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Glass bottle of homemade hemp milk beside a small bowl of hemp seeds

Basic Hemp Milk

Hulled hemp seeds and cold filtered water blended for about a minute into a dairy-free milk, with optional sweetener, vanilla, sea salt and straining.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings: 4 cups
Course: Beverage, Pantry Staple
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup hulled hemp seeds hemp hearts
  • 4 cups cold filtered water
  • 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sweetener optional
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
  • a pinch of sea salt optional

Method
 

  1. Start with the 4 cups of cold filtered water in the blender jar. Any sweetener, vanilla extract or sea salt being used goes in next, and the hemp seeds last.
  2. Run the blender on its high setting for roughly 60 seconds, until the milk is smooth and creamy.
  3. Straining is optional and can be skipped. For a nut milk bag, hang the bag in a large sterile jar, fasten it at the sides and pour the milk in slowly. For a cloth, line a fine mesh basket with a clean cloth (organic and dye-free), rest the basket in a clean bowl and pour the milk through.
  4. Let the milk drip through by itself, or gently wring out the bag or cloth.
  5. Transfer the finished milk to a clean, airtight container and keep it refrigerated. Use it within 3 to 4 days and shake it before pouring, since it separates as it stands.

Notes

Makes about 4 1/2 cups unstrained, or about 4 cups strained.
Equipment: a Vitamix or other high-powered blender and a clean airtight container. Optional straining calls for either a nut milk bag, or a clean cloth plus a fine mesh basket and a bowl.
Adjust the sweetener to taste. As little as 1 teaspoon is enough for some, and it can be left out entirely for plain hemp milk.
For a lighter milk, closer to store-bought, use 1/2 cup of hemp seeds with the same 4 cups of water.
Whole, unhulled hemp seeds can be used instead, but their hard shells leave grit, so the milk must be strained.
Hemp seeds bought in bulk go rancid quickly. Refrigerate them in a sealed, airtight container.