How to make tiger nut milk (horchata de chufa) at home

Learning how to make tiger nut milk takes one evening of soaking and ten minutes of work. The result is a creamy, naturally sweet plant drink with a flavour somewhere between almond, coconut and malt. In Valencia, the same drink, sweetened and served ice-cold, is called horchata de chufa and has been a summer staple for centuries.

This guide covers the ingredients, the soaking time, a reliable ratio, the straining step, sweetening options and how to store the milk safely, because fresh tiger nut milk spoils much faster than the cartons you buy.

What is tiger nut milk?

Tiger nuts are not nuts. They are the small, wrinkled tubers of a sedge plant called Cyperus esculentus, also known as chufa. When they are soaked, blended with water and strained, they release starch, natural sugars and fat into the liquid, which gives the milk its body and mild sweetness.

Spanish horchata de chufa comes from the Valencian Community, where tiger nuts are grown under a protected designation of origin around towns such as Alboraya. The traditional drink is sweetened with sugar and often served with long, soft pastries called fartons. Unsweetened homemade tiger nut milk is the same base without the sugar.

Ingredients and equipment

You need very little. The one thing worth having is a good strainer, because tiger nut pulp is fibrous and gritty if it ends up in your glass.

• Dried tiger nuts, peeled or unpeeled: about 200 g.
• Cold drinking water: about 1 litre for blending, plus more for soaking.
• Optional sweetener: sugar, honey, maple syrup or two or three soft dates.
• Optional flavourings: a strip of lemon zest, a small piece of cinnamon stick, a pinch of salt.
• A blender (a high-speed one gives a creamier result, but a normal one works).
• A nut milk bag, a fine cloth or a fine sieve lined with muslin.
• A clean glass bottle or jar with a lid.

Fresh tiger nut milk is at its best within two days, so make small batches and make them often.

How long to soak tiger nuts

Dried tiger nuts are rock hard, so soaking is not optional. Rinse them well first, rubbing them between your hands, since they grow underground and can carry soil and grit. Cover them with plenty of cold water, because they swell noticeably.

Soak them for at least 12 hours and up to about 24 to 48 hours. Longer soaking gives softer tubers and a creamier milk. For food safety, soak them in the fridge rather than on the counter, and change the water every 12 hours or so. A fresh, slightly sweet smell is normal; a sour or fermented smell means the soak has gone too long or too warm, and the batch should be thrown away.

A soaked tiger nut should give a little when you press it with your fingernail. If it still feels like a pebble, give it more time.

Tiger nut milk recipe, step by step

A ratio of roughly 1 part soaked tiger nuts to 4 or 5 parts water by volume gives a drink close to shop-bought horchata. Use less water for a richer milk for coffee, more for a lighter drink.

• Drain the soaked tiger nuts and rinse them once more.
• Put them in the blender with about 1 litre of cold water, plus the lemon zest or cinnamon if using.
• Blend on high for one to two minutes until the mixture looks milky and the tubers are finely ground.
• Let the mixture rest for 15 to 30 minutes in the fridge; this helps the flavour move into the liquid.
• Pour it through the nut milk bag or lined sieve and squeeze firmly to extract as much liquid as possible.
• For a smoother drink, strain a second time through a finer cloth.
• Sweeten to taste, add a pinch of salt, stir well and chill before serving.

How to sweeten and flavour it

Tiger nut milk is naturally sweet, so many people drink it unsweetened. Classic horchata is sweetened with sugar, and lemon zest and cinnamon are the traditional flavourings. Dates blended in with the tubers add sweetness without refined sugar, but they must be strained out with the pulp.

Add sweeteners after straining when you can, so you can taste and adjust. For a frozen treat, pour sweetened horchata into a shallow tray, freeze it and scrape it with a fork every half hour to make a granita-style slush.

How long does homemade tiger nut milk last? Food safety notes

Fresh tiger nut milk is a perishable, low-acid drink full of starch and sugar, which makes it a good home for bacteria and yeasts. Commercial horchata is either sold very fresh or heat-treated to extend its life. Homemade milk has neither advantage.

Keep it in a clean, closed bottle in the coldest part of the fridge and drink it within about two days. Shake it before serving, because the starch settles. If it smells sour, tastes fizzy or looks slimy, discard it. Do not leave it out of the fridge for more than a couple of hours, especially in warm weather.

Heating tiger nut milk makes the starch swell and the drink turns thick, a bit like a thin custard. That is fine for porridge or sauces, but it will not stay pourable like dairy milk. For warm drinks, heat it gently and stir, or use a lighter ratio.

• Wash the tubers thoroughly before soaking.
• Soak in the fridge and change the water regularly.
• Use clean equipment and a clean straining cloth.
• Refrigerate straight away and drink within about two days.
• Freeze portions in ice-cube trays if you need to keep it longer.

What to do with the leftover pulp

The squeezed pulp still contains a lot of fibre. You can stir it into porridge, add a spoonful to muffins, pancakes or energy balls, or mix it into bread dough. To keep it, spread it thinly on a baking tray and dry it in a low oven until completely crisp, then blitz it into a coarse flour and store it in an airtight jar.

Wet pulp spoils as fast as the milk, so refrigerate it and use it within a day or two, or freeze it.

Is tiger nut milk nut-free and dairy-free?

Tiger nut milk is dairy-free and naturally gluten-free and lactose-free. Because tiger nuts are tubers, not tree nuts, many people with nut allergies can drink it. Allergies are individual, though, and dried tiger nuts may be packed in facilities that also handle nuts, so check the label and ask your doctor if you have a serious allergy.

Nutritionally, homemade tiger nut milk is not a like-for-like replacement for cow's milk. It contains little protein and, unlike many fortified shop-bought plant drinks, no added calcium or vitamin B12. Treat it as a tasty drink rather than a full dairy substitute, particularly for children.

Frequently asked questions

Once you know how to make tiger nut milk, it becomes an easy weekly habit: soak the tubers the night before, blend, strain and chill. Keep batches small, store them cold and drink them fresh, and you will have a naturally sweet, dairy-free drink that tastes like a Valencian summer.

How we research: Guides are written from established sources and checked for accuracy. They are general information, not professional advice.