Best Hemp Seed Butter

Looking for ways to make your meals healthier? Think hemp seed butter. Not only is it flavorful, but it is also exceptionally nutritious and full of healthy proteins, fats, and minerals. Ignore everything you’ve heard about hemp and its relationship to marijuana and find out what scientists say about the plant's health benefits below.

Hemp Seed Butter: the superfood butter?

Hemp seeds are produced by the hemp plant also known as Cannabis sativa. It’s the same species from where marijuana is produced but a different variety.  Hemp has very low traces of THC, the main component in marijuana.

The seeds are rich in proteins, minerals, and healthy fats. Speaking of nutrients, hemp seeds are 30% fat, and 25% protein, more than most natural seeds contain.

The hemp plant traces its history to ancient Mesopotamia (current Iraq and Iran). It was cultivated as a source of fiber for years as it spread to China before reaching Europe in 1200BC. Apart from its contributions to the clothing industry, the hemp plant was also used in papermaking.

In the middle ages, the plant became a source for making Canvas and hemp rope, both products used to sail ships. At one point in the 1500s, King Henry VIII ordered all farmers to cultivate hemp on one quarter of land or risk being fined. In the 1930s, companies vested in petroleum-based textile launched a war on hemp, leading to its total ban in the US in 1937.

When compared to other plant-based sources of butter, hemp butter consistently tops them in providing healthy nutrients. Peanuts tend to compete with hemp, but most peanut products have to be added sweeteners, something that reduces their nutritional value.

Making Hemp Seed Butter

Totally vegan, healthy and sweet, this hemp butter seed recipe helps you prepare the ingredient naturally. You may add sweeteners if you want, but the main ingredients all come from hemp.

Ingredients

• 12 pounds of hemp seeds
• One tablespoon of refined oil
• Sweetener like sugar
• ½ teaspoon of salt

Method

1. Pour your hemp seeds in a blender and add salt
2. Blend to five minutes or more depending on the strength of your blender.
3. Once the seeds start to release oils, add the refined oil in small bits to help blend the butter.
4. Add your sweetener and stir.
5. Taste your butter and continue blending until your impressed by the flavor and consistency

Preparing Chocolate Hemp seed butter

Ingredients

• 2 cups of peanut butter
• 5 tablespoons of hemp seeds (hearts)
• 4 tablespoons of refined oil
• 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• ½ cup of coconut, cashew or almond milk
• Sweetener

Preparation

1. Pour all ingredients except for the refined oil and start blending
2. Continue blending until the ingredients form a  paste of smooth butter

Add a sweetener or leave the chocolate to be the dominant flavor

Buying the Hemp Seed Butter

Like any kind of butter these days, there is an exhaustively wide variety of hemp seed butter in the market. Unfortunately, they don’t all taste the same, and their nutritional value differs. To enjoy the full benefits, purchase organic hemp seed butter with high nutritional value. Below are some of the brands to look out for.

Biona Organic Hemp Seed

Not many hemp seed processing companies produce products for consumption. Biona is an exemption with its hemp seed bags that come packed in a 3-bundle packet, each 250-grams in size. The three packets cost $15. They are purely hemp seeds, freshly produced and with their nutty feeling.

Just Hemp Foods Hemp Protein Powder

Like Biona, Just Hemp promises great value for money with its one-pound hemp powder. The product comes packaged in a small, properly labeled can. It contains 11 grams of fiber in addition to protein and healthy fats. The products cost $8.5.

Hemp Butter by Zatural

Most people buy Zatural's hemp butter as a cream for treating wounds and moisturizing. However, it's also a food grade product you could use during baking and benefits from its omega 3 nutrients. The hemp butter also consists of all 21 amino acids, 11 grams of protein and proven anti-inflammatory benefits. The product contains 8 ounces of pure hemp seed butter and costs $25.

Fresh Raw Organic Hemp Seed butter by Rejuvenative Foods

Want to taste hemp seed butter on your bread? Organic hemp seed butter by Rejuvenative foods is probably the best brand. Its products come in multiple bottles based on the number of ounces contained. An 8-ounce bottle cost $23 while a 16-ounce bottle cost $42. The butter is gluten-free, nutty in taste and 100% hemp seed butter.

Recipes with Hemp Seed Butter

Hemp seed butter is fabulous when used in the right recipe. Luckily, there are so many hemp butter seed recipes out there. Below are some of them.

