Here’s one of those recipes that’s so stupid-simple, I almost feel silly sharing it. And yet, it’s so tasty that I can’t keep it to myself. Pecan milk, where have you been all my life?!
Pecans make an incredible nut milk. It’s nutty and tastes like, well, pecans—even more so if you use freshly roasted pecans instead of raw. I prefer mine with a touch of maple syrup and a dash of vanilla. Sip it chilled for an all-natural treat.
Unlike almond milk, which requires straining and leaves gritty almond pulp behind, pecan milk doesn’t require any straining at all. The pecans blend into super-creamy oblivion, which makes this a no-waste nut milk that contains all of the nutrients and fiber you would get from a handful of pecans.
I absolutely love homemade pecan butter and homemade cashew milk, so I’m not sure why I didn’t think to make pecan milk until now. I finally tried making some a few weeks ago, after buying Malk’s pecan milk at Whole Foods (highly recommend, if you don’t want to make your own). So far, I’ve enjoyed pecan milk on its own, with granola, and in my coffee, and loved it every which way.
The only downside to pecan milk is that pecans are not the cheapest of nuts. But, I know from my pecan butter recipe that some of you lucky ducks have a pecan surplus. For those who don’t (hi)—I still think it’s worth the cost. You can cut the pecans with other nuts, if you’d like. Cashews also blend into creamy nothingness, which makes cashew milk my other favorite nut milk.
Pecan milk has a more nut-forward flavor, while cashew milk is neutral. Oat milk tastes like, well, oats. All of them are better-tasting than standard store-bought almond milk. Once you start, you’ll never go back!
Pecan Milk
- Author:
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Drinks
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: American
Learn how to make pecan milk with this easy recipe! I love pecan milk because it’s creamy, delicious and nutritious. Plus, it doesn’t require straining like other nut milks. Recipe yields about 4 glasses of pecan milk (a total of 4 ½ cups or 36 ounces).
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw or freshly roasted pecans (see notes!)
- 4 cups water, divided
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup, to taste
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sea salt
Instructions
- If you have soaked your pecans, rinse them in a fine-mesh sieve under running water. Place the pecans in your blender and add 2 cups of the water. Blend until the mixture is creamy and completely smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add the remaining 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, the vanilla and a couple dashes of salt (salt just amplifies the other flavors). Blend again to combine. Taste, and add additional maple syrup if you’d like sweeter milk.
- Serve immediately (I prefer my pecan milk chilled, so I add a few ice cubes to my glass) or refrigerate it, covered, for up to 5 days. Pecan milk will separate over time, so just whisk it back together before serving.
Notes
On soaking: Most nut milk recipes will tell you to soak your nuts for 4 hours before blending to make your nut milks more nutritious and easier to blend. Feel free to do so. I have no patience for soaking and my Vitamix can easily blend pecans into oblivion without pre-soaking. Pecans are so soft that I suspect less expensive blenders could also make do with un-soaked nuts, but that will really depend on your blender.
Raw vs. roasted pecans: Raw pecans make a lovely milk with a more subtle pecan flavor. For more intense pecan flavor, you can roast raw pecans on a small, rimmed baking sheet for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring halfway, in a 350 degree-Fahrenheit oven. Don’t attempt to make pecan milk with pre-roasted, store-bought nuts; those nuts are often coated in oil and have gone rancid already.
Change it up: You can add a pinch of cinnamon to this milk for some spice, although I prefer it without. You could also sweeten the milk with a couple of plump, juicy Medjool dates (be sure to pit them first). For chocolate pecan milk, blend in cocoa powder, to taste (you really need to blend it in the blender—it’s impossible to incorporate by hand!).
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Audrey
Excited to try this! I recently made your cashew milk and couldn’t agree more that it is not only ten times better than store bought almond milk, but also way more satisfying than homemade almond milk! And wasting all the almond pulp when I made almond milk always made me a bit sad. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Kate
Thanks, Audrey! Hope you love pecan just as much, if not more!
Chandani
This is great to know! Thanks so much for sharing. We are a cashew milk household and I make mine fresh each week, but I never thought of pecan milk as an alternative. Do you know which is more cost effective?
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks, Chandani! I don’t know the cost of pecans vs. cashews off the top of my head, but they call for roughly the same weight of nuts, so whichever nut is less expensive at the store, per ounce, will be the more cost-effective of the two.
Susan
I might try this. I did try making almond milk a couple of times and gave up because it just didn’t turn out well. I like the idea of not having anything left over after blending.
Kate
I hope you’ll give it a shot! Pecan milk is beyond easy and more tasty, in my opinion.
