The hemp strain of cannabis is a very versatile plant that has a lot of potential. When processed correctly, hemp can be used in a range of products, from industrial materials, to animal feed, and even food for human consumption.
This article will be covering the health benefits of hemp milk, as well as providing you with the quick and easy recipes you’ll need to make your own quality and nutritious milk.
Health Benefits of Hemp Milk
Not only do hemp seeds contain CBD which can help with some medical conditions and inflammations; they are also a good source for all 8 essential amino acids, protein, and omegas 3 and 6.
Comparable to cow’s milk, store bought soy, hemp and almond milk, homemade hemp milk can be a better source of protein. One glass of homemade hemp milk, can contain as much protein as an egg with an average of up to 10 grams of protein.
In comparison, one glass of other more common milk products, only contain the following average amounts of protein:
- Cow’s Milk – 8g of protein per cup
- Soy Milk – 6g of protein per cup
- Store bought Hemp Milk – 1.5g of protein per cup
- Store bought Almond Milk – 1g of protein per cup
Additionally, hemp milk can also contain as much as 8g of omega-3 fatty acid per glass, and is a good source for omega-6 fatty acid which can also be used to help with some inflammatory conditions.
How to Use Hemp Milk
Hemp milk can be used in many of the same ways as most other milk products. Recipes that allow for the use of almond milk, can be made using hemp milk instead.
You can also change the creaminess and consistency of the hemp milk by tweaking the seed to water ratio. Adding more seeds will make the milk creamier and thicker. So experiment with the ratio when baking and you just might surprise yourself.
Best Uses for Hemp Milk and Shelf Life
Hemp milk has a shelf life of up to 5 days if refrigerated. For the first 2 days after being made, the hemp milk will stay nice and creamy. As the milk settles, the hemp pulp will settle on the bottom of the container. This usually begins to happen after the 3rd day or so. If separation does occur, give the bottle a shake and it’ll be good to use again.
Fresh hemp milk is also great for coffee, tea and hot chocolates, if the pulp has begun to separate on its own, it may separate even more when added to your coffee, or it may even begin to curdle. For this reason we advise using hemp milk that is less then 2 days old for hot drinks.
For cold drinks, be it milkshakes and smoothies, fresh or settled milk is fine. It is also great on your breakfast cereal, or drunk straight as is.
Any pulp left in the container can also be reused and you don’t have to throw it out. You can add it to your cooking, put it in a smoothie, or just eat it on its own, the choice is yours.
Hemp Milk Recipes
Hemp milk is simple to make. The recipes follow a basic formula of 1:6 (seed:water) plus flavoring. In other words, for every ¼ cup (50g) of hemp seed, you add 1½ cups (375ml) of water. You can increase the creaminess and thickness of the milk by adding more seeds, or less seeds for a more watery milk. Changing the water content can also change the properties of the milk, but it will also increase or decrease the yield that can be made as the amount of milk you can make is based on the volume of water that is being added.
Ingredients
The core of every recipe uses Hemp Seeds and Water. Your water needs to be good quality drinking water, whether it’s tap, bottled or filtered. The seeds you use will largely depend on what you can access and your personal choice. Hulled/shelled hemp seeds will not require any filtering if you process them well enough.
If you want extra fiber and don’t mind a little grit, try using unhulled seeds. But if you must use unhulled seeds, and don’t want the grit from the shells in your milk; then you will need to strain the milk with a cheese cloth or a nut milk bag in order to filter out the husks from the milk.
Base Ingredients
- Hemp Seeds (Hulled or Unhulled)
- Water (spring/bottled/filtered)
Suggested Ingredients for Flavor
You can also add flavor to your hemp milk should you wish to do so. As taste is a personal thing, you can try adding anything else that you want, and you don’t need to stick with what we are suggesting, these are just our personal favorites.
- Sea Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Vanilla Bean
- Orange Zest
- Raw Cacao Powder
- Cocoa Powder
- Fresh Berries
- Pitted Dates
- Coconut Sugar
- Pure Maple Syrup
- Honey
Base Recipe
The following recipe is used for all of our recipes and yields up to 4 servings. When we want to add flavor to our hemp milk, we simply add the additional ingredients to this base recipe.
Base Recipe Ingredients
- ½ cup (100g) Hemp Seeds
- 3 cups (750ml) Water
- 1 pinch of Sea Salt (optional)
Base Recipe Instructions
- Place the hemp seeds and water into a high speed blender or food processor.
- For taste, we like to add a little sea salt. Hemp milk tastes just fine without the extra sodium.
- Process the contents on high for at least 30 seconds. You want the seeds to be broken up, and the water to be turned milky.
- Chill in the refrigerator in a container with a lid before serving.
Flavored Recipes
Some people don’t like the slight grassy/hemp flavor that hemp milk can have. If that’s the case for you, you many want to flavor your hemp milk first.
If you need to strain your milk, it may be worth your while to blend the seeds and water together first, and then strain the milk before adding the flavors.
Vanilla Hemp Milk
- ½ cup (100g) Hemp Seeds
- 3 cups (750ml) Water
- 1 Vanilla Bean
- Or ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Hemp Milk Instructions
- Place the hemp seeds and water into a high speed blender or food processor.
- If you are using vanilla beans, cut the ends off and slice open the beam. Scrape out the seeds and place them in the blender. Discard the remainder of the bean.
- Process the contents on high for at least 30 seconds. You want the seeds to be broken up, and the water to be turned milky.
- Chill in the refrigerator in a container with a lid before serving.
Sweet Vanilla Hemp Milk
- ½ cup (100g) Hemp Seeds
- 3 cups (750ml) Water
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- Or 1 tablespoon Honey
- Or 3 Pitted Dates
Sweet Vanilla Hemp Milk Instructions
- Place the hemp seeds, water and sweetener into a high speed blender or food processor.
- If your blender is not powerful enough, you may need to dice up the dates if you are using them.
- Process the contents on high for at least 30 seconds. You want the seeds to be broken up, and the water to be turned milky.
- Chill in the refrigerator in a container with a lid before serving.
Chocolate Hemp Milk
- ½ cup (100g) Hemp Seeds
- 3 cups (750ml) Water
- 1 pinch of Sea Salt (optional)
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1½ tablespoon Raw Cacao Powder
- Or 1½ tablespoon Cocoa Powder
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- Or honey
- Or 3 Pitted Dates
Chocolate Hemp Milk Instructions
- Place the hemp seeds, water and other ingredient into a high speed blender or food processor.
- If your blender is not powerful enough, you may need to dice up the dates if you are using them.
- Process the contents on high for at least 30 seconds. You want the seeds to be broken up, and the water to be turned milky.
- Chill in the refrigerator in a container with a lid before serving.
Berry Hemp Milk
- ½ cup (100g) Hemp Seeds
- 3 cups (750ml) Water
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup of berries
- Or 1 cup of Strawberries
Berry Hemp Milk Instructions
- Place the hemp seeds, water and other ingredient into a high speed blender or food processor.
- If you are using strawberries, remove the stem and leaves and cut them into quarters.
- Process the contents on high for at least 30 seconds. You want the seeds to be broken up, and the water to be turned milky and colored similar to the berries.
- Chill in the refrigerator in a container with a lid before serving.
Final Thoughts
Hemp Milk is not only nutritious, it is also a tasty and refreshing milk alternative. As more and more people adopt a healthier lifestyle, hemp milk is becoming increasingly popular. Homemade hemp milk is more nutritious than the store bought products, and in some cases it can be even cheaper. For more information on other products that hemp can be used to make, please read our article on the Industrial Applications of Hemp and Marijuana Products.