Hemp Seed Hummus

This is a vegan recipe rich in healthy fats, satisfactory and low in carbs.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of hemp seed
• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
• Half a cup of water
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 4 cups of cooked beans or chicken peas
• Spices like red pepper, coriander or chopped parsley
• One tablespoon of salt

Method

1. Grind the hemp seeds using a pestle and mortar or a coffee grinder
2. Add the powder to your chicken peas, olive oil, salt, lemon juice, water, and garlic
3. Blend the mixture of two minutes and add water for a smoother mixture
4. Dress your hummus with red pepper flakes, parsley or coriander

Banana Hemp Seed Muffins

So, you love muffins? Try these mouth-watering banana hemp seed muffins served with scrambled eggs.

Ingredients

• One egg
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds or powder
• ¼ cup of coconut flour
• ¾ cup of almond meal
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• One mashed ripe banana
• Baking powder

Method

1. Add hemp seeds, salt, almond, coconut flour, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl
2. Blend the remaining ingredients and add the mixture to the rest of the dry ingredients
3. Add the butter produced into your mini-muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes
4. Remove from baked muffins from the oven and cool
5. Fry the egg
6. Enjoy

Vegan Hemp Seed Cheesecake

This is not your average vegan cheesecake but a naturally sweet, super-healthy and easy to prepare product.

Ingredients

For the Crust

• Half a cup hemp seeds
• Half a cup of walnuts and one cup of pitted Medjool dates

For the Cheesecake

• ¼ cup of lemon juice and half a cup of maple syrup
• One tablespoon of matcha
• ¾ cups of coconut cream
• One cup of hemp seeds
• ¾ cup of cashew nuts
• ¼ cup of lemon juice

For Optional Drizzling

• One tablespoon of maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Procedure

1. Blend hemp seeds, walnuts, and Medjool dates separately
2. Add the mixture and blend them all together until they are evenly blended
3. Paste the mixture into the paste of your muffin tins for the crust.
4. Blend the remaining ingredients together while adding coconut oil for a smoother taste
5. Spread the cheesecake mixture into your muffin tins and cover them using a plastic wrap
6. Place the mixture in a freezer for four hours
7. Mix melted coconut oil with the cacao powder and maple syrup.
8. Drizzle the mixture over your cake when ready

Other uses of Hemp Seed Butter

Besides hemp butter recipes, here’s how to use hemp.

Moisturizing skin and Hair

Hemp seed butter moisturizes the skin without clogging the pores, something most moisturizers can’t brag about. Hemp oil also helps prevent dry skin, a condition that often leads to acne production.

Soothing Inflammation

Hemp oil is a great alternative to numbing pain and treating swollen body parts. It also encourages skin growth, allowing the affected area to heal faster. Simply rub the cream or apply the oil on the hurting part and cover with a bandage for some time.

Hemp Seed Butter Health Benefits

It seems like a new benefit of hemp seeds is discovered each year. So far, here are some of the major health benefits attributed to the butter.

Improving Heart Health

Thanks to high contents of omega 6 and omega 3 acids, hemp oil or butter helps lower cholesterol levels in the body. The fatty acids in the seeds are also good for the heart. Some more compounds like campesterol and beta-sitosterol also help lower the risk of a heart attack.

Weight Control

The high amount of fiber coupled with low cholesterol helps keep your weight in check. Of course, you’d need to consume hemp seeds or powder to acquire these benefits since oil does not contain the fiber.

Hormonal Balance

Hemp seed butter is rich in a particular type of acid (GLA) that helps balance hormones and ease premenstrual syndrome in women.

Improves overall Body Immunity

The many healthy fatty acids present in hemp seed butter promote good immune functions. This ensures you stay protected from the flu better than someone who doesn’t consume the butter. Besides, hemp oil also improves your mood.

Side Effects of Hemp Seed Butter

Most people who use hemp seed butter never experience any problems. However, some people experience irritation or redness when applied to the skin. If you consume it orally, you may experience digestive upsets or loose stool. This is caused by the high presence of fatty oils in the seeds. In rare cases, hemp seeds may cause adverse effects to your blood.

Conclusion

Although hemp has always been a target of people who dislike its Cannabis sativa species, education is helping spread the plant’s benefits worldwide. Hemp seed butter, for instance, can be found in all sorts of products. From foods to creams, oils, and moisturizers, millions of people can attest to the benefits of the hemp plant.

If you love cooking healthy meals, food-grade hemp seed butter should be in your buying list the next time you shop online. It's healthy, can be used in multiple recipes and has little to no side effects.