How to Make Hemp Milk

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Hemp milk is a delicious dairy-free, nut-free, plant-based milk. It’s naturally light, nutty in flavor, and only requires two ingredients. Just hemp seeds and water! But feel free to add a little sweetener and vanilla extract for a tasty and fresh milk that’s ready to drink!

Hemp milk in a glass.

With more people discovering that they’re lactose intolerant, or just want to be environmentally conscious, there’s been a rise in milk alternatives. From oat milk to almond milk to soy milk to banana milk, the variations keep going.

If you’ve read my previous cashew milk recipe, you know how easy it is to make your own nut milk. But many have requested a new nut-free, plant-based milk. So, I’ve decided to make one that’s a bit overlooked – hemp milk.

Hemp seeds are exceptionally nutritious and rich in high-quality plant protein, healthy fats, and minerals. And when it comes to turning those little seeds into milk, it couldn’t be easier.

Hemp Milk Recipe Video

While it’s incredibly easy to make this recipe at home, it always helps to watch a quick, step-by-step tutorial. I also show how I sweeten my milk in the video. Give it a watch below!

How To Make Homemade Hemp Milk

Did you know that homemade hemp milk only takes one minute to make? You’ll see in my video below how quickly this recipe comes together. So ditch those store-bought options and make it fresh. Here’s how to do it:

  • Add the hemp seeds and water (plus any sweeteners) to a high powered blender
  • Blend on high for a minute
  • Pour into a storage container and refrigerate

A bottle of water and jar of hemp seeds next to a blender.

Hemp milk being strained through a nut milk bag.

Do You Need to Strain Hemp Milk?

It’s not required (like almond milk), but it does make it smoother. Hemp milk is nice and creamy and the seeds pulverize almost entirely in the blender. But you may see a little pulp sink to the bottom of your glass. Straining it with a nut milk bag before pouring it into your stored container helps to minimize this.

Making Flavored Milk

Hemp milk on its own has a natural earthy taste. I personally love it just the way it is, but if you’re looking to add a little more flavor, here’s a few ideas to try:

  • Vanilla Hemp Milk: Add 2 tsp of vanilla and 1 tbsp of maple syrup, honey or 3 dates
  • Chocolate Hemp Milk: Add 1 tbsp cacao powder and 1 tbsp of maple syrup, honey or 3 dates
  • Matcha Hemp Milk: Add 1 heaped tbsp matcha and 1 tbsp of maple syrup, honey or 3 dates

Homemade hemp milk in a glass.

How long does it last?

Homemade hemp milk lasts up to 5 days stored in the fridge. Although, it might be best to consume within the first 2-3 days for maximum freshness. But if you want to freeze it for future use, you can pour it into a silicone ice cube tray. Then, you can use these cubes for your next strawberry banana smoothie or chia seed pudding!

Hemp milk in a glass.

How To Make Hemp Milk (2-Ingredients)

4.86 from 35 votes
Prep: 1 minute
Total: 1 minute
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Hemp milk is naturally light and nutty in flavor, and can be made right at home with just two simple ingredients. Watch the video above to see how quickly it comes together!

Video

Ingredients 
 

  • 1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds (hemp hearts)
  • 4 cups water

Optional

  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup, honey or 2-3 pitted dates
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Add hemp seeds, water, and any additional sweeteners to a high-powered blender.
  • Blend for 1 minute or until the milk is nice and creamy.
  • Pour the hemp milk into a sealable container (see my favorite in the notes below).
  • Place it into the fridge and store it for up to 5 days.

Lisa's Tips

  • If  you want your hemp milk to be thicker and creamier, use less water. 
  • I store my homemade milks in these juice jars. And I store my hemp seeds in these glass containers with these beautiful wood lids.
  • And of course, I always use my Vitamix A3500 to blend homemade milks for the smoothest texture. 

Nutrition

Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: hemp milk, hemp milk recipe, homemade hemp milk, how to make hemp milk
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

4.86 from 35 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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82 Comments

  1. How did you come up with 6g of fat per serving? What is your serving size?

    1/2c of hemp seeds is 128g of fat. So combined with 4 cups of water — let’s assume the resulting milk is 5c (which is generous) — that would mean a 1/2c of milk is 12g of fat.

