Making Rice Milk with the Ninja Mega Kitchen System

Here we are at part four of my five-part look at the Ninja Mega Kitchen System. Thanks for all your nice notes and support as I’ve done this slightly unconventional review/how-to, and looked at various aspects of using this system. My aim is to give you a varied look at all of the different jars and blades that come with the standard system (though I don’t have the special food processing attachments…yet).

The response has been great and I really appreciate it, so thanks for the love!

Check out the other parts of this series:

Part One: Juicing

Part Two: Making Cookie Dough

Part Three: Making Nut Butter (Cashew)

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I haven’t really talked about this on the blog, but I don’t typically drink dairy milk anymore. Haven’t for, gosh, two years I think. Sure, there are exceptions, like on vacation. I am not a “fuss-maker” and don’t like to draw attention to my more unique diet choices when out and about. But, in general, I’m off dairy. Maybe some day I’ll get into why, but for now, let’s just take that as a given and roll with the topic of the day: Making rice milk.

I really like rice milk. (And coconut milk, almond milk, hemp milk. I am an alternative milk supporter!) I in fact, prefer rice milk decaf lattes when I go “to coffee” with folks. Just try to live in Seattle and not go to coffee. Not possible. So, I always suggest Tully’s when I meet people for business or social “coffees,” because Tully’s provides rice milk. (Props, Tully’s!)

It is truly easy to make rice milk in any blender. Cooked rice is inherently soft, so it blends nicely. However, if you want to do it fast, the Ninja can make rice milk on the double!

Making Rice Milk in the Ninja Mega Kitchen System (Or any Ninja Professional or Kitchen System)

Print this Recipe

Ingredients Needed:

• 1 cup cooked rice of your choice (I used sweet brown rice, but any plain, unflavored rice will do)
• 4 cups water
• ⅛ teaspoon salt of your choice

Note: if you want it to be extra creamy, ultrarunner Scott Jurek (of Eat and Run fame) suggests adding a tablespoon of sunflower oil. I have never done this step, but go for it if you are so inclined!

Method:

Step 1: Prepare rice and water

I like to make up big batches of rice at one time and freeze them. Just freeze it in 1 quart zip-top bags (leave air space for expansion) and take out of the freezer and put in the refrigerator two days before you want to use the rice. You can also make rice just for the milk and make extra for dinner that night, which is what I did here.

Step 2: Add ingredients to 72 ounce pitcher; Lock the base to the counter
Add your water, rice, and salt (and oil, if using) to the pitcher. It’s a good idea to lock the blender down to the counter to keep it from running away from you with all the power!

Step 3: Blend on “2” (Blend”) for 20-30 seconds, until the rice and water are fully combined.

If you really want to give it a kick in the pants, blend on “3” for 10-20 additional seconds to make sure everything is totally pulverized. It turns out high-speed blender action just looks like a swirl in photos, but, you get the idea.

That’s it.

You could strain this if you want. I don’t strain. If you like more of a skim milk type consistency, use a nut milk bag, cheese cloth, or fine mesh sieve to strain.

Store it in an airtight container in the fridge (I prefer Blender Bottles for these types of things because they are BPA-free – we have a lot of them). It’ll keep for up to five days and makes about five-six servings.

Note: If you want just one serving, scale the recipe by 1/4, and blend it in the single serve cup that comes with the Ninja Mega Kitchen System.

This is a very easy project, and way cheaper than buying rice milk at the store (plus you don’t get all the extra preservatives). A two pound bag of brown rice goes for about $5 (in our neck of the woods), and makes about 10 cups of cooked rice. That translates to 50 servings of rice milk in a bag, or $.10/serving. Conversely, a 32 ounce container of “Rice Dream” is $2.99, and has four servings, or $.75/serving.

Bottom Line:

• Can you do this in a standard blender: Yes
• Can you do this in a Ninja 1100 watt Professional Blender or Ninja Kitchen System? Yes
• Can you do this in the Ninja Pulse? Yes.
• Does the Ninja Mega make any measurable difference? I’d say the main difference is just the speed of completion. It is super fast with all the power in the Ninja Mega System. The Ninja Mega also lets you make a single serving in the “to-go” cup, which is nice (of course, the Pulse has the to go cup option as well).

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Just So You Know: I have no affiliation with the Ninja Kitchen folks. I bought this system for my own purposes and to share my honest thoughts with you about its performance. I receive no compensation or consideration for my opinions.