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Learn how to make hemp milk with just 2 ingredients: hemp seeds and water! Homemade hemp milk is creamy, delicious and easy to make in minutes with a high-powered blender. It’s the perfect dairy-free alternative to use with cereal and coffee, in smoothies, for drinking and more.
Have you ever tried making your own dairy free milk? Homemade hemp milk is a great recipe to start with. It’s quick, easy and blends up super rich and creamy. It’s even easier than almond milk to make, because there is no soaking involved and straining is optional. And like almond milk, cashew milk, and oat milk, it makes a great plant based alternative to dairy milk.
Simply add the hemp seeds to the blender with some filtered water and flavor boosters, and in less than a minute or so, you will have homemade hemp milk. How cool is that?
What are hemp seeds?
Hemp seeds (also called hemp hearts) are tiny little seeds that offer a variety of nutrients.
The most common question people have about hemp seeds is whether or not they come from the same plant as marijuana. Hemp seeds and marijuana do come from the same species of plant, but different varieties.
THC, which is the active ingredient in marijuana, is naturally found in trace amounts in hemp seeds, but the percentage is extremely small. A good comparison would be the amount of opium you find in poppy seeds. Hemp seeds are 100% safe, healthy and legal, and there is absolutely no chance of them getting you high.
So now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s talk about all of the reasons why you might want to add these little super seeds to your diet, starting with the fact that they are delicious.
Flavor
If you’ve never tasted hemp seeds before, they have a really mild, slightly nutty flavor and unlike most seeds they have a very creamy texture which makes them super versatile and great to use for making homemade milk.
Not only can you blend them up to make plant based milk, but you can also sprinkle them over your oatmeal, cereal, smoothies or yogurt. They are even great sprinkled on salads or used as the breading for chicken or fish.
Nutritional Benefits
Nutritionally, they are said to be one of nature’s most perfect foods.
Just three tablespoons of hemp seeds have 10 grams of complete protein and 300mg of Omega-3 fatty acids (which is the ideal ratio for these fatty acids; it’s 2 parts Omega 3 and 1 part Omega 6). These fatty acids help to promote brain and heart health, lower triglycerides, reduce inflammation, and support the immune system.
Hemp hearts are also rich in magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus while being high in fiber and low in carbohydrate.
They really make a great addition to any diet, and are especially beneficial for vegans and vegetarians, since they are a complete plant-based protein.
Where to Buy
Hemp seeds can be found in most health foods stores, grocery stores or at Target! I bought mine at Grocery Outlet for an amazing price and always try and find them there.
I’ve also ordered them from Amazon HERE.
Now, it’s time to learn how to make this amazing dairy free milk!
Ingredients needed to make hemp seed milk at home:
The only ingredients you need to make wonderfully creamy dairy-free hemp milk are:
- hemp seeds
- water
Optional ingredients include:
- pinch of sea salt, about 1/4 tsp
- for a vanilla flavored milk, add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
- sweetener such as 1-2 dates or 1 tbsp maple syrup, honey, or stevia to taste
- cacao or cocoa powder, for chocolate hemp milk
If you’re using the milk in sweet baking recipes, for tea and coffee, in cereal or for drinking, I’d recommend adding one of the sweetener options, plus the vanilla and sea salt.
Equipment needed:
There’s no fancy kitchen tools needed to make this milk! Here’s what you need:
- Blender. I would recommend a high-powered blender, but most any blender should do the job. A high-powered blender is easier to use and will typically yield the best results, but hemp seeds are soft and blend easily, so you can make hemp milk in a regular blender.
- Nut milk bag. Straining hemp milk isn’t completely necessary. However, the milk have a bit of a greenish, blackish tint to it. To get rid of the tiny green-black specks, you can strain it through a nut milk bag. Personally, I like to strain my hemp milk and it does make it a bit smoother.
- Storage container. I like storing my hemp milk in a mason jar with a plastic lid, but any sealable jar, bottle, or other airtight container will work.
How to make hemp milk:
This homemade milk recipe is SO simple to whip up! There’s no soaking required and the whole thing comes together in just a few quick minutes.
- Blend. Add the water and hemp seeds to a high-powered blender. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Strain. Use a nut milk bag to strain the hemp milk into a large bowl.
- Store and enjoy. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy your hemp milk in smoothies, oatmeal, or on top of your cereal. Really, you can use hemp milk anywhere you would use any other type of milk.
Ways to use this milk:
You can use this milk just like you would use any other milk product! Here’s some suggestions:
- For drinking. If you plan to enjoy hemp milk as a beverage for drinking, I highly recommend adding a sweetener.
- In smoothies. I love this milk in smoothies because it’s so creamy and has a wonderful nutty flavor. Try it in my cherry smoothie or peanut butter banana smoothie.
- Stirred in coffee or tea. Hemp seed milk steams well because of its high protein content and works great in coffee and tea. You can also try my oat milk coffee creamer as an alternative recipe. Just note that if you add cold hemp milk to hot coffee it will curdle. It’s best to warm it slightly before adding to hot coffee or tea.
- With hot or cold cereal or granola. Sweetened hemp milk is wonderful with a bowl of granola or cereal. It’s also super delicious drizzled over hot oatmeal.
- In baking. You can use this homemade milk in recipes such as pancakes, muffins or cookies that call for almond milk. You could also use it to make my baked oats recipe.
How to store it:
This hemp seed milk can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days, maybe longer. Just give it good shake before use as it will separate after sitting.
As usual, if you end up making this recipe, be sure to come back and let me know what you think! Or snap a quick photo and tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! I ALWAYS love to see what y’all are making from the blog!
Hemp Milk
Ingredients
- 4 cups water*
- ¾ cup hemp seeds
- Optional: 1-2 dates for sweetness**
Instructions
- Add the water and hemp seeds to a high powered blender.
- Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy– about 1 minute.
- Strain the hemp milk through a nut milk bag into a large bowl.
- Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