Nadia Burkowski
I tried making this, and I don’t know if I did it wrong, but it’s quite oily? You can definitely see it on top of my coffee this morning. Would roasting the nuts help with this? I did use raw pecans.
★★★★
Kate
Hi Nadia, I have a note on pre-roasted vs raw pecans in the notes section. If they are pre-roasted at the store, they can have an oil coating.
Adrienne | Appetites Anonymous
AH I love this! Totally making this over the weekend :)
Donna@The Hanging Spoon
Thanks so much for sharing this Kate! I can’t wait to try it!!
Janice
Very excited to try this but first I have to make almond milk with the almonds that are soaking in my Vitamix. :( I’m so tired of straining almond milk in a nut bag. Paying a little more for pecans is worth the reduction in work. I’m really not lazy but that sure sounds like I am!! Thank you for posting the recipe!
Kate
You are more patient than I am—I can’t bring myself to soak and strain almond milk! I think you’ll love pecan milk (and cashew milk, too, if you haven’t tried it yet). They’re creamier than almond milk, too!
Erica
I’ve tried a few other nut milks (hazelnut being my favorite!), and now I’ll have to try pecan milk this weekend. Gorgeous photos!
★★★★★
Kate
Ooh, I need to try hazelnut! Now where is that bag of hazelnuts…
Deborah
I’m a southern girl who can’t wait to try pecan milk! Thanks for sharing your wonderful healthy recipes!
Kate
I just know you’re going to love it! Enjoy. :)
Barbara
Hi Kate!
Can you use pecans instead of cashew nuts to make a creamy vegan cheese? I have an allergy to cashews and only found this out after using it so much for creamy toppings on pizza, etc…
Kate
Hi Barbara, I’m sorry to hear that! Cashews have become my go-to for vegan sauces and whatnot. I imagine you could use pecans in the same way, as long as a nutty flavor is welcome!
Kiki
I’ll bet macadamia nuts would work and even tahini.
Natalia
I never sweeten my cashew milk, I just add vanilla powder… Can I make this milk unsweetened or do you recommend some sort of sweetner (dates or maple syrup)?
Kate
Hi Natalia, if you prefer your cashew milk without sweetener, I bet you’ll enjoy unsweetened pecan milk as well. I just thought it was more enticing with a touch of maple.
Ellen
What if I want to use roasted pecans, but I don’t have a high-speed blender? Would there still be soaking required? If yes, would the soaking happen before or after roasting?
Kate
Hey Ellen, I don’t think you’ll need to soak them (although if you wanted to, I’d roast them first and then soak them). I didn’t notice my blender having any more trouble with the roasted pecans.
Sophie
Hi Kate
Can this milk be heated up to use in say porridge?
Love your recipes by the way, I live in Australia and my daughter is currently living in the USA so we share your recipes very often making them on the same night :)
Kate
Thanks for saying hi, Sophie! I love that you two coordinate on my recipes. :) I believe it could be heated for porridge!
Lee Ann
This sounds delicious!
Kyla
I’ve never made nut milk, but I had pecans on hand and this sounded so easy, which it was! The flavor is fabulous! The texture, I found, is a little chalky. Is that typical of homemade nut milks? I roasted my pecans but did not soak them — might try soaking next time. I enjoyed a glass on ice and am now chilling the rest of the batch. Teenage daughter gave it a thumb’s up, too. Thanks!
Kate
Hey Kyla! I’m glad you are enjoying the flavor. You know, the funny thing is that I often find my first few sips a little chalky, but the leftover milk is nice and creamy. Is that true for you? Maybe soaking would help, or maybe just letting the mixture rest in the fridge afterward does the job well enough.
ella
I love pecans but had never thought to try pecan milk either! My favourite is macadamia milk ~ so creamy! Macadamias are a good substitute for cashews if, like me, they are cheaper where you are, and/or you’re on a low-fodmap diet. Pecans are another low-fodmap nut and also happen to be one of my favourites! ^_^
Kate
Ooh, macadamias sound really good.
Kiki
They make really good milk and ice cream/smoothies…they are actually very similar to cashew nuts! You have some very yummy looking recipes, I am writing some down to try out=).
Jeffrey
Do you absolutely need a vitamin for this recipe? Would regular blende or even a food processor work?
Kate
Hi, Jeffrey! To be on the safe side, you may want to soak your pecans to make them easier to blend. If you soak them for four hours prior to blending, it should be just as smooth and silky as the Vitamix.
Leslie Meadow
Your ads are making your page very jumpy today. Can’t stay in one place or read down through the recipe without it loading back to the top. Very frustrating! Didn’t know if you knew…
Kate
Leslie, that shouldn’t be happening! Very sorry to hear that. Can you tell me which browser you’re using? I’ll have my ad guy investigate. I’m not having that trouble with my Google Chrome browser. You might also try clearing your browser’s cache.
Lee | LifeNaturalee
Hmmmmm, pecan milk <3 Honestly, I'm drooling. I will try the next time I find reduced price pecans ^^
★★★★★
Kate
You should! It’s so delicious and so versatile.
Abby @ Heart of a Baker
Ohh I’ve done cashew and almond milk, but still not pecan! Love that shot of Cookie stealing a nut up there :)
Kate
Thanks, Abby! You’re gonna love it. Cookie was being her usual ornery self during the photo shoot. Couldn’t turn away without losing a decorative pecan or two. :)
Allison Bost
Sounds like a great treat! I’ll have to try this. Thanks Kate ;)
Kate
You’re welcome! Report back when you do :)
Sara @ Last Night's Feast
Wow! This is awesome. I’ve never thought to make any kind of milk at home =)
Kate
So simple! You should go for it.
Sarah
I’m a regular cashew milk maker, and this was a fantastic alternative. So tasty. Used up the leftover Christmas pecans. I’m not a fan of straining so this would not have occurred to me, but Kate is right- no straining needed! Thank you!
Sarah
I’m a regular cashew milk maker, for the very reason that it doesn’t require straining. I would not have tried this save for Kate’s suggested recipe. It was fantastic! Also a great way to use up leftover Christmas pecans. Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome, Sarah! I’m so happy you found a good use for them :)
Robyn
This recipe looks great! Although, a word of caution~don’t let your dog eat pecans! They can be toxic and cause neurological problems.
Kate
That’s the first I’ve heard of pecans causing problems! I know macadamia nuts should be avoided (and any nut in large quantity), but I don’t see pecans on this list. http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets
amy t.
I roasted the pecans, soaked them and then made this with agave syrup and extra vanilla. The flavor is good. Since I only have a regular blender, it is sludgy even after being strained. I purchased bulk pecans @ $11.00 a pound. One cup of nuts weighed 4 oz., so the cost is about $2.75 for four cups of pecan milk, not including the other ingredients. That makes it not quite twice the price of purchased Cashew Milk. That said, Pecan Milk is now my preference over the other nut milks. It’s great in iced coffee!!
★★★★
Kate
Yes, a thicker milk makes for a great coffee creamer :) So glad you enjoy this, Amy!
Lynn
I love this idea. Can you store any unused pecan milk in the refrigerator? If so, how long will it last in the refrigerator? Could it be substituted for milk in a recipe?
Thanks
Kate
Hey, Lynn. So, first–yes, you can use nut milk in place of dairy milk in any recipe! This goes for almond milk, macadamia, cashew, and pecan. And I would use this milk within three days or so, but you could always freeze it beyond that for use in smoothies and other recipes.
Kathryn
Just made the pecan milk and it is really great! No crunchy ‘sand’ like with almond milk and it is creamy and delicious! I used vanilla bean, just a little and the maple syrup. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Yes! So happy the texture came out nicely for you.
Amy
Kate, thank you so much for the excellent receipe!! I made as is and used 2 Tbs of bourbon maple syrup from Trader Joe’s. I love love love not having to strain it. Thanks again! Xo
Kate
Oh, bourbon maple syrup sounds heavenly, Amy! You’re welcome.
Maria
Pecans are my favorite nut!!! I LOVE their flavor, and have wondered many-a-time why pecan milk isn’t a thing! With maple and vanilla…. for extra yum, of course!
Kate
It’s so good! Lots of readers love it in their coffee, so if you’re into that, try it!
Jamie
I’ve found that pecans are a reasonable price at the Costco that we shop at frequently. Out of all the nuts in the aisle, they are usually the least expensive.
Kate
Great! Costco for the win.
Michelle
Just made some- soooo delicious in coffee!! :)
Kate
Agreed! It seems like a reader favorite as coffee creamer.
A
Hi Kate!
Just made this and although it seemed to blend well, it is grainyin texture when I drink it and I almost feel like I have to chew the little particles. What did I do wrong?!
Kate
Hi, A. Did you soak the pecans prior to blending? If you don’t have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you’ll want to soak the pecans first to make them more blendable. This is quite a thick milk, but chewing shouldn’t be necessary.
AP
Hi Kate,
I had commented a couple days ago but never got a reply. My milk came out pretty gritty… any thoughts on what when wrong?
Kate
Hi, A. I reply to comments M-F on my site, so it looks like I just missed yours right before the weekend. Anyway, have you tried soaking the pecans prior to blending? If you don’t have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, soaking before blending will make things much smoother. Let me know!
