The use of hemp flour in food formulations is increasing, largely because of its near-neutral taste and robust nutritional profile. While terms like “hemp protein” and “hemp seed” may be more commonly known, hemp flour uses in food applications are numerous as well.
This is especially true when you have high-quality hemp heart flour. Hemp flour may be used in small or large quantities as a nutritious and versatile flour substitute, depending on the nature of the product being created.
If you’re curious about how to use hemp flour to create a more superior and nutritious food product to stand out from the crowd, this article provides examples of the best hemp flour uses for baking applications. Read on to learn the benefits of using hemp flour, top hemp flour uses, and how it can fit into your next food formulation.
Benefits of Hemp Flour in Food Formulations
Our novel V-70™ is a remarkable hemp protein powder rich in nutrients that can also double as a healthier flour alternative in baking applications. For example, it can be used to replace some or all of the more heavily processed, less nutritious all-purpose flour in health food products.
Since V-70™ possesses the same characteristics as a flour, it can be labeled as a clean-label friendly hemp heart flour on ingredient labels. This is desirable as consumers continue to look for healthier baking alternatives and minimally processed food products.
V-70™ is formed after hemp seed oil is extracted from the shelled seed, yielding a protein-rich hemp powder. The end result–a clean, flowable powder with a smooth mouthfeel, perfect for baking applications.
Here are a few key hemp flour nutrition highlights and the reasons why you should choose hemp flour for baked goods formulations:
- High in protein
- Rich in essential minerals - iron, fiber, zinc, magnesium
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free
- Allergen-friendly
- Neutral taste
- Minimally processed and clean label-friendly
- Sourced from a transparent U.S. supply chain
And when you add hemp flour to product formulations, you’re also automatically improving the heart-healthy polyunsaturated fats ratio of the final product. This is due to its ideal ratio of 3:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3’s.
In addition to these aforementioned benefits, V-70™ yields an especially neutral, non-gritty flavor in whole food items. It is also a more nutritionally concentrated solution that is white in color, blending nicely into any food product.
And due to its neutral taste and unique amino acid profile, V-70™ hemp flour pairs well with other commonly used flours such as all-purpose to create a product with added protein. Other plant-based flours such as pea or soy protein can lend a beany flavor that requires masking agents, while V-70™ does not.
Hemp flour also blends nicely with starches such as potato starch or rice starch for gluten-free applications.
Hemp Flour Uses and Applications
Hemp flour uses are widespread and can be added to any baked good recipe to create a clean label product with a more superior nutritional profile. For some recipes, close to 100% of the original all-purpose flour can be replaced with hemp flour, while others may work best replacing 30%. Either way, hemp flour baking applications are numerous and help create a final product with a higher protein and micronutrient content.
In general, it is recommended to replace 30-50% of the all-purpose flour in the original recipe with hemp flour for many baking applications but this is application dependent. In most cases, a higher percentage of flour can be replaced for muffins and cookies, while bread recipes work better at the lower end of this range.
Adding this amount of hemp flour to recipes automatically boosts the protein content of the product and results in a less processed product that meets consumer needs.
To top it off, hemp flour’s neutral flavor makes it incredibly easy to bake with, whether combined with all-purpose flour, whole wheat, or another plant-based flour. Hemp is also allergen-friendly compared to other plant-based flours.
V-70™ has been trialed and tested in various ways in foods to determine how it can best be formulated in your baked products. Here are the various hemp flour applications out there to explore:
- Cookies
- Muffins and Quickbreads
- Protein powder in a smoothie
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- Pizza dough
Hemp flour’s versatility doesn’t stop here - it can also be promoted as a low-carb and keto-friendly alternative to all-purpose or whole wheat flour.
From sweet to savory, there is no shortage of hemp flour uses in food formulations.
Hemp Flour Recipes
Based on our experience here at Victory Hemp, here are several easy ways to incorporate V-70™ to bolster the nutrition in your food innovations.
Mega Protein Muffins
In this easy and delicious muffin recipe, 1 cup of V-70™ Hemp Flour is added to 1 cup of all-purpose flour for a delicate balance of ingredients. The result is a decadent yet nutritious muffin that will provide lasting energy due to its abundant protein content.
Download the Recipe Card here.
Quickbreads and Cookies
V-70™ works best in drop-style cookies such as chocolate chip cookies, where we have had success in substituting as much as 75-100 percent of the flour content. This makes hemp flour a perfect addition to cookie dough that will yield a delicious, nutritionally dense chocolate chip cookie.
For cookies that need to be rolled out into a specific shape or size, we recommend substituting up to 30 percent of the flour with hemp flour.
For quickbreads and muffins, 30-50 percent of the flour can be replaced with hemp flour to immediately boost the nutritional profile of the product.
These are just a couple of the numerous hemp flour uses that are out there for you to explore.
Curious about how you can incorporate hemp flour into your next project? Get in touch with our hemp ingredient specialists to discuss and request a sample!