    Is your serving size a 1/4c???5 stars

  2. I am on a special diet for 8 weeks to heal my gut and can’t have oat (waa! My normal go-to!), almond, cashew, or soy milk. I don’t enjoy coconut milk with coffee. So I gave this ago and I’m sooooo pleased! It foams like a dream and has such a nice mouth texture. The flavour is a bit nuttier than oat but it’s very tasty! Would highly recommend!5 stars

  3. We make our own coconut milk and are thinking about adding/combining hemp milk with it. Any suggestions, tips? We usually add a pinch of salt and a vanilla bean to about seven cups of coconut milk, strained. 5 stars

  4. I halved the recipe as I wasn’t sure I would like it but it turned out so delicious! I was looking for an alternative to milk and didn’t want to do almond milk anymore. I added 3 tbsp maples syrup and 1 tsp vanilla for 2 cups water and 1/4 cup hemp seeds. I used my magic bullet and blended in sections with breaks in between. I strained it (using a fine mesh strainer) into a measuring cup and then strained it into a glass jar and it was perfect! I’ll definitely try adding more hemp seeds next time.4 stars

  5. Awesome recipe thank you for sharing. I followed the directions as stated and it turned out great. It definitely made me sleep well!5 stars

  6. Hey, thanks for this impressive tutorial. I never thought this recipe would be this easy. Hope this works out for me.5 stars

  7. I made this and wow! I love it! I did not add anything and didn’t strain it but I have to say I will never be buying plant milk again now! 😊

  8. Easy and delicious! I used 3.5 cups of water instead of 4 because I wanted a thicker creamier consistency, 1/2 cup of hemp hearts, 3 small deglet dates, 1 tsp of vanilla. I did not strain it. Put it in a large mason jar. It’s so delicious! I used it on my oatmeal this morning and yum! Thank you for this awesome recipe! 5 stars

    1. 1 minute in the Vitamix is not enough, try increasing the time until you get a better consistency. If you don’t have a high power blender I’m guessing it won’t work as well :(4 stars

  9. Just tried the hemp milk
    does have a slightly different taste. But is still good.
    when strained in the nut bag. I got alot of pulp.
    I have a toastmaster blender.
    But the Milk was creamy and good.
    Thank You
    Lisa5 stars

  10. Amazing!  I had hemp hearts in the fridge for so long and didn’t know I could do this with them.  Great recipe.  The taste is a bit strong for me so I added about a half teaspoon of cardamom and a teaspoon of  cinnamon to the four cups of hemp milk.  And a pinch of salt with dates for sweetening.  Love it!  Thank you 5 stars

  11. We have used hemp hearts on and in many different kinds of food, however have never heard of or tried hemp heart milk. It is wonderful, Thank you for sharing5 stars

  12. LOVE the hemp milk! My husband and I like just plain, no flavors! Question though, the nutrition facts you figured up, what serving size is that for?5 stars

    1. There’s about 8 servings in this recipe, and each one is close to 1/2 a cup. Glad you enjoyed this hemp milk though!

  13. Hi Lisa,

    Thanks for this excellent recipe. I used to make this weekly as it’s so easy and doesn’t require any soaking or filtering and it’s delicious. However, i recently ran into some issues. My milk started splitting into 2-3 layers, pretty much right after making it. I use the vitamix so I think the blending is powerful enough. I tried to blend longer just in case, but it didn’t really help. The last time it separated into a clear-yellow tinged layer and a sediment layer. That was pretty gross so I stopped making hemp milk. Any idea why I’m having these issues all of the sudden?

    Second- any recommendations on heating hemp milk in microwave without making it curd? Trying to make steam milk with this is so frustrating. 

    Thanks so much for all of your great contents!!
    Ona

    1. Hi Ona – that’s completely normal for homemade milks to separate like there and there’s nothing wrong with them. Just give them a good shake before serving! And for the heating, I’ve never had any issues heating my hemp milk. Maybe try heating it on the stove instead. :)

  14. THIS is the hemp milk recipe I was looking for. Perfect amount of hemp to water ratio. Love the cacao milk recipe too. All of it is lovely.5 stars

  15. Perfect timing for this Hemp Milk recipe as I was looking for nut free alternative. I am sure this will be as wonderful a find as your cashew milk – SOOOO! EASY!! I have sensitivities to many ( and “weird” ;) foods as do many in our family (and not all the same ones). We have to make pretty much everything from “scratch” and your site and recipes are not only DELICIOUS! – they have been a true Godsend for me! I will try this soon and have sent it to my daughter who recently found out she can’t have any dairy or nuts. Thanks so much!5 stars

  16. Sorry, but hemp seeds and hemp hearts are not the same thing. Hearts have the hulls removed, which changes the flavor, texture, and nutritional value of the milk. Your video shows the use of hearts. Accuracy counts.

