I've created a homemade Chocolate Hemp Milk that is both dairy & nut free for you! Nut allergies seem to be very prominent in today's society. In addition to nut allergies, a lot of people are doing without the dairy. So, I thought it would be a fun idea to create a dairy free and nut free milk! This Chocolate Hemp Milk recipe is the best, go ahead and trust me. Sure you can head to the store and buy hemp milk, but why would you after knowing how quick and cost efficient it is to make yourself at home? Plus, you can truly create any flavor you'd like. Your creativity knows no boundaries... don't head to the supermarket and grab a carton! After discovering how easy it was to make my own homemade nut milks and hemp milk, I haven't bought a carton since! These homemade non-dairy milks last in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, too! I wanted to create a creamy chocolate hemp milk, but you can simply omit the cocoa from this recipe if you want a lightly sweetened version, without all of the chocolate flavor!
Growing up, I would only hear of people having peanut allergies. However, food intolerance testing in order to improve our health is all the rage, and I myself have given up almonds due to a high intolerance I have. Now, I don't have any issues digesting almonds per say, but if I do consume almonds, I give myself really bad skin breakouts. This is something that has developed over the past year or so. To keep a long story short, I went off of birth control in February of 2014 and since then, I have been dealing with a lot of skin trouble. I've gone through a series of hormonal testing, food intolerance testing, etc. but I'm still working on balancing my hormones and improving my skin health. Luckily, we were able to rule out any leaky gut issues so that is a relief within itself.
However, as a full-time baker while writing my cookbook: Paleo Baking Book, eliminating almonds from my diet has posed a serious struggle. Almond flour is INCREDIBLE to bake with, and it has been very tough for me to find a replacement in many of my recipes. However I am proud to say I'm finally churning out some incredible baked goods without it. That being said, I think it's time to start incorporating this homemade hemp milk into some baking recipes... what do you think?
Oh, need I mention how hemp seeds are a DREAM for your diet? Like chia seeds, the omega-3 fatty acids found in hemp seeds can help reduce inflammation in your body. They are an incredible source of vitamin E, which helps boost our immune functionality. They are so easy to incorporate into your diet. In addition to making hemp milk, I like throwing handfuls into smoothies and topping off my salads with hemp seeds too. Okay, I needn't say more... feel free to make your own flavors/variations but let me know if you do. I love to read about how you've made my recipes your own.
Chocolate Hemp Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup hemp seeds
- 4 cups boiled filtered water
- 4 Medjool dates pitted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a high-speed blender.
- Blend until the hemp hearts have broken down. You can either carefully strain the mixture through a nut-milk bag and discard the pulp OR you can leave the pulp for a more nutrient-dense milk. I leave the pulp in mine and just give it a good shake before I drink it... I love it this way!
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Monica – recipe developer, matcha addict and lover of all things chocolate, kombucha and any & all puns. I am also the blogger, real food lover, & bonafide hustler behind the blog ‘The Movement Menu.’ I’m so excited to welcome you to my happy space, where my appreciation of creative recipes and healthy & mindful eats come together to inspire you to live a healthy, balanced life.
Delicious with slight changes. I just used half the amount of hemp seeds, so 1/4 cup.
I added 1/2 scoop of chocolate vegan protein powder (5g worth of protein).
And I used 5 bahri dates (smaller than medjool).
My first batch was good, I used 6 dates instead of 4. The second day, the aftertaste of the milk was very strange. It then tasted bitter at the end of the sip. My second batch, I decided to strain after a few hours of sitting, after blending. I refrigerated for a few hours then tasted. This batch didn’t turn out at all. Very bitter, and couldn’t even finish.
I made this Chocolate Hemp Milk for the first time today. I found that it was quite bitter. Added maple syrup to it - but still has a bit of a bite. Would adding less hemp hearts help? More dates? I am not using medjool - could that be the issue? Would love your thoughts as I would love to make this a staple of my diet due to a dairy allergy & the cost of buying non-dairy milk. Thanks! 🙂
Oh, hmm that is really bizarre! I'm actually not sure as to why yours was bitter... ! I've never used dates other than Medjool so possibly? I'd try it with medjool, but hemp seeds themselves have a bit of bitterness to them, so maybe that's what you're tasting. Maybe try counteracting the bitterness with more vanilla, cinnamon, etc.? Let me know what happens!
The bitterness likely came from the cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder. Dutched process cocoa is generally much smoother, but you do lose some of the nutrition that comes from the unprocessed types. Better to have some of the cocoa benefits in a more palatable form than none at all. 🙂