Hemp Seed Recipes: 7 Easy Ideas for Everyday Cooking

We grow hemp on our USDA Organic farm in Wilmore, Kentucky, but the hemp seeds you eat for breakfast aren't part of what we sell. They're a different harvest from the same plant, and they happen to be one of the easiest ways to add protein and omega-3s to a regular meal.

If you've got a bag of hemp hearts in the pantry and you're not sure what to do with them, this article is for you. Below are seven hemp seed recipes covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. None of them require special equipment. Most take under 15 minutes.

What Are Hemp Seeds (and Hemp Hearts)?

Hemp seeds are the seeds of the Cannabis sativa plant, the same species we grow for hemp flower on our farm. They come from the female plant after pollination, and they're harvested separately from flower for food markets.

Hemp hearts are shelled hemp seeds. The hard outer shell has been removed, leaving the soft inner kernel. Most "hemp seeds" sold in grocery stores are actually hemp hearts. They look like small pale-green grains and have a mild nutty flavor close to a sunflower seed or pine nut.

Hemp hearts contain essentially no CBD. CBD lives in the flower and leaves of the plant, not the seed. Eating hemp hearts won't give you any cannabinoid effect.

Why Add Hemp Seeds to Your Diet?

Three tablespoons of hemp hearts give you about 10 grams of complete protein, all nine essential amino acids, and a strong omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. They're also a source of magnesium, iron, and zinc. We've covered the full hemp seed nutrition breakdown in another article if you want the deeper read.

For cooking, the practical advantage is that hemp hearts blend into almost anything. The flavor is subtle, so they don't take over a recipe. You can sprinkle them raw on a yogurt bowl, blend them into a creamy salad dressing, or bake them into a granola without much thought.

Hemp Seed Breakfast Recipes

Hemp Seed Granola

Mix 3 cups of rolled oats, ½ cup of hemp hearts, ½ cup of chopped pecans, ¼ cup of maple syrup, ¼ cup of melted coconut oil, a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Spread evenly on a sheet pan and bake at 300°F for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let it cool fully on the pan before storing. The granola crisps as it cools.

This makes about 4 cups. Eat it with milk, yogurt, or by the handful.

Hemp Seed Smoothie Bowl

Blend a frozen banana, ½ cup of frozen berries, ¼ cup of Greek yogurt, and a splash of milk until thick. Pour into a bowl and top with 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts, a few slices of fresh fruit, and a drizzle of honey. The hemp hearts add protein and a soft crunch.

If the smoothie is too thin to eat with a spoon, add more frozen fruit and blend again.

Hemp Hearts Overnight Oats

Combine ½ cup of rolled oats, ½ cup of milk, 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts, a tablespoon of chia seeds, and a teaspoon of maple syrup in a jar. Stir, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, top with sliced fruit or a spoonful of nut butter.

This is the easiest breakfast on the list. Five minutes of prep the night before, zero work in the morning.

Hemp Seed Lunch and Dinner Ideas

Hemp Seeds for Salad (Topper and Dressing)

Hemp hearts work as a salad topper and as a salad dressing ingredient. As a topper, sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons over any green salad. They add protein and a soft crunch without changing the flavor much.

For a creamy dressing, blend ¼ cup of hemp hearts, the juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a clove of garlic, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and 3 tablespoons of water until smooth. Salt to taste. The hemp hearts thicken it the way tahini would.

Hemp Seed Pesto

Standard pesto uses pine nuts, which are expensive. Hemp hearts work as a direct substitute and the texture comes out almost the same.

Blend 2 cups of fresh basil, ½ cup of hemp hearts, ½ cup of olive oil, ½ cup of grated parmesan, 2 cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt. Pulse until it's the consistency you want. Toss with hot pasta, spread on toast, or spoon over grilled chicken.

Hemp Seed Snacks and Quick Additions

Hemp Seed Energy Balls

In a food processor, blend 1 cup of pitted dates, ½ cup of rolled oats, ¼ cup of hemp hearts, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoons of almond butter until the mixture sticks together. Roll into balls about an inch across. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before eating. Makes about 12.

These keep in the fridge for two weeks.

Hemp Seed Hummus

Add 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts to any standard hummus recipe at the blending stage. They thicken the texture and add about 6 grams of protein per serving without changing the flavor.

For a quick version, blend a can of drained chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts, the juice of half a lemon, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a clove of garlic, and a pinch of salt and cumin. Add water a tablespoon at a time until it's smooth.

How to Store Hemp Seeds

Hemp hearts are high in unsaturated fat, which means they go rancid faster than something like rolled oats. Keep an unopened bag in a cool dry pantry. Once opened, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate. They'll keep for about a year refrigerated, or three to six months at room temperature.

If your hemp hearts smell sharp or paint-like, they've oxidized. Toss them.

Where to Buy Hemp Seeds

Most grocery stores carry hemp hearts in the natural foods or baking aisle. Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joe's, and most regional health food stores stock them. They're also widely available on Amazon and direct from food brands like Manitoba Harvest and Bob's Red Mill.

A note on what we sell: Wholesale Hemp Farms doesn't grow hemp for the food market. We grow it for flower and CBD. If you came to this article looking for hemp wellness products beyond cooking, the hemp flower and CBD oils we grow are USDA Organic and shipped farm-direct from Wilmore, Kentucky. Same plant, different harvest.