Move over almond and coconut milk, there’s a new milk in town that has won my heart.
Have you ever tried pumpkin seed milk? If not, you are in for a real treat.
Having been dairy free for many years, I have tried every non-dairy milk alternative out there and have been making my own on a regular basis. I’m not really down with boxed milks as they usually contain unhealthy vegetable oils, synthetic vitamins, and additives like carrageenan. Homemade nut milks and homemade coconut milk is super easy to make at home, and I get to control what goes into them.
But I now have a new favorite non-dairy milk that I’ve been making for my smoothies, golden milk, and chia puddings. And it’s so good!
Introducing Pumpkin Seed Milk…..
Why I LOVE pumpkin seed milk:
- Pumpkin seeds are a nutritional powerhouse loaded with protein, magnesium, zinc, manganese, iron, and so much more.
- The consistency. I’m loving the thick, creamy milk that I get from pumpkin seeds.
- Antioxidants. We all know by now that many health issues are caused by inflammation. The high levels of antioxidants in pumpkin seeds help us counteract free radical damage and stress. Look and feel younger!
- Better sleep. The tryptophan (an amino acid) in pumpkin seeds is involved in the healthy production of melatonin, also known as the sleep hormone. Eat more pumpkin seeds for restful sleep. Yay!
- Blood sugar regulation. Pumpkin seeds have been found to reduce blood sugar levels. Bonus!
- It’s absolutely delicious with a sprinkle of cardamom.
Pumpkin seed milk is super simple to make at home. All you need is a good blender and a nut milk bag. I recommend using organic, raw pumpkin seeds and storing them in the fridge to keep them fresh. I also recommend properly soaking your seeds in order to better digest them. I use a bit of sea salt in my soaking water to break down the phytic acid that prevents us from properly digesting nuts and seeds.
Like I said, pumpkin seed milk is thick and creamy, and it has a subtle nutty taste. I do add a date or a titch of maple syrup to balance out the flavors, but that it totally optional. Vanilla powder (or vanilla extract) is delicious too.
As you can tell, I’m in love with my new milk crush. Enjoy!
xo,
Katja
How to Make Pumpkin Seed Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (like this)
- water for soaking
- 1 tsp unrefined salt
- 4 cups water
- 1 date (or 1 tbsp maple syrup)**
OPTIONAL ADD INS
- 1/8 tsp unsweetened vanilla powder OR 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- pinch of unrefined salt
Instructions
- Soak pumpkin seeds in water and salt overnight, or at least 6 hours.
- Drain and rinse soaked seeds and place into blender with 4 cups of water and date/maple syrup. Add optional add ins, if desired.
- Process on HIGH for about a minute or so, until creamy and smooth. Strain through nut milk bag (squeezing out as much as you can.)
- Store in air tight glass jar for up to 3 days in fridge.
Notes
- If you prefer unsweetened milks, simply leave out the date/maple syrup.
- To maximize nutritional content, leave pumpkin seed milk unstrained. You can use this thicker milk in smoothies and chia puddings.
- I highly recommend soaking nuts and seeds in water with a good quality salt before consuming to remove phytic acid (to improve our body’s ability to digest them.)
- You may notice a slight green tint to your pumpkin milk. This is totally normal.
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Wow OH wow Katya this looks amazing! I’m trying this for sure!
Thanks, Donna!
Does anyone know the nutritional values? I am getting number from 300 calories to 1000 calories. Some sites say it has no protein while others claim 14 grams of protein.
I glanced over soaking them? Does it make too much of a difference in terms of nutritional content or flavor
Ohhh my! I am totally trying this! I love pumpkin seeds and all of their nutrients too! Wow!
It’s so good, Renee. You are going to love it!
Wow – how cool! I know pumpkin seeds have so many good qualities and I love eating them, but I’ve never thought of making milk from them. Will definitely have to try it!
You should try it, Michelle. It’s so good!
