Sesame Milk is a dairy-free, nut-free milk option. It's made with sesame seeds and lightly sweetened with cinnamon, dates and maple syrup for a drink that's delicious on its own, in a smoothie or in overnight oats.Â
What's your favorite kind of milk? In our household, we like to switch it up. Though lately we've been loving oat milk, sesame milk is a nice change of pace, and incredibly easy to make at home!
Recipe features
- It's dairy-free milk that happens to be nut-free as well (a rare find!)
- It's lightly sweetened with cinnamon, maple syrup and dates
- It can be enjoyed on its own or in this quinoa breakfast bowl
Ingredient notes:
The full ingredient list is in the recipe card below, but I want to provide further clarification on a couple ingredients.
- Sesame seeds - White or black. I've only tested this recipe with white sesame seeds, but I don't see why black wouldn't work. Make sure to use PLAIN sesame seeds, not toasted.
- Dates - deglet noor or medjool (make sure they're pitted!)
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Soak the sesame seeds. If you go this route, I recommend soaking them in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can boil the sesame seeds for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Pour seeds into a mesh strainer and run water over them for 10 seconds, then pour them into a blender.
Step 3: Add other ingredients. To the blender, add pitted dates, cinnamon, maple syrup, and filtered water.
Step 4: Blend for 1 full minute. This will ensure that the dates and sesame seeds are completely blended.
Step 5: Pour mixture through a nut milk bag. If you own a nut milk bag, place it over a large bowl, then pour the sesame milk into the bag and squeeze. Otherwise, you can use a fine mesh strainer. If you use a strainer, I recommend running the milk through it twice.
Tips and FAQs
- Use a large, high-powder blender. This might seem like a no-brainer, but a larger blender works better for homemade milks than a smaller blender (i.e. I don't recommend using a NutriBullet for this).
How long will this sesame milk stay fresh?
It should stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Do I have to add the dates/maple syrup?
Nope! I think they give this milk a sweeter flavor, but it's definitely not necessary. Plain sesame milk--just sesame seeds and water--is a little bland tasting in my opinion, so if anything, I do recommend adding at least one of the three sweeteners (cinnamon/dates/syrup).
Related recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Cinnamon Sesame Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sesame seeds soaked
- 3 cups filtered water
- 2 pitted dates
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Place sesame seeds in a bowl and fill it with water. Allow the seeds to soak for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can boil the seeds for 20 minutes.
- Once seeds have soaked, pour them into a fine mesh strainer, then run water over them for 10 seconds. Then, pour them into your blender.
- Add water, dates, syrup, and cinnamon to the blender, then blend for 1 full minute.
- If you own a nut milk bag: place bag over a large bowl, then pour milk through the bag and squeeze it so that the milk goes into the bowl. Transfer milk to a glass jar (or jars) and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- If you do not own a nut milk bag: pour milk through a fine mesh strainer and into a large bowl. Repeat this process 1 more time, which will ensure the milk is creamy and smooth. Transfer milk to a glass jar (or jars) and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in July 2017. It was updated with new text and photos in June 2020.