Kathryn
I just made this and both my husband and I thought it was really great. I think it will be good with a little cinnamon for a bit of a “horchata” vibe. Loved how easy it was. I didn’t pre-soak and our cheap little mixer did just fine!
★★★★★
Kate
Great! I’m glad it didn’t come out gritty for you. Cinnamon sounds really good with this, too.
Sharon
Pecans are not my favorite nut but I will definitely try since it doesn’t require any straiming. I also like to make walnut milk just to change it up a bit!
Kate
It’s nice and creamy–perfect for coffee in the mornings. I’ll have to try walnut milk!
Efi
Can I use agave syrup and not maple? I never tried maple and I don’t have it…
Kate
You could!
Emmy
Hi! I found your cashew milk recipe and made that last night – delicious!! Now I want to try the pecan milk! Thank you! My question is, what do you think the calorie/fat count is for the cashew milk, now this one? I did the average calories for a cup of cashews and divided by 5 – essentially 5 cups of milk. It came to 144 for a cup of milk. That just seems high especially because I didn’t use any sweetener. The unsweetened milks in the grocery stores are only about 25-30 calories a cup. Any thoughts?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi, Emmy! Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. In the meantime, here’s a nutrition calculator that might come in handy. I do know that the milks at the grocery store can be quite watered down.
Emmy
Hi Kate! Thank you so much for your reply and the calculator! I really appreciate it!! Looking forward to more of your recipes!
Holly
Hi Emmy,
It seems as though because you don’t strain this milk you end up with exactly what you put in. You get almost one full serving of actual pecans in every cup of milk, which is why the calories are that high. It retains more of the fat this way as well. I believe the store bought versions are strained and all that “pulp” is removed which is where a lot of the calories would be.
Does that make sense?
Have a good night!
Jan
Soaking nuts and seeds isn’t just about ‘blendability’:
Soak: soaking is necessary to release enzyme inhibitors and improve nutrient digestion/assimilation. Toasting does help, too (about 70%), while bringing out a rich, “toasty” flavor for milks. I have indicated below, what to do with particular ingredients, what they taste like, how long to soak for each and what add-ins would take these milks to the next level of deliciousness. Do not use your soak water for milk, all of your enzyme inhibitors are in here, so use fresh water.
Or Toast: while soaking is optimal from a nutrition standpoint, toasting brings out incredible flavor. When toasting any ingredients, use raw, unsoaked ingredients to toast. The dryness is what brings out that toasted flavor, and you won’t get that with pre-soaked, hydrated ingredients.
-from Yumuniverse’s guide to nutmilks
Emilie
Made this last night, and am enjoying it in my coffee this morning. Nice and easy – and delicious. Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Coffee and pecan milk, tasty! Thank you for sharing and for your review, Emilie.
Lisa Harris
Hi there-Love your recipes! My husband loves MALK but hates paying for it. He hasn’t been as fond of my cashew milk, I suspect it is because of the maple syrup in the MALK. The MALK states sprouted pecans. Is that just the soaking process or do you think they actually sprout them?!
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m not familiar, Lisa. Sorry I can’t help answer that question!
Lisa
Delicious! My husband is a fan of the Malk, but not of the price. I made this and he was pleasantly surprised. Said it tasted the same! He thought it a little grittier than he liked though, so he strained it through cheesecloth. I like mine a little thicker :)
Kate
It’s fun to make your own. When I have time, I prefer it too!
Sally
Look up Westin Price Foundation for nutritional reason to soak pecans. More nutrients and enzymes. Worth waiting for! Thanks for recipe!!
Kate
Thanks!
Peter Piper
How about adding a bit of sunflower lecithin to keep it in solution? That way it won’t separate. And how about adding a bit of plain gelatin to get your collagen?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Peter, I try to stick to unprocessed ingredients and don’t eat gelatin (I’m a vegetarian). But I appreciate the ideas!
Kate
I’m not sure! I’m a fan of it as is. But happy to hear your experience.
Tom
Hi! I think it is recommended to soak nuts in order to break down phytic acid and other tannins (often called ‘antinutrients’). Not just so they will blend easier. That way your gut can absorb all that nutty nutrient dense goodness. :)
Thanks for your lovely recipe! Happy cooking.
Jenny
Thanks for sharing! I’ll try this. I have a question–
I make almond milk, and then dry the”waste”in a low temp oven, then grind it into almond powder, so much cheaper than the grocery store!! I was wondering what other nuts I could do this with, and I’m gathering from your post that pecans would not work (no pulp leftover?) .
