.
Do you use peeled tiger nuts or is raw nuts fine to use?
Hi Tom,
The raw unpeeled tiger nuts are fine to use.