I love making my own nut milks and I’ve done hemp seed before but never pumpkin seed so would love to try this. Is it good mixed in with coffee or does it tend to split? Stunning photography as ever Katja <3
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Hi, Georgie! I don’t drink coffee, so it’s hard to say. I use it for smoothies and chia pudding. It is quite thick and creamy. Worth a try. 🙂
I didn’t know you can make milk from pumpkin seeds! What a great idea. I can’t wait to make this!
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I know! I wish I had known about it sooner. It’s so good!
I love this idea for a nut free milk! Fantastically clever 🙂
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Thanks, Stacey!
WHAT! Pumpkin seed milk?! That sounds delish!
It really is delish!
Love this, especially for back to school season for kids who can’t bring nuts to school AND pumpkin season!
Yes, I never thought of that. Great thinking!
What a great idea, in just a few weeks pumpkins, will be super plentiful! I wonder if it would freeze well?
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I freeze my extra pumpkin milk in big ice cubes to use in smoothies. Works great.
This is such a great idea, I often make cashew milk, but I really love pumpkin seeds and I’ve never thought of making them into milk before!
I love cashew milk as well. This is a nice alternative.
This is so cool! I’ve never heard about pumpkin seed milk before, but love this idea! I’m going to have to make some soon.
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I hope you get to try it. It really is super thick and creamy.
Wow ! This pumpkin seed milk looks so creamy and delicious ! I’m going to make it !!
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I was surprised by how creamy it is when I first started making it. So good!
I had no idea that a milk substitute could be made with pumpkin seeds, what a great idea! Great blog post.
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Thanks, Darryl! You should give it a try. It’s super tasty!
I tried this recipe but my milk was thin and watery. What kind of blender were you using? I’m thinking that my Ninja did not process the seeds thoroughly. There was a lot of roughage left behind.
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Bummer! It should be super creamy with very little pulp left. I use a vitamix. I barely have any pulp left. I actually don’t even strain it most of the time.
I will definitely be trying this. After 3 days in the fridge does it go bad?
yeah, most homemade milks (nut, seed, and coconut) only last about 3 days in fridge. You can always freeze some of it if you don’t use it all. I use BIG ice cube trays.
Also, the cardommon sounds amazing in it. Definitely my favorite spice so I’m excited for a new way to incorporate it into my daily diet!
Cardamom is my favorite spice too. It’s so good in a creamy milk.
I usually alternate between almond, cashew and hemp seed milks already and want to do hazelnuts next. But this one looks like a great one to try too!
I love hazelnut milk. It’s so good. You could do this milk with any of the nuts you mentioned. I just really like the taste of pumpkin seed milk.
I thought seed milk did not need to be soaked? What about using sprouted pumpkin seeds?
Also why is it necessary to strain seeds or cashews. The vita mix does a great job. Or does it add more fats & calories if not strained?
I soak my nuts and seeds to get rid of some of the phytic acid on them. This makes the nutrients more available and makes them more digestible. Yes, you can use sprouted pumpkin seeds. They have already been soaked. I strain my milks as I like a creamy, smooth milk (except cashew which doesn’t need straining in my opinion), but feel free to leave unstrained if you don’t mind the texture. Personal preference. 🙂 Hope that helps.
I have activated pumpkin seeds. Do I still need to soak them?
Activated seeds are already soaked, so you do not have to. 🙂
Pumpkin seed milk…!!!!!
Your messing with me….Wah!!!
I’m on this…👊🏿👊🏿👍🏿😋😊😘
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Yes! It’s so good. And good for you. I feel like I get enough nuts from nut butters so I like to mix it up. 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi why do you add salt when soaking? Doesn’t that prevent the seed from sprouting?
I find it goes bad quickly too, even the next day in the fridge.
Thanks
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I add salt bc salt helps activate enzymes that deactivate the enzyme inhibitors present in nuts and seeds. I soak my pumpkin seeds on the kitchen counter and have never had them go bad. Are you taking about the soaking seeds or the milk? My pumpkin seed milk stays good for 3-4 days in the fridge. We make it all of the time. 🙂