Vegan Milk Part IV: Flax-tastic!

Other vegan milks:
Part I: Hemp
Part II: Almond
Part III: Rice


Now that I have made three somewhat decent non-dairy milks, I decided to try something a little different and make a flax seed milk. It seemed like to make a non-dairy milk you really just need a seed or nut, soak it overnice and then process with water and strain. The hemp and almond milk were really good. The rice milk was not quite perfect the first time I made it with short grain rice, but switching to long grain and it worked really well.

I figured I should start experimenting. My experiment today was flax seed milk. Now looking back, I should have saw this happen. When I soaked the flax seed overnight, the result was very similar to a flax egg. (more on flax eggs here). It was gooey and sticky and immediately thought that it probably wouldn't make the best milk.

©iStockphoto.com/Eric Naud

However, I followed through and finished the recipe. Here it is:

Flax Milk

• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 3 cups water
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp of maple syrup

As with the other milks, take your seeds and soak them for 8-12 hours. Next, drain them and add them to your blender with the water, salt and maple syrup. Blend on high for 3-4 minutes or until it is smooth. While it's blending set up the straining system (Large bowl with a strain resting inside, cheese cloth covering the inside of the strainer.

pour the flax mixture through the cheese cloth and let it strain. You can pull up the corners of the cloth and squeeze the liquid through. Once strained, test and adjust the sugar and the add more water if it is too thick.

So, I am undecided on this one. I found the end result to be a bit sticky. It would not be a milk I would put on cereal or just drink a glass of. On the other hand, this was really cheap to make (About $2 to get enough seeds to make a litre of milk) and it worked well in my smoothie and in a muffin recipe I made.

I guess in the end it depends on what you use milk for. So far, if I wanted a milk that was an all-purpose and could drink a glass of, bake with, and use in a cereal, the Almond is my favourite so far. However, I really use my non-dairy milks for smoothies more than anything and it has been fun switching it up. The flax milk provides a lot of nutrients at a low cost. It's high in omega-3 and has been thought to lower cholesterol. It is high in fibre and people think that it has disease fighting power! It has a unique taste and was a great addition to my morning smoothie. So if you can get over the funny consistency, give this one a try!

Up next in the non-dairy milk... Sunflower seed!