Obviously I didn’t invent hemp milk, so this post is not going to be super detailed on the tutorial end, however, I did do lots of research about hemp seed sources that I think could be helpful to have all in one place for others. Since many companies that package/manufacture/sell hemp seeds also package/manufacture/sell nuts (and other allergens) I wanted to contact as many as I could to find out the details on their standards of co-packing. There were a few who didn’t respond to my email, which I indicate below, but the rest were very helpful and so I’m just going to cut and paste their customer service replies below for others to have as a reference (FYI, nobody provided any products for me and this post isn’t sponsored).
“Hello Elise, Thank you for contacting Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods. Our facility is 100% dedicated to hemp production, manufacturing and packaging. We do not produce or store any dairy, soy, nut or gluten products. Hemp Foods are not a source of common food allergens and that Hemp is considered allergen free. We recognize the severity of food allergies and hope that the information provided will assist you. Please do not hesitate to ask should you have any additional questions. In addition, I have included a recipe to make raw hemp milk from our website: http://manitobaharvest.com/recipes/3994/Raw-Hemp-Milk.html Enjoy!”
“Thank you for contacting us. Our Novato California facility is indeed free of all nuts except for Cashews, which is an item that we offer. We take great care to clean our equipment between product runs and sterilize everything with HACCP approved organic, food grade cleaning agents. We also do not handle gluten, dairy, soy, or corn. We do not test for parts per million for allergens in our facility, but the risk for cross contamination is extremely low. I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions and take care.”
“Hi Elise, Thank you for reaching out to Nutiva. We appreciate feedback from our customers. I just happened to be monitoring our Customer Service inbox when your email came in. That’s why I’m able to reply so promptly, fyi. Please see the attached Nutiva letterhead document listing our products and their relationship to known allergens, including any certification associated with them. I trust this helps.” [NUTIVA product allergen info]
Here’s an excerpt from the hemp seed portion:
“Organic Hempseed / Ingredients: Raw, organic shelled hempseeds / Certifications: USDA Organic, Non-GMO & Kosher / The following items are present in the same manufacturing facility: Coconut products”
Didn’t respond to my email but from their website and the product package “Manufactured in a facility that also uses tree nuts, soy, wheat, and milk.”
Didn’t respond to my email from their website and the product package “Caution: This product is packed in a plant where sesame seeds, nuts, soya and sulphites are handled.”
I’m sure there are other companies out there, so feel free to leave recs in the comments section. Additionally, if you have a child with tree nut or peanut allergies (or if you yourself have nut allergies) and you have tried hemp seeds without issues, please leave a comment sharing the brand you use.
Given that info, I went to WF and bought Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts to embark on my milk-making adventure. Bonus, they were on sale and there was a coupon in the WF coupon booklet for even more $ off.
3 cups water + 1/2 cup hemp seeds + 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
Blended a few minutes in the vitamix
Strained through a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth (or nut milk bag)
[All of this info was found via the google machine – the ratios of seeds:water varied by source but I feel like this was a fairly middle-of-the-range strength.]
So far my little guy seems to be tolerating hemp milk without any issues – fingers crossed it continues.
*Update* we are still going strong with the hemp milk (for several months now) but it’s not a very caloric drink option and doesn’t hold his appetite very long…SO…I started adding (canned) coconut milk for the extra calories and fat and it has been wonderful. I still make the hemp milk the same way, and I keep each milk stored in separate glass jars. When I make his bottle I do a 50/50 ratio of each. I’ve found it to be a great balance of allergy friendly macronutrients that he tolerates (and it’s still free of gums, thickeners, stabilizers or additives).
Way to go Mama! I love that some companies are so helpful & care about their customers! I use Navitas Naturals for most of my seeds, nuts, powders! Iherb has such a great deal on them 🙂 I will need to give that hemp milk a try once I get my blender out of storage 🙂
Oh yeah forgot to ask.. How long does it last for once made?!
Loved this! I don’t have any allergies (or a kid with allergies for that matter) but still loved this info. I have used Manitoba Harvest hemp seeds and loved them. Never made hemp milk but I am so intrigued to give it a go! I’m not a dairy person either and love my almond milk but I’m excited to try this kind. What was your reasoning for going this route versus buying already made hemp milk? Oh and did you find the sieve/cheesecloth was necessary?
The straining/cheesecloth is really only necessary if you’re serving it in a bottle (i.e. for babies) because even though they are tiny, the bits of seed do collect and clog the nipple. For me, I’d blend it and skip the sieve altogether. Once P is on to drinking out of something that doesn’t get clogged by the little seed particles I’ll stop straining.
The reason I am making my own is primarily because I want to avoid carrageenan and gums as long as possible for P (I haven’t found a brand of hemp milk that doesn’t have one or the other). While his gut is young and developing I’m hoping to minimize exposure to these ingredients with controversial effects on the body (there are a number of studies saying carrageenan is harmful but a number saying the opposite, so who knows, better be safe than sorry I guess?). Especially since he has so many allergies, I want to give his GI system the best chance possible to form an ideal flora. Also, making hemp milk is pretty inexpensive as compared to the alternatives.
Hope that helps!
I make ~2 pints at a time and stored in a glass jar they have lasted a week (but probably would last longer). As long as they are constantly refrigerated I’d feel safe keeping it a month after it’s made. I’ll let you know if we ever run into it going bad.