Thanks for any advice!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Jenny, love that you do that! You’re right, pecans won’t work because there’s no pulp leftover (I think walnuts would be the same). Cashews and macadamia nuts will not work, either. To be honest, I don’t think that leaves us with any options other than almonds!
Kiara
Yummm! I want to go buy some pecans right now! Thanks!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kiara! I appreciate the review.
Karen
Ridiculously delicious! AND ridiculously easy – bonus! Thank you so much for a great recipe. I use this in my morning oatmeal with a few toasted pecans, banana slices, dried cherries and honey drizzle. So good!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved it, Karen. I appreciate your review!
Jennie
I must not have creamed them long time enough? I roasted “natural” pecans but didn’t soak. I have a Breville Sous Chef so it could definitely handle not soaking… first time making but milk but had tons of tiny pecan pieces. Flavor was still excellent but texture was lacking?
Kate
Hi Jennie! Did you add all the water it called for and in stages? I wonder if it needed longer blending with your blender.
Sharon Spears
Can you use this recipe in cake mixes and other recipes that call for milk?
Kate
Hi Sharon, I think so! I’ve used nut-based milks in all kinds of recipes and they always turn out well. Just keep in mind that the more milk the recipe calls for, the higher the risk that your substitution could affect flavor/texture.
Brianna
This recipe is amazing. Every time a blog says “you’ll never go back!” I roll my eyes a bit. But homemade pecan milk is a gamechanger—I don’t want to buy store-bought ever again! I like to roast the pecans just a touch longer for an even more toasty flavor. This milk is amazing in coffee, smoothies, with granola/cereal. If you buy pecans in bulk, it’s way more cost-effective than store-bought as well. Thanks for this one, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you are a believer here, Brianna! Thank you for taking the time to review.
TC
Try drying the pulp and grinding it into flour or add it to granola/ cereal. I use those two methods for a no waste option. :)
Isaac
Love the recipe!
I use it to make a smoothie instead of putting the 2nd Half of water add Some ice, and some extra maple syrup for flavor, and you’ll have an amazing tasting pecan smoothie!
★★★★★
2 GA girls
This is amazing! Just made it the way the recipe calls for, which was deliciou, then my little girl came in with her sneaky eyes and said “We should put some cocoa in it!” It’s not hard to talk me into chocolate, it was sooo good. Then we had the idea to mix in some of the cherry juice from our maraschino cherries and top it with a cherry! Next level! Thank you so much for the foundation to what will probably be our new favorite treat!
★★★★★
Lynda Howell
I just loved your pecan milk recipe. I added it to my coffee this morning and it was perfection! My question is while I make my own almond milk and frothe it for my coffee daily, the pecan milk didn’t really frothe. Do you know why? It was so delicious in my coffee, however! I’ll definitely make the pecan milk again. I plan to try cashew milk as well!
★★★★★
Kate
That sounds like a delicious combination, Lynda! Thank you for your review.
Betsy Cruz
I have THREE pecan trees and I’m looking for new things to do with all my pecans!! This is great!
Usually with pecans I need to dry them before doing anything (obviously), but I was wondering if this is something I could do straight from the tree? What do you think?
Thanks!
Kate
Hi Betsy, that sounds fun! I’m not sure. I would suggest looking into harvesting and using your pecans. Let me know what you do!
Just V
Can pecan milk be subbed in for dairy in the making of custard and caramel? I ask because my family makes a pecan creme pie and I want to develop an extreme version for Thanksgiving.
Laura
Hi, I colitis and looking for gut healing foods. I’ve read all the comments but want to know if I can use honey to sweeten it and if so, how much? It’s the only sweetener I’m allowed. Also, the comments seem to point to soaking for better digestion and you cannot toast soaked pecans )want to toast for the flavor… hope I’m not too late to get an answer!
Kate
Hi, You can try it. Let me know what you think, Laura!
Vel Helton
This is the best tasting, easiest to make diary free milk that I have ever made.
★★★★★
Lisa
Oh my gosh Kate. This is the best alternative milk ever. I liked your cashew milk, but nothing like this one. It is so delicious. Thanks for another great recipe! I hope Cookie is well.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
Running Betty
What do you do with the nut stuff that separates? Just compost it? Put it in granola or bake cookies?
Kate
I don’t have a specific recipe for it, sorry!
Diane S Gaylord
Thank you Kate for sharing this recipe. I have celiac and have run out of milk options. I’ve tried all and reacted badly to them. But, I haven’t tried this one yet. So, Im hopeful! Can you recommend a gluten free brand of pecans?
Thank you.
Diane
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Diane, Pecans are gluten free. I hope you try this!