Tiger nut milk has become one of my favorite non-dairy milks of late. It’s naturally sweet with a mellow nutty flavor (despite tiger nuts not being a nut). You might have encountered the tiger nut drink under the names of tigernut horchata (popular in Spain) or chufa milk.
Tiger nuts have been around for a while but only recently started getting a lot of spotlight. The name itself is a bit misleading, as tiger nuts aren’t actually nuts but tiny tubers (root vegetables) that grow wild worldwide. They are about the size of a chickpea, wrinkled and amber-colored with stripes on the exterior, hence the name.
Unlike most starchy root vegetables, the resistant starch in tiger nuts acts more like a fiber. Resistant starch resists the digestive process and moves through the small intestine into the large intestine undigested. (1) Eventually, the beneficial microbes in the large intestine break down the starch, which becomes food for beneficial bacteria in the gut. It is PREbiotics that feed our PRObiotics. Another benefit of resistant starch is that it takes longer to digest. So, tiger nuts are particularly popular among people who want to lose weight or maintain their target weight.
You can eat tiger nuts raw, but it can be kind of a commitment. As soon as the nuts are harvested, they are dried in the sun. This concentrates all the fiber and turns the nuts into a very intensive chewing experience. I like it, but some may not. One option is to rehydrate tiger nuts before eating. Another option is to make tigernut milk or Spanish horchata (sweetened tigernut milk).
Tips for Making Tiger Nut Milk
Ingredients
- Tiger nuts: tiger nut drink is a traditional method of using tiger nuts. Tiger nuts aren’t easy to find – you’ll have to track them down in an African grocery store or a health food store – but the effort is worth it. When shopping for tiger nuts, you might find them under several different names, including tiger nuts, chufa nuts, and earth almonds. Standard tiger nuts are unpeeled (brown), but you can also buy peeled (pale blonde) tiger nuts. The benefit of unpeeled tiger nuts is a fuller and overall sweeter flavor reminiscent of roasted chestnuts; the benefit of peeled tiger nuts is more visually appealing white milk. Either way, tiger nuts are an excellent alternative for those with nut allergies.
- Water: filtered water is best – it tastes fresher and purer since water filtration removes the chlorine and bacteria that can make tap water taste flat, tasteless, metallic, or even chemical.
How to Make Tiger Nut Milk
Homemade tiger nut milk is just as easy to make as any other nut milk:
- Soak the tiger nuts. While you don’t necessarily need to soak tiger nuts – since they don’t contain any phytic acid or enzyme inhibitors – I recommend it because soaking helps with the blending process. Tiger nuts are much less common than other nuts, so they are likely to be older and require soaking time to rehydrate fully. So, add the tiger nuts to a medium bowl, cover them with water, and let them soak for at least 4 hours to soften up and blend easily. When the tiger nuts are done soaking, drain the water and rinse the nuts thoroughly.
- Blend the ingredients. Add the soaked tiger nuts and water to a high-speed blender and blend on high until all the tiger nuts have broken down and the mixture is frothy.
- Strain the tiger nuts. Tiger nuts don’t break down completely, and the little pieces need to be strained. So, set a nut milk bag over a large bowl (I prefer a large measuring cup with a spout to prevent spilling when transferring the milk later on) and pour the milk in. Bring the top of the bag together and use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Note: you can dehydrate the tiger nut pulp and then blend it into a fine powder. It’s the leftover pulp that contains all the resistant starch.
How to Store Tiger Nut Milk
- Refrigerating: transfer the tiger nut milk to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. If separation occurs, shake before serving.
- Freezing: transfer the tiger nut milk to an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months. You can also pour the milk into ice cube trays and freeze it.
Tigernut Milk Variations
One of my favorite combinations has been plant-based milk made from half tiger nuts and half almonds. Of course, you can try combinations with seeds, such as tiger nuts and hemp hearts, to keep the milk completely nut-free.
Just like any homemade plant milk, you can keep tiger nut milk plain or add spices, such as cinnamon or cardamom, and/or a sweetener.
How To Use Tiger Nut Milk
An easy way to introduce tiger nut milk into your diet is by incorporating it into breakfast smoothies, pouring it over cereal or granola, stirring it into a chia pudding, or baking with it.
It’s also great for drinking straight out of a glass or as horchata de chufa. Tiger nut horchata is essentially sweetened, cinnamon-infused tigernut milk served over ice. It’s very popular in Spain, especially during the hot summer months. While horchata originated in Valencia with tiger nuts, other countries made their versions using rice (in Mexico and other parts of the Americas), almonds (in Central American countries), and sesame seeds (in Puerto Rico).
Tiger Nut Milk
Instructions
- Blend the ingredients. Add the soaked tiger nuts and water to a high-speed blender and blend on high until all the tiger nuts have broken down and the mixture is frothy.
- Strain the tiger nuts. Tiger nuts don't break down completely, and the little pieces need to be strained. So, set a nut milk bag over a large bowl (I prefer a large measuring cup with a spout to prevent spilling when transferring the milk later on) and pour the milk in. Bring the top of the bag together and use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. All you should have left is nearly a dried ball of tiger nut pulp.
- Store. Leftover tiger nut milk keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer-term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
This is the first time I have ever heard of this food! I will certainly try it if I can find in my area. Petra, I hope you and Tanner and the kids are safe and healthy. Best wishes~ Kristi
Thank you Kristi! We are all doing well. We are all staying home a lot. The kids don’t like it very much but at least we have a forest in the backyard 😉 Hope you and your husband are safe as well!
This is by far the best plant milk I have ever tasted! So delicious. Thank you so much for sharing, Petra!
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it so much, Paula! Thank you so much for the feedback and rating!❤️
I am Spanish, we love the chufa horchata, we usually prepare it with a cinnamon branch and lemon peel
Thank you for sharing! I make something similar to my kids (tigernut milk infused with cinnamon and lemon peel, and then blended with dates). They absolutely love it! Do you sweeten your chufa horchata in any way?
Hi
I love tiger nuts/chufa milk, and discovered it about two years ago. I usually soak the grains overnight and use boiling water. I don’t know but it seems to me that the drink stay more smouthie and also can create vacuum in the bottle for better conservation. Usually I use a pinch of salt and flavor it with a cinnamon stick.
Best wishes and keep safe ✨ Ção
Thank you for sharing 🙂 I am curious to see if soaking the tiger nuts in hot water makes a significant difference. I will definitely give that a try. Thank you for the tip!❤️
The boiling water is not the in the soaking, it’s in the moment of doing the milk (sorry if I did not expressed well)
Got it! Thank you for clarifying 🙂
Can one blend tigernut plus coconut and its water plus dates and lemon peel together?
For sure!