    1. Hi Bryan – you’re correct. Hulled hemp seeds (which is what you find in supermarkets) is the same as hemp hearts. I’ll make a clarification to the post. Thanks!

  17. Hi and thanks for the recipe – a couple of questions: on what amount of hemp milk is the nutritional information based on please?  (e.g. per 100 ml? per cup?)
    Also, does this work in coffee or does it separate? I normally buy Barista Hemp Milk but would love to make my own. Thanks in advance :-) 

    1. Hi Katherine – the serving size is based on 1/2 cup. And it’s not as creamy as store-bought options as they use thickeners, but it works. Enjoy! :)

    2. For homemade milks for coffee, my husband and I put some milk to clear the blades of a blender, one raw organic egg, one teaspoon up to one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon maca powder. Blend and the milk even froths. Pour over coffee. This works with hot coffee too, just heat your milk over the stovetop and add your egg last. You can even add turmeric powder to hot or cold, as well as coconut oil and ghee to hot. The possibilities are endless. For thicker milks though, as the author of this site has mentioned, using less water to the seeds also helps. Happy experimenting! God bless!5 stars

  18. I’m always amazed by how easy it is to make a healthy and delicious drink with these simple ingredients. I will use your recipe to make Hemp milk for my Hemp/CBD soap. It gives it additional moisture. Which I like a lot:). Thank you for your inspiration.5 stars

  19. Hi, thank you for demonstrating this with hemp seeds. 
    Should the seeds be soaked before you make the mylk?
    Thank you5 stars

    1. Hi Cathy – You don’t need to soak the hemp seeds! Just go ahead and put them in the blender. Enjoy the recipe :)

  20. Did you change nut milk bags? I have the organic cotton one, but this one is clear and seems to strain the milk wayyyyy faster than mine. I quit making homemade milk altogether because the nut milk bag just holds too much air and takes forever to strain. :(

  21. Love ur videos! Question -I am dairy free except for lactose free organic 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee -which of the homemade nut milks would be the creamiest for a replacement?
    Thanks!
    Kim  

    1. Hi Kim – I’m happy you love my videos! I personally think cashew milk is the creamiest. :) If you use store-bought, coconut milk would probably be the creamiest.

  22. Made my first batch and like it, am now contemplating a hemp cashew milk concoction. What are your thoughts on if that would work? I didn’t strain the hemp milk and the little bit of sediment doesn’t bother me. Thanks!

    1. Hi Annette – A hemp cashew milk would definitely be an interesting mix! Try mixing it and let me know how it tastes!

  23. Fantastic recipe! I also blended in soy and added a pinch of salt to extend shelf life. It made for a wonderful flavor profile.

    I saved the solids and added them to my breakfast cereal in the morning, it added a nice boost of fiber and added extra nutty goodness.5 stars

    1. Hi Liz – So happy to hear you loved this recipe! I personally saved the solids as well to add to my breakfast :)

  24. Question. I am not allegic to dairy but don’t buy regular milk. I DO use Coconut and Almond milk to mix with chia seeds for pudding, but I just buy them at store. I think (but don’t know) that making my own nut milks is probably more expensive and more work that buying quality products. Am I wrong? I would love some information.

    1. Hi Ann – It can be a bit pricier at times, but there can be unnecessary additives and more sugar in the options found in store. So, if you want to make sure you know what exact ingredients are going into your nut milks, then you can simply make it at home :)

  25. Love the milk that is plant-based. It is such a great drink to consume on a regular basis. Really love how it looks in the images – yum!5 stars

    1. Hi Danielle – Thanks! It definitely is creamy and holds a nice earthy flavor to it. Great to drink on its own or mixed in a smoothie.

  26. Came out creamy and delicious.  I don’t own a Vitamix or a high powered blender at present.  Mine is a Cuisinart dual fp & blender; blender holds exactly 4 cups and the mix blended really well.  I added maple syrup and homemade vanilla extract.  Very little waste in the bag after straining too.  Thanks for the heads up!  I actually enjoy hemp milk more than using just the seeds.5 stars

    1. Sounds real good, I want to give hemp milk to my 1 year old. Im not sure if she will drink it plain, do you put the honey and maple syrup together or either one.5 stars

      1. Hi Alysia – For the sweetener, you have the option of using either honey or maple syrup :) I would just use one.