If you’re trying to eliminate dairy and love smoothies, creamy oatmeal, or other milk-based recipes, then it’s likely that nut milk is your first choice. But what if your’e allergic to nuts, or just don’t have time for all that soaking 8 hours in advance? Ladies and gentlemen I present you with the 5-minute solution (insert dramatic horns here, dadada DUN!): hemp milk! 

Hemp seeds, or hemp hearts as they’re sometimes called, are a great source of protein, omega-3 and omega-6 fats, vitamin E,  fiber, essential amino acids, and trace minerals. It is considered to be easily digestible, and the benefits of the nutrients it contains can help bolster the immune system, support healthy hair, skin, and nails, naturally aid in elimination and detox, boost brain power, regulate blood sugar, maintain bone health, and reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.

I always keep hemp seeds on hand and generally like to sprinkle them onto all sorts of dishes. They have a very mild nutty flavor so they go well with both sweet and savory, things like smoothies, salads, yogurt, fruit, soups, crepes, sandwiches, blanched kale, you get the idea, they’re totally eclectic. Even my kiddo loves them!

And the best part? Hemp milk is super easy to make! Just keep in mind there are no preservatives here so aim to drink it within 2-3 days in the fridge.

Here’s my low budget 15-second video showing the process, with my husband serenading on guitar in the background!

And here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

– 1/2 cup of hemp seeds
– 3 cups of filtered room temp. water
– 1 Tbsp. of maple syrup (or 1 drop of stevia if your’e avoiding sugar)
– a pinch of sea salt
– a dash of cinnamon powder

Directions:

Combine all the following ingredients except the cinnamon in a blender (I use the large Ninja blender). After blending all together for about 30 seconds, use a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag to strain out the pulp in a large bowl. Then add the cinnamon (add a little, mix, taste, and add more if you like), and then transfer to jars or some other container.

But wait, there’s more! Here’s a tasty & hearty smoothie recipe to make use of your hemp milk the following morning.

Blend the following ingredients:

-3/4 cup hemp milk
-frozen banana
-1 tsp. chia seeds
-1 tsp. coconut oil
-1 Tbsp. almond butter
-1 tsp. raw cacao
-1/2 tsp. maca (optional)

Then sprinkle some more of the raw cacao powder and some hemp seeds on the top.

Enjoy!

*This post was originally published on Diana’s site, Living Body Wellness. For more from Diana be sure to visit www.livingbodywellness.com