Thanks Katie! Some companies are so awesome – I’m constantly impressed by how focused they are in giving the consumer as much info as possible and being totally transparent in their practices.
Yum! I can’t wait to try some!
Thanks, Elise! How can you tell if hemp has gone bad? I also saw hemp tofu at whole foods! Have you tried it? It looks a little green (not sure if it’s from the seeds). I am just curious, I love tofu, but have a mild soy allergy 🙁
Hi! I just wanted to know if the hemp milk you make is thick/rich? Compared to soy milk, or almond milk? Thank you!
I’ve tried the hemp tofu; it’s pretty good! I’ve been vegan for so long I don’t really remember what cheese tastes like, but I thought the hemp tofu smelled and tasted like cheese. I cut my block into tiny cubes and baked it at a high heat, and the pieces got crispy. They reminded me of a cheese cracker almost. The biggest downside is the fat content, of course, but the package is also really small for the price IMO.
Hippie Butter is a company you might want to check into. I’m pretty sure they deal exclusively with hemp products in their facilities. I haven’t asked about cross contamination (no allergen concerns), but I’m sure they’d be happy to answer your questions.
http://www.hippiebutter.com/
Thank you!!! 🙂
I LOVE this post! After I got your reply hemp milk making instructions last week – I did the exact same and called around on a few brands and was only comfortable with the Manitoba Harvest as well (and also found the same coupon). Although I went a little bold and made mine with 1 cup of seeds and only used a cheesecloth (couldn’t find a mesh strainer and Target didn’t have any) and the baby was not pleased with the flavor or the grittiness. I tried it myself and quickly realized that even for me it was a little “grassy” tasting. I’m heading to Macy’s on lunch today to continue the search for the mesh strainer and giving it another go with your exact recipe next time 😉
I can’t even tell you how amazing all these allergy friendly posts are to our family. Thank you.
Love this post!! I ordered a nut milk bag (my husband cannot get over the fact that’s what it is called) and a glass pitcher for the fridge to make almond milk, but I am bookmarking this to try too. My LO doesn’t have any known allergies, but I’m not crazy about giving him multiple cups of dairy milk in a few months when he is a year old. Any idea how much fat the strained hemp milk has? Just wondering if it is comparable to whole milk in that respect.
Is P allergic to Quinoa? I know it’s a seed, but don’t remember you writing about it yet.
Don’t forget about Hippie Butter Hemp Seeds. We have a wide range of hemp seed food and skin care products. Hope everyone will give us a chance and see why we do hemp better.
I don’t actually know!? Smell I guess? I haven’t tried the hemp tofu but I’m intrigued. I saw it on another blog but not in stores yet.
He’s not allergic to quinoa but in the last few weeks he’s seemed to have some eczema that I can’t sort out. It went away when I omitted grains(oats) and quinoa from his diet but I haven’t reintroduced either yet. I’m wondering if there was wheat cross contamination in the oats I bought. Or if it was some other exposure that I don’t know about (out and about w other babies etc). I’ll report back.
I don’t know about the fat content of homemade hemp milk. Since much of the seed stuff is strained out I have no clue what macro residuals are actually in the milk I give him. I just figure it’s more protein than rice or oat milk. I doubt it’s comparable to full fat cow dairy. If your LO tolerates it maybe you could do a combo?
It’s thin – the ratio I make is similar in consistency to almond milk.
I’m so happy you’re enjoying these posts Lindsey! It’s definitely “grassy”. Or as I describe it to my family “earthy”. But maybe watered down a bit would help? Or with a bit more sweetener (agave maple syrup brown rice syrup whatever). Then you can reduce the amount of sweetener once the flavor is more familiar…
I love the manitoba hemp seeds, so great that P can tolerate them!!
I actually found them at costco in cali around xmas this year when i was visiting, so definately check with your location.
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I know a lot of people are bothered by even GF oats. Hopefully you can try another brand. If the quinoa ends up working out, quinoa flakes might be something you can try down the road. I met a GF baker once and we got to talking and she said she only used quinoa flakes (vs oatmeal) in her GF baked goods since so many people have issues with certified GF oats.
Thanks, Elise! I love your blog btw! I might go just buy the tofu!
Thanks, Veronica! did you notice it had green spots? Is that from the hemp?
Hemp seeds have green parts so I’d imagine that’s what it is.
I should def try quinoa flakes. For now I’m omitting oats to see if that’s it.
I will! We go to Costco monthly, so on our next visit I’m going to keep my eyes peeled. I think I remember seeing some but I can’t remember what brand it was.
I made breakfast this morning and thought of you and P! I made a vegan chickpea flour omelette and my 8 month old son loved it! I was thinking it might be another good protein source for P. and maybe a good way to convince him he likes beans 🙂
OMG!! Love this idea. I have those same hemp hearts!! I never even thought to make my own hemp milk before. I usually drink almond milk from Silk.
Sorry. Meant to reply to this earlier.
I didn’t notice any green specks, but my hemp seeds are green, so I’m sure that’s what it is. If you were thinking mold, I’m sure you’d notice that right away. I’ve already made my way through three packs of hemp tofu. (I picked up another pack over the weekend :0) Try it!
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