If you enjoy plant-based milk for smoothies, making porridges, and more, try this homemade hemp milk recipe. It's high protein, healthy fats, and almost no carb. With an earthy, nutty flavor, I think it will be a nice addition to your plant milk recipes. Make it in 1 minute for pennies a serving!
Along with drinking smoothies for 25 years came making my own homemade plant milks. Here's one I've been enjoying lately in place of nut milks and oat milk: hemp milk.
Hemp milk has an earthy, nutty, mild taste for a non-dairy milk and is nutritionally terrific. You don't have to be on a vegan diet to enjoy hemp milk, everyone can enjoy it. Use it lots of ways, like in smoothies, overnight oats, and more. Give it a try and skip store-bought options.
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Why You'll like This Recipe
- Super easy and takes 1 minute!
- Fresh and homemade, no additives.
- Inexpensive to make.
- A nice alternative or addition to nut milks, rice milk, soy milk, and cow's milk.
- Hemp seeds are a complete protein with all 9 essential amino acids.
For another delicious recipe with hemp seeds, make this kale and avocado salad with a creamy tahini dressing, with hemp seeds for added protein.
Chef's note on nut allergies: If you have nut allergies, hemp seeds are technically nuts, but not tree nuts. They are listed as safe for people with peanut allergies. To be sure, check with your doctor or allergist before consuming. For more information on hemp seeds see this post from Cleveland Clinic.
Recipe Ingredients
- Raw organic hemp seeds: You will find them labeled whole hemp seeds, hulled hemp seeds or hemp hearts, as they have a hard outer shell that is removed before packaging. Find them at most grocery stores.
- Water: Clean filtered water is the best choice.
- Sea salt: just a pinch of salt to amplify flavor.
- Optional flavors: Please see below.
Please see the recipe card for measurements.
Chef's Tip: If the name concerns you, not to worry. Hemp seeds don't contain the level of psychoactive ingredients (THC) in cannabis that gives you a buzz. Hemp seeds are super healthy tiny powerhouses! Here's a great article on the health benefits of hemp seeds.
Substitutions and Variations
Try flavoring homemade hemp milk or just keep it plain and simple. I had honey cinnamon this morning. Yum!
- Vanilla hemp milk: add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or a teaspoon of vanilla paste.
- Sweetened hemp milk: add raw honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or date syrup.
- Sugar-free sweetened hemp milk: for no added sugars, use sugar-free monk fruit-based honey, zero sugar maple syrup, or plain simple syrup. They blend in easier than natural sweeteners like chopped medjool dates. Also try granulated monk fruit blend or powdered monk fruit blend. All are handy to keep in the pantry for a variety of sweetening needs.
- Strawberry hemp milk: Blend in a few fresh or frozen strawberries untli smooth.
- Chocolate hemp milk: add cocoa powder until it is as chocolaty as you want. Start with a tablespoon.
- Spiced hemp milk: try a blend of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, etc. In fall try a pumpkin spice blend.
- Almond hemp milk: add a little almond extract.
For more recipes with hemp seeds, try these no-bake chocolate chip energy balls with hemp seeds for a delicious power snack.
Recipe Instructions
Hemp seeds do not contain phytic acid, so they do not have to be soaked as many other nuts and seeds do. Just add cold filtered water and raw hemp seeds to a high-speed blender and blend smooth for 1 minute. That's it!
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Protein note: for 9 grams of protein per cup use ½ cup of hemp seeds. For 14 grams per cup, use ¾ cup of hemp seeds.
There is no need to strain hemp milk as the seeds are small. soft, and blend easily. If you want to strain it, use a fine mesh strainer or reusable nut milk bag. But why toss all of that nutrition?
Serving Suggestions
Serve hemp milk cold or warm it up on a chilly day. Stir before using. It will separate upon standing. If you don't drink dairy milk, it's nice to sip as you would milk. Warm it up and sip it on a cold day, especially the flavored versions.
Try it in smoothies, overnight chia oats, with coffee, with crunchy homemade gluten-free granola, and many places you would use a plant-based milk. I use it for a quick refuel after strength training blended with a scoop of protein powder.
If You Like Plant Milks
Be sure to try my homemade almond milk, pale green pumpkin seed milk, 1 minute coconut milk, and easy cashew milk. All are delicious so switch up your plant-based milks.
Chef's Note: You can make hemp milk with two different protein levels by varying the quantity of hemp seeds. Using a ½ cup of seeds you get 9 grams of protein per 8-ounce cup. At ¾ cup you get 14 grams of protein per 8-ounce cup. See the nutrition notes at the bottom of the recipe for the numbers.
Recipe FAQs
As hulled hemp seeds or hemp hearts do not contain anti-nutrients such as phytic acid, no soaking is required to make homemade hemp milk. Just add to water in a blend and process until smooth, about 45 seconds. And no need for straining as the seeds are soft.
Without any additives or preservatives, homemade hemp milk has a fresher, cleaner taste, and it is so easy to make. Skip buying it and make your own in 1 minute. Saves money too!
Homemade hemp milk is high in protein, low in carbs, with healthy fat and a gram of fiber. It has a super nutritional profile and is a terrific non-dairy alternative for people who cannot or choose not to consume dairy milk. Additionally, hemp seeds are a complete protein, with all nine essential amino acids.
But beware if you are nut-allergic. Hemp seeds are technically nuts, so best not to drink it.
More Plant Milk Recipes
Be sure to check out the smoothies recipe page for ways to use hemp milk along with my other tasty recipes for plant milks. For a great breakfast, try hemp milk in this overnight chia oats.
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📖 Recipe
Hemp Seed Milk
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup hemp seeds or hemp hearts use ¾ cup for higher protein
- 4 cups water
- 1 pinch sea salt optional
Optional Sweeteners
- 1 tablespoon honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, simple syrup or to taste
- 1 tablespoon sugar-free honey, maple, simple syrup or to taste
Optional Flavors
- 1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract or vanilla paste or to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder (for chocolate) or to taste
- 2-3 fresh or frozen strawberries (for strawberry) or to taste
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon or other warm spices or to taste
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Instructions
- Unlike other nuts and seeds, hemp seeds have no phytic acid, so no soaking required. Just add the seeds to your blender with the water and blend until smooth, about 45-60 seconds. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container and enjoy.
- If making flavored hemp milk, blend the milk first, taste, then add any flavors and blend briefly again. Taste and adjust flavors to your preference.
Notes
- 218 kcals, 1 gram saturated fat, 1 gram fiber, 59 mg calcium, 3 grams carbs, 5 grams iron, 12 mg sodium, 14 grams protein
- Vanilla: add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or a teaspoon of vanilla paste.
- Sweetened: add raw honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, or date syrup.
- Sugar-free sweetened: use sugar-free monk fruit-based honey, zero sugar maple syrup, or plain simple syrup. Also try granulated monk fruit blend or powdered monk fruit blend.
- Strawberry: Blend in a few fresh or frozen strawberries until smooth.
- Chocolate: add cocoa powder until it is as chocolaty as you want. Start with a tablespoon.
- Spiced try a blend of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, etc. In fall try a pumpkin spice blend.
- Almond: add a little almond extract.
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