Nut milk didn’t used to be such a popular ingredient, but these days you can find home cooks and professional kitchens alike using everything from indulgent hazelnut milk to classic almond milk. Officially, nut milk isn’t actually “milk”—which can only be made by female mammals—but that’s just a technicality, right? Regardless of how you describe it, nut-powered beverages are nutritious, versatile, and worth playing around with in the kitchen.

The History of Elmhurst

Elmhurst’s long history in the dairy business goes back to 1925. The brand’s modern iteration started in 2016 when Henry Schwartz closed New York City’s last dairy, called Elmhurst. Schwartz’s father and uncle once hand-bottled and delivered milk to Queens and Brooklyn, and to keep the tradition going, Elmhurst reopened as a plant-based milk company instead.

Elmhurst Company Mission

Elmhurst makes simple, nutritious plant-based milks using an innovative processing method (keep reading to learn more) that uses more of the source grain, nut, or seed to deliver superior nutrition.

Benefits of Elmhurst

There are plenty of nut milk brands out there, but something that sets Elmhurst apart is its process, called HyrdoRelease. This method was developed by food technologist Dr. Cheryl Mitchell and uses only water to separate the nutritional components of each base ingredient. Next, the nutrients are put back together as a creamy, flavorful beverage—without adding gums or emulsifiers. If you look at the nutritional label, you’ll find as few as two and as no more than six ingredients in every Elmhurst offering. This technology produces shelf-stable cartons that can be stored at room temperature until you're ready to open them, and is a zero-waste process that uses every part of the nut, grain, or seed. The cartons are certified recyclable by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Top Elmhurst Products

There’s a lot to love about Elmhurst—here are the most popular nut milks available on ThriveMarket.com.

Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Cashews

Filtered water and cashews are the only two ingredients inside this carton of unsweetened milk. It’s a plant-based beverage that works for everything: morning coffee, granola, smoothies, and more.

Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Walnuts

Walnut milk made easy (especially with only two ingredients). Thrive Market member Maria from Texas says: “If you love walnuts you need to try this milk at least once in your life. It's amazing!”

Elmhurst Unsweetened Milked Oats

Made with oats, salt, and water, this unsweetened oat milk offers 20g of whole grains per serving. Bonus: no emulsifiers or gums.

Recipes With Nut Milk

Nut milk can do it all. From baked goods to breakfast dishes, here are all the ways to incorporate nut milk into your weekly meal plan.

Nutritional Benefits of Almond Milk

Almond milk is one of the most popular dairy-free milks out there. This post takes a closer look at almond milk nutrition, plus a few favorite recipes.

How to Make DIY Nut Milk

Chef Megan Mitchell makes two easy nut milk recipes in the test kitchen: Vanilla Almond Milk and Chocolate Cashew Milk.

How to Choose the Right Milk Alternative

Soy milk. Almond milk. Hemp milk. The list goes on. Our guide to milk alternatives is the perfect place to start when you’re looking to swap dairy beverages for other options.

Elmhurst, Dairy Free Sour Cream