How to Make Homemade Hazelnut Milk-A Tasty Alternative to Soy or Cow Milk

Hazelnuts are a nutrient-packed food with endless culinary uses. It can be finely chopped and added to salads, smoothies and ice cream, or use it as a delicious rub for hazelnut crusted halibut.

Hazelnuts are also a popular choice for ‘plant milks,’ a term reserved for popular beverages such as soymilk, almond milk and cashew milk.

Hazelnut milk has been around for centuries and was cultivated in China over 5,000 years ago. The name itself comes from the Anglo-Saxon ‘haesel’ which means either ‘nut’ or ‘bonnet’ depending on the source. Hazelnuts are also known as “filberts.”

Health Benefits

The nutritional profile of the hazelnut is good news for health-minded people. A rich source of vitamin E, B vitamins and antioxidants, research also suggests eating hazelnuts will reduce the risk of heart disease.

The antioxidant power of this nut comes from its high concentration of proanthocyanidin, which gives it 20 times the disease fighting strength of vitamin C, and 50 times more than vitamin E.

Homemade Hazelnut Milk

Making your own hazelnut milk is a simple process. By opting to make it fresh instead of buying it at the store, there are no additives and no unexpected sugars or preservatives to worry about. Here is what you need:

-Hazelnuts

-Filtered water

-Blender/Vita-mixer, and/or food processor.

-Mesh bag or cheesecloth and clips.

-Try to get skinned nuts, but if these are not available, soak them for as long as 24 hours to remove the bitterness. Then rinse and place in the blender.

*(Hazelnuts are available in the bulk nut section of your local supermarket, and prepackaged in some stores. )

Use the ratio of 6 cups of filtered water to 1 cup of nuts to produce ~six cups of nut milk. For a thicker blend, use the ratio 4:1 instead.

-After soaking and rinsing, blend the nuts with the 6 cups of water until the blend is as fine as the machine can make it. *(If you would like to add sweeteners or flavor, do this during blending. Try honey, agave nectar, vanilla extract, cocoa powder or even maple syrup.)

-Once the blended contents settle, pour the mixture through the cheesecloth into a bowl or other container and squeeze the liquid out.

-Pour that creamy blend into a storage container and refrigerate.

Recipes

For some excellent dinner, dessert and appetizer recipes, go the hazelnut council’s website (hazelnutcouncil.org) and browse through the database. Selections include dishes like sweet potatoes with hazelnut streusel topping and hazelnut butter toffee, along with healthier, lighter options as well.

Want to thicken up your hazelnut milk or make a smoothie, try adding:

-bananas

-peanut butter

-greek yogurt

…or any combination of the three.

If you enjoy hazelnut creamer in coffee, try some of the fresh homemade stuff instead.

Adding hazelnut milk to the diet is a great way to pump up nutrient levels and boost the immune system, and is a tasty alternative to cow’s milk. Try some today!