Hemp seed has been cultivated worldwide for over 12,000 years and used as a fuel, textile, and paper. It’s a relatively healthy choice for food with its fiber, vitamins, chlorophyll, minerals, and protein. It is often referred to as hemp oil and harvested by cold-pressing hemp seeds. Hemp oil is unrefined green oil, and it can have a nutty flavor. But, it’s different from cannabidiol (CBD) oil and utilizes hemp flowers and leaves for its production.
Hemp has become popular lately due to its noteworthy health benefits. This is also the reason why the use of hemp seed oil has been gaining attention too. Hemp seed oil is made by extracting oil from the seeds of the plant. It is popularly used for skincare, but it can also be used for cooking. Hemp seed oil is an incredibly healthy superfood that is full of protein, essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and more. It also has a mild flavor, making it great to be used in all sorts of culinary creations.
If you are interested in trying using hemp seed oil in the kitchen, you’re in the right place. It’s because today, we are giving you some of the benefits of hemp seed oil, how it is used for cooking, and a few product recommendations to help you choose the best hemp seed oil in the market.
Benefits of Hemp Seed Oil
The hemp seed oil has many incredible benefits for people’s health. Here are some of them:
- Hemp seed oil is rich in sitosterol that can help in reducing cholesterol in the body.
- The hemp seed oil contains essential fatty acids that are beneficial for relieving skin issues, including eczema, acne, and psoriasis.
- The hemp seed oil has properties that can help heal skin cells and prevent skin cancer.
- The hemp seed oil also contains Omega-9, Omega-6, and Omega-3 fatty acids that can help in reducing cholesterol.
How to Cook with Hemp Seed Oil
Hemp seed oil couldn’t really be heated because when it is brought to a high temperature, its taste changes, it smokes, and its nutrients deplete. It can handle a little bit of heat, but only up to a lukewarm temperature. So, how can you use hemp seed oil for cooking? Well, there are many ways you can incorporate hemp seed oil into your meals and recipes. Here are some of the meals and recipes you can add hemp oil to:
- Cold soups
- Dips
- Smoothies
- Sandwich spread
- Salad dressings
- Protein shakes
- Pesto
- Hummus
- Sauces
Aside from those, you can also add it to many other recipes. All you need is to be creative. Incorporating hemp seed oil into your meals is a good idea, especially if you are looking for a healthier oil alternative.
Hemp Seed Oil Recipes
Hemp seed oil is great for salad dressings since it has a strong flavor. Following are some of the best recipes that call for hemp oil.
1. Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
This recipe is quite easy for both beginners and experts. For this tasty recipe, you need:
- Hemp oil
- Lemon juice
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Crushed and minced garlic cloves
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste.
Take a bowl, gather all the ingredients, and whisk them until evenly and well blended. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. You can use an alternative of balsamic vinegar if it’s not available, like apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, or white wine vinegar. If you have any fresh herbs on hand, you can mince and add them. Enjoy!
2. Hemp Oil Chickpea Spread
Hemp oil chickpea spread is stuffed with super delicious flavor and is easy to whip up. The ingredients you need are:
- Chickpeas
- Hemp oil
- Sesame oil or tahini
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Salt to taste
Blend chickpeas, hemp oil, and sesame oil/tahini until smooth. Now mix, or blend in garlic and salt. You can use it as a sandwich spread, in a wrap, as a dip for veggies, in a pita, in place of condiments on burgers, etc.
3. Raw Vegan Hemp Milk
This quick and easy recipe for raw hemp milk can be used in a bowl of fruits, smoothies, and shakes. The ingredients you need are:
- Hemp seeds
- Water
- Agave nectar or Medjool dates
- Vanilla extract
- Orange zest, optional
- Raw cocoa powder, optional
Gather all the ingredients and place hemp seeds, agave nectar, water, and vanilla extract in a blender or food processor and blend until the mixture is completely creamy and smooth. You can strain the liquid through a cloth to remove hemp seed particles. Serve this hemp milk immediately, or refrigerate it in an airtight container.
The Best Hemp Seed Oil You Can Buy
If you want to try using hemp seed oil, here are some of the best ones we can recommend: