Flaxseed Milk

Preparation

Add the flax seeds, water and a pinch of salt to the blender cup. Blend for 10-15 seconds, yes, that’s all you need!

Pour the flaxseed milk into a container and let it sit for 10 minutes. Flaxseed milk is difficult to strain through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth because it has a gelling characteristic – if you let the flaxseed milk sit for 10 minutes, the seed husks and fibers will separate, allowing you to scoop them out with a spoon! You can save the gel and add it to smoothies, baked goods or use it as a flax egg! This trick is pure magic!

The flaxseed milk will separate into 3 layers: flaxseed gel on top, perfect flaxseed milk in the middle, and some more flaxseed gel on the bottom. We want that pure middle portion for a good creamy flax milk. (If you let the flaxseed sit and separate, but have trouble removing the flax, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. The flaxseed material will firm up even more, making it very, very easy to remove. That’s what I usually do.)

Once the milk has separated into layers and you have removed the top layer of flax material, you can easily strain the rest of the milk through a nut milk bag. Be sure to leave the last bit of flaxseed at the bottom and don’t pour it into the bag of nuts.

Season as desired and store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

The recipes yield about 2 cups of flax milk. I like to add 1 tsp vanilla extract, a pinch of cinnamon, and 1-2 tsp maple syrup.