You’re in your kitchen in the still of night, halfway through a recipe for overnight oats for tomorrow morning, when you suddenly realize — nooooo! — you’re out of almond milk.

Good news: A midnight run to the store in your jammies isn’t the only option. You can make almond milk (or other homemade nut milk) in no time at all with this ingeniously easy hack. Believe it or not, a DIY mylk can come together in less than a minute with something you probably have on hand — nut butter.

Need the deets? Check out the simplest sub for store-bought almond milk below.

This hack is almost too easy to believe, but it’s true: All you have to do to achieve DIY nut milk is blend nut or seed butter with water. You can use any nut or seed butter your heart desires — I’ve made mine with tahini, almond butter, walnut butter, and more. You can even mix multiple kinds of nut and seed butters if you want to get fancy.

The beauty of this hack is that you can have nut milk in an instant, and you can make a small amount at a time so it doesn’t go bad. If you only use a splash in your morning coffee, you can make just a cup of milk at a time instead of buying or making a big container.

Plus, there’s no soaking or straining (generally — see note below) required, and you can keep an extra few jars of nut butter in your pantry so you’re always prepared. And I promise it will taste better than what you buy in the store.

Homemade almond milk is a natural fit for everything from morning smoothies to dinnertime sauces. Try it in any of these sweet and savory preparations:

  • Froth the nut milk to use in your matcha latte, hot chocolate, or cappuccino
  • Blend it with cacao powder, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt for homemade chocolate milk
  • Use it in any baking recipe that calls for nut or oat milk
  • Make a chia seed pudding using your homemade nut milk as the base
  • Swap it as a replacement for regular milk or cream in sauces
  • Add it to your smoothies for some extra fat and creaminess
  • Use a splash in your morning coffee
  • Make a big batch of nut milk and freeze in ice cube trays to use in smoothies or if you just need a small amount for a recipe
  • Enjoy a big bowl of cereal with homemade nut milk

Ingredients

  • Nut or seed butter
  • Water
  • Additional flavorings, as desired
  • Pinch of salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Add 1 tablespoon of nut or seed butter for every 1 cup of water to your blender. You can be flexible here — experiment with more or less depending on how thick and creamy you like your nut milk.

2. Drop in any additional mix-ins you want for flavor. These can include dates, honey, or maple syrup for sweetness, or cinnamon, cardamom, cacao, or vanilla extract for flavor. This is optional, and can be added to taste!

3. Add a pinch of salt, if you wish, for enhanced flavor and shelf stability.

4. Blend for 30-60 seconds until ingredients are incorporated.

5. Pour into a bottle* and store in the fridge for 5-7 days. The milk may separate in the fridge, so shake before each use.

*Note: If you are using a very gritty or chunky version of nut butter, you may want to strain it before storing it in the fridge.

However you use it, this kitchen hack allows you to turn a pantry non-perishable into your supply of nut milk for days and weeks to come. And customizing the mixture on your own terms means you can make exactly the amount you need. So grab your blender go nuts!