Amidst the winter whites and greys, let your kitchen become a technicolor haven. We tapped Sakara Wellness Coach and food alchemist, Sasha Pagni, to craft six functional nut mylks that spark joy in color, but aren’t just for show. Each hue is chock full of phytonutrients, minerals, polyphenols, and antioxidants. Plus, incorporating multiple colors in your diet creates diversity in your microbial ecology which fights pathogens and can prevent chronic disease.
For the base, find a homemade almond mylk from Sakara founder, Danielle Duboise that forgoes the health-detracting ingredients found in store-bought varieties like locust bean gum (irritating to the gut and liver) and mystery “natural flavors.” Instead, her rendition uses soaked almonds to neutralize enzyme blockers for easy digestion, plus coconut butter. These healthy fats do wonders for the skin, building healthy cell membranes and protecting the dermis’ natural oil barrier. The result is a rainbow’s worth of options to change up your ho-hum latte, smoothie, or even warming soups—and breathe new, nutrient-dense life.
HOMEMADE ALMOND MYLK BASE:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup organic almonds, soaked overnight
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter (we like CAP Beauty)
- Pinch of flaky salt
- One date, pitted
- Splash of vanilla extract (can also use almond extract instead)
Directions:
- Add all ingredients to the blender, then fill to top (leave 1 ½ inches) with filtered water. Blend on high for 7-8 minutes.
- Strain through milk bag or cheesecloth and store in fridge.
PINK
High in polyphenol content, rose is a potent, youthful beauty food. Mixed with beets, which have the liver-detoxifying amino acid betaine, this rosy-hued mylk will flood your skin with healing benefits. This mylk pairs well with Classic Superfood Granola, oatmeal, or blended with Metabolism Super Powder for a velvety hot cocoa.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup nut mylk
- 1 small piece of beet (roughly 1 tablespoon of fresh beet, peeled) or 1 teaspoon beet powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon rose powder
- 1 date, pitted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for up to 1 minute. Strain mylk to remove any pulp or grit from the beet. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
ORANGE
The goji berry is packed with carotenoids which lower inflammation, and it’s also been studied as a superfood to balance insulin and lower blood glucose levels. The adaptogenic schisandra, another potent berry, supports the endocrine system, balancing hormones and igniting sexual desire. This sunshine-colored mylk makes a nutrient-dense base to a frothy latte, like our favorite hot beauty elixir here.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup nut mylk
- 1 tablespoon goji berries, soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes (or 1 ½ teaspoons goji powder)
- 2 teaspoons schisandra berries, soaked in water for 10-15 minutes (or 1 teaspoon schisandra powder)
Directions:
- If you are making the recipe with the berries rather than the powder, soak in hot water to soften for 10-15 minutes.
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for up to 1 minute. Strain mylk to remove any pulp or grit from berries. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
YELLOW
This electric brew mixes together anti-inflammatory roots like turmeric and ginger, with aromatic cinnamon to boost your intake of the antioxidant, epicatechin. We suggest making this the base for a golden latte, High-Vibe Pumpkin Spice Latte, or Sunshine Curry Stew.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
- ¼ teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for up to 1 minute. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
GREEN
This deeply medicinal blend is made with nettles, one of the most mineral-rich leaves on the planet, plus Detox Water Drops, your daily source of chlorophyll to oxygenate the blood and clean out your body at the cellular level. The pitted date sweetens the deal. Add this deep green dream to Organic Protein + Greens Super Powder for a protein-shake on the go, or to matcha for an upleveled latte.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup nut mylk
- 2 teaspoons nettle powder
- 10 single drops of Detox Water Drops
- 1 date, pitted
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for up to 1 minute until smooth. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
BLUE
The star of this Instagram-famous mylk is the blue-green spirulina known as Blue Majik, which is rich in phycocyanin which rids the body of toxins. Add in the antimicrobial wunderkind that is Manuka honey and you’ve got an aquamarine tonic that tastes yum in a smoothie or poured over Plant Protein Granola.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups nut mylk
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Blue Majik powder
- 1 teaspoon dried lavender
- ½ tablespoon Manuka honey
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for up to 1 minute until smooth. Strain the nut mylk to remove any grit from the lavender. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
PURPLE
Butterfly pea flowers are a staunch blue but mixed with the luscious scarlet from the beet, the primary colors do their magic and transform into a vivid purple. This blue flower in particular contains catechins, which have been studied to rev metabolism and burn adipose tissue. Lavender is a soothing source for menstrual cramps, while promising research indicates it can support hair growth. Whip this mylk in with blueberries and banana for an easy smoothie. Or, heat up the mylk and add in reishi and coconut for a soothing latte.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon butterfly pea flower powder
- 1 small piece of red beet (roughly ½ tablespoon of fresh beet) or 1 teaspoon of beet powder
- ½ teaspoon dried lavender
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until smooth. If the mylk is still a blue tint, add additional beet/beet powder until purple. Strain mylk to remove any pulp or grit from the beet and lavender. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
MORE COLORFUL RECIPES TO EXPLORE:
