Store-bought almond milk usually runs 2-7% almonds, thickened with gums and stabilisers to look creamy. The homemade version is closer to 10-15% almonds and nothing else unless you add it yourself — which is the whole appeal of a raw-food copycat: fewer ingredients, more control.
The basic recipe
Soak a cup of raw almonds in water overnight, or at least 8 hours — this softens them enough to blend smooth and makes the skins easier to work with. Drain and rinse, then blend with 3-4 cups of fresh water on high for a minute or two, until the almonds have broken down into a fine pulp suspended in white liquid.
Strain through a nut milk bag or a few layers of muslin cloth over a bowl, squeezing until the pulp is mostly dry. What's left in the bag is almond meal — keep it for baking rather than tossing it; what's in the bowl is the milk. It keeps about 3-4 days refrigerated and separates when it sits, so shake before pouring.
A date-sweetened variation
Instead of stirring in sugar, blend 2-3 pitted dates in with the almonds and water before straining — they dissolve into the milk and carry their own natural sweetness without needing to add anything separately. A pinch of vanilla or a few strands of saffron on top of that gets you close to what most cartons are trying to approximate with flavouring syrups.
What actually changes the taste
More water gives a thinner, more "skim" texture; less water gives something closer to single cream. Roasting the almonds lightly before soaking adds a toasted note some people prefer over raw. Dates versus a neutral sweetener like maple syrup changes the flavour more than the sweetness level — dates bring a slight caramel note that maple syrup doesn't.
For more on using dates as a natural sweetener in recipes generally, see our guide to dates as a baking sweetener, or check the Mazafati dates nutrition guide for what's actually in the dates you're blending.