Homemade hemp milk

Ever since becoming vegan, I have been on a mission to find the perfect non-dairy milk for my lattes. I thought I found it in Pacific Foods Original Hemp Milk. That is, until I read the ingredient list and realized it contained things like brown rice syrup and xanthan gum. Brown rice syrup comes with the risk of arsenic poisoning [1] [2]. Xanthan gum, on the other hand, is used as a thickener and emulsifier. While xanthan gum [3] appears to be safe, emulsifiers, in general, have raised some concerns [4].

Which brings me to finding a way to make my own hemp milk. My recipe is based loosely on the recipe from Scott Jurek in his book Eat and Run. (Scott is my ultrarunner hero, by the way.) And now for my version of Scott’s recipe for hemp milk.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c hemp seeds/hearts (I have used both Manitoba Harvest organic hemp hearts and Navitas Organics Hemp Seeds)
• 4 c water
• 2 tbsp of ground flax
• 1 small banana (or half a large banana)*
• 1 tsp vanilla*
• Optional sweetener (see below under usage for discussion)*

* Increase, reduce, or eliminate based on your taste.

Steps

Add all ingredients and blend using a high-speed blender for a couple of minutes. Store in a large glass mason jar in the refrigerator. Keeps for about a week.

Usage

Adjust the ratio of ingredients based on your tastes. For example, some people like the taste of bananas or vanilla more or less than others. I sometimes add a 1/2 – 1 tbsp of cocoa powder to give it a chocolaty taste.

I only recently started adding the 2 tablespoons of ground flax (that amount seems to be just about right for me, but you can certainly experiment with less or more) and I have to admit it really helps give it additional body that it was lacking before.

I prefer to sweeten my milk as I use it. When I use this milk in my latte, I add a tsp or so of maple or agave syrup to it. Alternately, you add about 2-3 tbsp (or more or less depending on the sweetness of your tooth) of syrup to the blender with the other ingredients while you are making the milk.

Wondering if my homemade recipe tastes as good as the store bought, processed food variety from Pacific Foods? Truth be told: no, not exactly. It’s not quite as creamy, nor does it froth quite as nicely. Still it gets pretty darn close, is a snap to make, and is healthier than the stuff that comes in the carton at the grocery store.