Chinese Almond Milk

This Chinese Almond Milk is one of my favorite drinks to get at Chinese restaurants and Hong Kong cafes. It's super easy to make and you only need four ingredients. I love dipping it with Chinese doughnuts.

When I first moved to Vancouver, I was absolutely obsessed with Chinese doughnuts. I remember my favorite way to eat them was with a side of warm Chinese almond milk. Most people thought it was weird but idk, I really liked it. I thought it tasted way better than soy milk.

Chinese almond milk does not taste like regular almond milk. It's much sweeter and has a flavor that is very unique. I've spent a long time trying to make it at home, but I finally have it figured out.

Why I don't like using apricot kernel powder

I remember my coworker recommended I try apricot almond powder because that's what restaurants supposedly used. But I tried a few different brands and it never tasted the same as the restaurants.

It was not as sweet and didn't have the exact flavor I was looking for. I got hints of the almond taste but it wasn't very strong. The powder also didn't dissolve, so it left a gritty texture in my mouth.

For reference, this is the brand I used:

Almond Extract

This is the real secret to making Chinese almond milk. Just add a little bit of it to milk, and it will taste just like the restaurants. You can buy this at almost any Western grocery store next to the vanilla extract. I got my bottle from Walmart:

Almond extract is made from a special type of bitter almond, which is not usually consumed. That's why it tastes nothing like regular almonds.