Quinoa milk is a healthy, delicious dairy milk alternative perfect on its own or in sweet and savoury dishes. Let us show you how to make quinoa milk in just 5 minutes!
This quinoa milk recipe starts from cooked quinoa grains, which are blended with water, a little salt and sweetener until smooth and then strained.
The result is a creamy, silky quinoa drink that tastes nutty, earthy, and slightly bittersweet. Really unique!
Preparing plant milk with quinoa also makes a great way to finish up leftover quinoa you may have from a quinoa bowl or quinoa salad.
As the recipe uses only cooked quinoa and water, this homemade quinoa milk is lactose-free, soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free. Good for everyone!
Do I have to cook quinoa for quinoa milk?
Yes, use cooked and cooled quinoa for homemade quinoa milk.
Using cooked quinoa gives you tastier quinoa milk with a smoother, creamier mouthfeel thanks to the cooked starches in the grains.
Also, cooked quinoa contains fewer saponins, an anti-nutrient that tastes very bitter. So, quinoa drink made from cooked quinoa will be less bitter and more flavourful.
Can you drink quinoa milk without straining?
We recommend straining quinoa milk for a better mouthfeel, but you don't have to do it.
As it's made from cooked quinoa, unfiltered quinoa milk is quite smooth and doesn't feel too grainy. It looks cloudier and has a stronger taste.
On the other hand, strained quinoa milk is silkier, lighter, and less slimy, and we feel that overall, it is more pleasant to drink.
Is quinoa milk thick and creamy?
As quinoa milk is made from cooked quinoa, the cooked starches give it thickness. So, quinoa milk feels creamier than other homemade plant-based drinks like almond milk.
However, compared to commercial quinoa drinks, homemade quinoa milk can feel a little watery, as no thickeners are added.
To make the quinoa milk thicker, you could try one of these healthy, natural options:
Blend in a banana (though it will affect the colour)
Stir in a tablespoon of flaxseeds
Add a one/half scoop of protein powder
Is quinoa milk healthy?
Homemade quinoa drink is a healthy plant milk that's low in fats and calories — perfect if you're trying to lose weight or reduce fat intake.
A 250 ml (1 cup) serving of unfiltered quinoa seed milk has about 60 kcal, which goes down to about 40 kcal if strained.
Compared to oat or almond milk, quinoa milk also has more proteins.
Also, our quinoa milk recipe has no added oils, emulsifiers, or thickeners, making it a good alternative for those who wish to avoid these ingredients.
However, homemade quinoa milk is not fortified with vitamin D, vitamin B12, and calcium like commercial ones, so consider supplementing with other foods.
Ingredients
| Cooked Quinoa | 170 g |
| Filtered Water | 900 mL |
| Honey / Maple Syrup | 1 tbsp |
| Salt | 1/8 tsp |
Step 1
To make quinoa milk, use cooked quinoa that's completely cooled down.
If you have to prepare quinoa from scratch for this recipe, the ratio of uncooked to cooked quinoa is approximately 1:3.
So, 60 g (2 oz) of dry quinoa will yield about 170 g (6 oz) of cooked quinoa.
You can find instructions and tips on how to cook quinoa perfectly here.
Step 2
Add the cooked quinoa to a food processor with half of the filtered water, honey/maple syrup and salt (1).
Blitz all for a minute until the quinoa milk is smooth and creamy, then pour in the remaining water and blend again (2).
Step 3
Now, strain the quinoa milk for a smoother mouthfeel and lighter flavour.
You can use a fine-mesh sieve or skimmer to filter out the quinoa pulp, collecting the quinoa milk into a bowl or jug (1).
Alternatively, line a jug or bowl with a nut milk bag (aka cheesecloth) or a thin, clean dish towel and pour the quinoa milk.
Then, close the bag (or fold the towel) and squeeze it very hard to collect as much quinoa milk as possible into the pitcher.
You should have very little quinoa pulp left in the bag (2).
Step 4
Your healthy quinoa milk is ready!
Transfer it to a clean, airtight bottle and refrigerate; it will stay fresh for 3-5 days.
This homemade quinoa milk has no added emulsifiers, so it tends to separate; give it a good shake or stir before using.
Tips
Alternative sweeteners
Instead of honey or maple syrup, you can use other ingredients to sweeten the quinoa milk:
Dried fruit — dates, sultanas, dried figs or prunes
No-sugar sweeteners like monk fruit, stevia, or erythritol
Optional add-ons
To make flavoured quinoa seed milk, try tip in one of the following ingredients:
Apple pie/pumpkin spice mix or chai spice mix
Superfoods matcha powder, spirulina, or acai berry powder
Cocoa powder or raw cacao
Frozen berries
Quinoa pulp recipe idea
You can use the quinoa pulp leftover from the strained quinoa milk to make gluten-free quinoa flatbreads. They're super easy, add a little oil and cook in a pan!
Quinoa milk calories
The nutritional data is for unstrained quinoa milk; filtered quinoa milk has about one-third fewer calories, so about 40 calories in 1 cup (250 ml).
How to store for longer
To store the quinoa milk for up to 7 days, transfer it into jars or bottles that have been properly sterilised — boiled in water for 3 minutes and left to dry out completely in a low oven.
Like this recipe?
Try this homemade pumpkin seed milk next!
Or discover two more exciting ways to use quinoa with these protein chocolate quinoa muffins and quinoa granola with cashew butter.