My new favourite milk! If you loved my Almond, Coconut and Sesame Milk from a while back, this is the perfect number two to add to your collection. This time I’ve used sunflower seeds as the base, which means it’s perfect for even the most allergic amongst. Yes this super creamy Sunflower Coconut Milk is…
- Dairy, soy and nut free (3 of the 8 most common food allergens, particularly amongst kiddos)
- Done in 5
- Super cost effective
- Made with 5 simple ingredients, and
- The perfect addition to your morning cuppa
All you need is a blender and nut milk bag to make this creamy deliciousness in a jiffy. My go-to nut milk bags are these ones here – they create the most amazingly smooth milks and are super sturdy. I’ve been using mine for 2+ years now and it’s still going strong!
So, if you’ve always wanted to try making your own dairy-free milk, now’s your chance. Grab a few quiet minutes this weekend and give it a go – you might just become a daringly dairy-free aficionado too.
Superstar sunflower seeds – vitamin E, magnesium, selenium, protein, iron…
Sunflower seeds are a fabulous addition to your diet, if you’re not munching on them already. They often play second fiddle to our more glamorous almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts, but are a wonderful source of nutrients.
Sunflower seeds are a great source of protein, with 23g per 100g (check out this table here to see where they sit in the protein stakes – the 4th highest nut/seed after hemp, pumpkin and peanut, and above animal meat). They’re also an excellent source of iron, with almost double that of beef. It’s the non-heme type, as with all plant foods, so to enhance absorption make sure you read my previous article on iron here.
Sunflower seeds are also one of the richest sources of vitamin E, one of our most powerful antioxidants which help protect against aging, disease, cellular breakdown from free radical damage, as well as making our skin and hair look lovely. These sunny seeds also contain 114mg of magnesium per 1/4 cup serve, over a third of our daily requirement, which is helpful for nerve and muscle relaxation, as well as our beloved sleep.
Sunflower seeds in their raw state can be a bit bitter, due to the phytates in the outer layers of the seed. So these are one that I definitely recommend soaking (for more on my thoughts and rationale for soaking see here and here). An overnight soak in the fridge is normally perfect for sunflower seeds (or on the bench if it’s not too warm where you are), and you’ll find the resulting flavour much creamier, not dissimilar to cashews. They then blend into this milk perfectly, with coconut and vanilla adding just the right balance to create a fabulous milk that you’d never guess was made from seeds.
I’ve only very lightly sweetened this milk, just enough to make it perfect for your morning bircher, or to add to your cup of matcha/turmeric/tea. I’ve been enjoying mine in a milky matcha tea each afternoon, with a cookie (if I can find one). I hope you love it too! Note this milk contains no emulsifiers so will separate in the fridge naturally over time. To re-blend simply shake your bottle well before pouring into your beverage of choice.
Let me know if you try this delicious Sunflower Coconut Milk recipe! Would love to hear what you think. Leave me a comment below, take a pic and tag me over on Instagram (use @begoodorganics and #beoodorganics in the main caption and @begoodorganics in the image, so I don’t miss you from my feed), or share your photo over on my Facebook page here.
Have a wonderful weekend (it’s starting to get colder here in NZ!), and til next week, stay happy and well.
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Please note – if you are wanting to meet any of the specific dietary requirements below, please read my recipe notes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 c sunflower seeds soaked overnight
- 1 c desiccated coconut
- 4 c water 3 c + 1 c to clean
- 2 dates
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- 1/2 tsp lecithin optional
Instructions
- Soak the sunflower seeds in filtered water overnight in the fridge. You can soak your coconut also if you like (in a separate bowl), but it’s not necessary if you have a good blender.
- In the morning, rinse and drain the seeds, and add to your blender along with all remaining ingredients except for one of the cups of water (if you’ve soaked your coconut, you can use the coconut soaking water, just measure it before soaking so you can take it off your 3 c measure).
- Blend for 1 minute on high until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, then pour into a nut milk bag over a large bowl.
- Add the fourth cup of water to the blender and blend for ten seconds to clean the blender, then add this water to the nut milk bag too (no waste!).
- Squeeze your nut milk bag gently for a minute until all the liquid is extracted and you’re left with a dry pulp.
- Pour the milk into a clean glass bottle, seal tightly, and store in the fridge for 2-3 days. Place the pulp into a sealed container in the freezer, ready to use for another recipe (see the notes below for ideas). Drink and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- My absolute favourite nut milk bags can be found here. They leave the milk wonderfully smooth and last for a very long time.
- While using lecithin is totally optional here, I do highly recommend it since it helps to bind the milk ingredients, thus preventing separation. Alternatively, just make sure you shake the bottle before pouring to avoid separation.
- You can use this lovely creamy milk in any way you’d use normal milk, but it’s particularly delicious poured over grawnola and fruit, or in a decadent homemade hot chocolate, or my favourite – mixed with 1/2 a teaspoon of this matcha green tea and a dash of stevia or this monk fruit powder to sweeten.
- You can use this milk in any of my recipes that call for plant-based milk, from these Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Creams to these lovely Beetroot Blueberry Muffins.
- I always recommend soaking your nuts or seeds overnight in the fridge, especially in warmer weather, as it makes a significant difference to the shelf life of your milk (you’re more likely to get 3-4 days out of it, rather than 2).
- Keep any nut and seed milk pulp and put it in a sealed container in the freezer. It keeps for many months, and can be used to add to cakes, baking, breads, as well as to make these delicious Raspberry and Chocolate Macaroons here. Simply substitute 1/4 of the required flour for pulp in any of your favourite recipes, from baked cakes to raw bliss balls.
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