What Is Hemp Milk?

Buying, Cooking, and Recipes

By Pat Tanumihardja
Published on 02/21/24
A glass of hemp milk with a spoon sticking up in the glass and hemp seed scattered around the base of the glass

OlgaLepeshkina / Getty Images

If you avoid dairy or follow a vegan diet, hemp milk is a good choice. It is also free of soy, gluten and lactose. This non-dairy plant-based milk made by soaking seeds of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa and blending them with water to make a beverage. Hemp milk has a similar appearance and texture to cow’s milk.  

Key Facts

  • Made from hemp seeds blended with water  
  • Low in saturated fat and cholesterol-free
  • Tastes nutty, similar to almond milk
  • Creamy texture, great for making lattes and cappuccinos 
  • Rich in plant-based omega-3 fatty acids to promote heart-health, and protein
  • Can be used as nondairy substitute in baking, cooking, and smoothies. 

What Is Hemp Milk?

Hemp milk, or hemp seed milk, is a creamy, high-protein, low-fat non-dairy plant-based milk sold in boxes. Hemp milk is also high in omega-3 fatty acids, essential amino acids and minerals. Hemp seeds are first soaked before being blended with water to make a beverage. Commercial varieties often have vanilla or sugar added. 

Due to the increase in popularity of nondairy milk substitutes, hemp milk is widely available. It is excellent for making espresso drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. It is very easy to make hemp milk from scratch at home.

How to Use 

Hemp milk is an excellent substitute for cow’s milk. It can be consumed on its own or added to hot (soups) and cold (cereal) preparations, baked goods and smoothies. It is also great for espresso drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. 

hemp milk process
hemp milk
hemp milk

Taste 

Hemp milk is creamy with a consistency that is a bit thicker than skim milk and other milk alternatives. It's got a slightly nutty flavor, similar to almond milk.

Hemp Milk Recipes

Substitute hemp milk for the milk called for in the following recipes: 

Where to Buy

Hemp milk can be found in most grocery stores in the boxed milk aisle--and sometimes in the refrigerated section--health food stores, specialty stores, and online retailers. It is usually sold in 32-oz boxes. 

The hemp plant grows naturally without herbicides or pesticides and with very little water, making it a very sustainable plant. Many brands are non-GMO or organic. Commercial hemp milk is often fortified with calcium, phosphorus and vitamins A, B12 and D. It may also contain flavor, added sugar, salt, thickeners or other additives. Read the ingredient list to determine what you want, or don’t want, to be drinking.

Storage

Hemp is reactive to oxygen and hemp milk spoils fast if left out. Boxed hemp milk does not have to be refrigerated until after opening. Homemade hemp milk should be refrigerated in a sealed container and consumed within one week. 

Nutrition and Benefits 

Hemp milk is low in saturated fats and free from cholesterol. Most of the fat is plant-based essential fatty acids, including omega-6 (linoleic acid) and omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid). Just one glass of hemp milk provides 50% of your recommended daily allowance of omega-3, which may promote heart health.

Hemp seeds are also a great protein source. In fact, it contains all of the essential amino acids that humans need from food, and is one of the few plant-based complete proteins. In addition, hemp milk is a great source of vitamin E and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, folic acid, and zinc.

Myths

It has been suggested that consuming hemp milk will lead to a positive test for marijuana. Hemp and marijuana are related but they are not the same plant. The hemp seeds used to make hemp milk do not contain THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that produces the “high” sensation. It is completely safe and legal to consume.