Vanilla Flax Milk

Learn how to make flax milk - a simple, vegan, nut-free milk alternative!  With this recipe I jazz it up a bit for you guys with some vanilla, maple syrup, and of course... cinnamon!

Vanilla Flax Milk

Now we live in a time we could not anticipate.  I now find myself living at home with my family, rationing milk, eggs, peanut butter, and bananas so far.  Fancy baking ingredients now lay on the side, unused and unloved as we focus on the essentials.  Flax seeds just happened to be something I brought home from my dorm, and I had no idea how to use them.  That is, until dairy milk started to become a luxury.  I then decided that all the cute little flaxes would be milked.

Like chia seeds, flax seeds are a gelling agent, and probably the hardest part of making flax milk is getting rid of the gel.  I got this technique from Willamette Transplant, in which you simply scoop the gel off the top before straining to prevent clogging the cheesecloth.

Scraping a delicate film off the top

I use Bobs Red Mill brown flaxseeds.  You could also use golden flaxseeds.  I've heard that they have a milder taste, but I have yet to try it out.

Make sure that when you blend the ingredients the first time, you only do it for up to 30 seconds.  Any longer than that and you risk blending the flax seeds too much to strain out, which will make your flax milk slimy.

Flax gel in a separate container

I recommend saving the gel from your flax milk after you blend it.  It's a great nutritional addition to anything, including smoothies, oatmeal, and baked goods.  After the gel and liquid are separated, you should have about 1 liter of flax milk.  That's all you need to do for basic flax milk, but I recommend adding a little extra flavor in there!  In this recipe, the nutty flavor of flax is improved by vanilla, cinnamon, sea salt, maple syrup for a little sweetness, and nut butter for a little extra creaminess.  Use any nut butter you want here, but I recommend a milder flavored one, like cashew or coconut butter.  I've also used almond butter, because that just makes it taste a tiny bit more like almond milk.

Vanilla Flax Milk

Paleo, Nut-free, Vegan

Yield: 1 liter
Serving size: ½ to 1 cup
Ingredients

• ¼ C flax seeds
• 5 C cold water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cashew, almond, or coconut butter
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• dash sea salt

Directions

1. Add flax seeds and water to a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds.
2. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes to let natural separation occur
3. Scoop the gelatinous layer off the top and discard or save for later
4. Cover the spout of the blender with a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and strain the flax milk through the cloth into a separate container, but stop before you reach the gelatinous layer at the bottom of the blender
5. Rinse out the blender and return the strained flax milk to the blender along with the vanilla extract, cinnamon, nut or coconut butter, maple syrup, and sea salt, and blend on high for 30 seconds.
6. Pour into another airtight container (or if you want it extra strained you can pour it through the nut milk bag or cheesecloth again)  and store in the refrigerator