Macadamia Milk

Whether you're keto, paleo or vegan, there's something to enjoy in the macadamia. This healthy little nut is brilliant as a dairy alternative, so going lactose-free, or even completely vegan, can be completely delicious!

Macadamias also contain vital nutrients like thiamin, manganese, magnesium and iron. Whether you need a dairy-free cheese, milk, sour cream or butter, it's very easy to turn macadamias into a dairy replacement to suit the occasion.

So get milking, cheesing, and buttering with our favourite vegan-, paleo-, and keto-friendly Australian macadamia recipes.

Macadamia Milk

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted macadamias
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medjool date, pitted

4 cups water

Method
Blend the macadamias, vanilla, date and water in a high-performance blender at medium to high speed until creamy white.
Pour into a clean, sterilised glass bottle.
Store for about 4 days in the fridge.

Macadamia Cream Cheese

Ingredients
2 cups unsalted macadamias
1 litre water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons water, extra

Method
Place the macadamias in a bowl and cover with the water. Set aside for 6 hours.
Drain and rinse well and place into a food processor. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and blend to combine. Add the extra water and process until smooth, scraping down the sides in between processing.
Wrap the macadamia cheese in muslin and place into a colander over a bowl large enough to catch any excess liquid. Place in the fridge overnight. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Macadamia Butter

Ingredients
500g raw or roasted macadamias

Method
Place the macadamias in a food processor. Blend for 3 to 6 minutes depending on how thick you like it. Generally 3 minutes for a thicker butter and up to 6 minutes for a very smooth butter.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Australia's Native Macadamia Nuts

Salted, covered in chocolate, or simply raw there's a lot this native Aussie nut has to offer. It's not surprising that macadamias are topping the charts for 2019 top food trends, and they're appearing everywhere! From macadamia milk, macadamia butter, macadamia skincare and even macadamia 'nutballs', this Aussie nut is hard to miss.

Whilst we all love them, there's very little Australians actually know about them (beyond the fact that they're delicious, of course). If you were already surprised by the 'native' in the title, then the below quirky listicle from Australian Macadamias is sure to be a fascinating read.

Record Breaking 2019: This year, our busy macadamia farmers are expected to produce 53,000 tonnes of tasty in-shell macadamias, topping the record-setting 2018 harvest!
Native to Australia: Australian Macadamias are native to the rainforests of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. That makes them over 60 million years old, and they have been precious for just as long. Aboriginal tribes living in these areas used to use them for gifting, and bartering.
Old by nature: Macadamia trees can take up to 10-12 years to grow their first nuts. Luckily, once they get started they can produce beautiful macadamias for over 100 years!
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Australia produces more macadamias (30% of the world's supply) than any other country.
Little nut, big jobs: Australia has over 750 macadamia growers who look after 6 million trees and grow over 40,000 tonnes of macadamias yearly.
Tough Nutter: Macadamias are the world's toughest nut to crack, and the Hyacinth macaw parrots are one of the very few animals with the beak-power to crack them!
Pamper Time: Macadamia nut oil is lightweight and easy for the skin to absorb, making it an incredibly nourishing, natural moisturiser.
Waste Not: Although they have been reused on farms as compost for decades, in recent years the shells have begun to be used in everything from green electricity to high-end homewares.
Vegan's Best Friend: Macadamia oil boasts a wonderfully smooth, buttery flavour, and is great for roasting, baking and deep-frying. But did you know it can also be used as a substitute for butter when baking? The advice is to substitute at a 3-to-4 ratio, if the recipe says one cup of butter, replace it with 3/4 of a cup of macadamia oil.
We're Everywhere: Macadamia nuts are not only delicious, they are also extremely versatile. They are a nut that can be found in more than seven aisles of the supermarket. From beauty products, chocolate, baking, snack bars, whole nut, breakfast cereals and ice cream.