Hazelnut Milk: Plant-Based Alternative To Cow’s Milk

Hazelnut milk is a good alternative to cow’s milk. The plant-based drink is healthy and easy to make yourself.

Why do you drink hazelnut milk?

More and more people are opting for plant-based drinks such as soy, almond, oat, or hazelnut milk as an alternative to cow’s milk. Avoiding cow’s milk should not only improve the complexion and digestion but also lower the cholesterol level. In addition, according to statistics, more than 75 percent of the world’s population suffers from lactose intolerance. In addition, vegan nutrition is very much in vogue and by not using cow’s milk, factory farming can at least be counteracted somewhat. Hazelnut milk is also ideal for replacing cow’s milk in everyday life: You can use the plant-based drink in breakfast muesli as well as in coffee. In addition, the liquid from hazelnuts is also suitable for baking and cooking sweet and savory dishes.

What’s in hazelnut milk?

As an alternative to cow’s milk, hazelnut milk is a real boon for your health: the plant-based drink contains B vitamins, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids. The drink also contains the following minerals:

• calcium
• iron
• phosphorus
• magnesium
• zinc

In return, the drink contains neither saturated fatty acids nor cholesterol. Hazelnut milk is particularly healthy if you make it yourself. Supermarket products often contain added sugar. But vitamin B12 is also often added to the drinks and vegans benefit from this because the substance is otherwise only found in animal products.

The nutritional values ​​of hazelnut milk

100 milliliters of hazelnut milk contain the following nutritional values:

• Calories: Depending on the method of preparation, between 30 and 50 kilocalories
• Fat: Between two and three grams
• Protein: Around 0.5 grams
• Carbohydrates: Around three grams
• Fiber: 0.5 to 1 gram

Make your hazelnut milk

Making your hazelnut milk has many advantages: the method is not only cheaper, but it may also be healthier because you can decide for yourself whether you want to add sugar. Many industrially manufactured products also contain additives such as sunflower oil, stabilizers, or emulsifiers with salt. Making hazelnut milk yourself is very easy.

What kitchen utensils do you need:

• hand blender or blender
• clean cloth
• Two large containers (e.g. mixing bowls)
• Empty glass bottle for storage
• Ideally a funnel

Ingredients for making a hazelnut drink:

• 250 grams of hazelnut kernels
• water
• Maple syrup, dates, honey, or agave syrup for sweetening
• Salt

Preparation

• First, pour a liter of water over the hazelnuts. Leave this mixture for several hours. For a particularly intense aroma, leave the nuts in the liquid overnight.
• Then put the hazelnuts and their liquid in a container and add maple syrup, one or two dates, honey, or agave syrup as required to give the drink the necessary sweetness. A pinch of salt completes the taste.
• Now puree all the ingredients with a hand blender. Alternatively, you can use a powerful blender.
• Then stretch the cloth loosely over the empty container and pour in the pureed liquid. To get as much liquid as possible, wring out the cloth with the leftover nuts with your hands. As an alternative to the cloth, a fine-meshed sieve is suitable.
• The hazelnut milk is ready. Now all you have to do is fill the drink into an empty glass bottle using a funnel. The preparation will keep for several days in the fridge.