Description
This Homemade Hazelnut Milk recipe offers a creamy and delicious dairy-free alternative to traditional milk, enhanced with roasted hazelnuts and rich raw cacao powder for a hint of chocolate. Perfect for a nutritious beverage or an ingredient in smoothies and desserts, this recipe uses simple ingredients and a straightforward process involving roasting, blending, and straining.
Ingredients
Scale
Hazelnut Milk Base
- 200 g hazelnuts
- 800 ml filtered water
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Chocolate Hazelnut Milk Addition
- 1 medjool date (pitted)
- 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
Instructions
- Roast the hazelnuts: Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F). Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them for 12-14 minutes until they are golden and fragrant. Once done, remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the skins: When the hazelnuts are cool enough to handle, rub them between your hands to remove their skins. The skins should come off easily through this friction.
- Blend the mixture: Place the toasted and skinless hazelnuts into a high-speed blender. Add 800 ml filtered water and ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Blend at high speed for about one minute until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Strain the hazelnut milk: Set up a colander or sieve over a large bowl lined with cheesecloth or a nut milk bag. Pour the blended mixture into the cloth and allow it to strain for 5-10 minutes, gently squeezing the bag to extract as much liquid as possible.
- Make the chocolate milk: Pour the strained hazelnut milk back into the blender. Add the pitted medjool date and 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder. Blend everything together for a couple of minutes until the milk becomes smooth and creamy.
- Store the milk: Transfer the finished hazelnut chocolate milk into a sealed jar or bottle and refrigerate. The milk will stay fresh for up to 3 days. Natural separation may occur, so shake well before each use.
Notes
- Roasting the hazelnuts enhances their flavor and helps ease skin removal.
- Removing skins is important to reduce bitterness in the milk.
- Use a high-speed blender for best texture and smoothness.
- The nut milk bag or cheesecloth should be fine enough to strain out solids for a smooth milk texture.
- Store the hazelnut milk refrigerated and consume within 3 days.
- Shake well before serving to redistribute the natural oils.
- You can adjust the sweetness by adding more dates or alternative natural sweeteners as desired.
