Why I love Hemp Hearts (and Recipes with Hemp Seed Products)
Hemp Hearts are great for a low-carb ingredient, and this post tells why I love them and shares recipes using the processed hemp seeds! And there are different products made from hemp seeds, but the ones I’ve used most are both called hemp hearts.
PIN this post about Hemp Hearts and Recipes with Hemp Seeds!
Hemp Hearts are a fun name for one of my favorite products made from hemp seeds, and I’ve been using them in recipes for a few years now. So when I spotted them in a big bag at Costco I knew it was time for me to remind you about my recipes with hemp hearts and talk about why I love them so much!
And through the years I’ve learned many people aren’t familiar with hemp seeds or hemp hearts. So I hope you’ll enjoy learning more about this very nutritious and versatile product that’s also really low in carbs! And none of the products made from hemp seeds contain CBD or THC, so please don’t confuse them with those types of hemp products!
Are Hemp Hearts the same as Hemp Seeds?
Hemp Seeds are the entire seeds of the hemp plant, including the hard outer shell. Hemp Hearts are the hulled version of hemp seeds and despite being slightly lower in fiber they’re more useful in cooking because they’re not as hard or crunchy as the seeds, and they have a delightfully nutty flavor. And often when you see recipes with hemp seeds, they’re actually made using the hulled hemp hearts but just giving them a more generic name.
Why Hemp Hearts are a good choice for recipes:
- Hemp hearts are easier to digest than whole hemp seeds.
- Although hemp hearts are relatively high in fat (and recommended to be eaten in moderation), they also have twice the protein of chia seeds or flaxseeds
- They’re also loaded with Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, and contain all nine essential amino acids, making them a complete protein source.
- Hemp Hearts are perfect to use as a binder for low-carb meatloaf, meatballs, or patties of any kind.
- They’re also great to add to add texture, flavor, fiber and more protein to low-carb baked goods.
- And for any recipe that uses Flaxseed Meal as a binder or baking ingredients, you can switch some or all of that for Hemp Hearts.
Where do I buy Hemp Hearts?
I was excited when I discovered Kirkland Hemp Hearts at Costco! But you can also buy Kirkland Hemp Hearts (affiliate link) or Manitoba Hemp Hearts (affiliate link) at Amazon. These are the two brands I’ve purchased, but if you look at your grocery store or at Amazon, there are also many other brands.
Why are Hemp Hearts good for low-carb diets?
Besides being so highly nutritious, Hemp Hearts are also high in fiber and low in net carbs. In the photo above you see the two brands I have used, and the Manitoba Hemp Hearts has 1 carb and 1 gram of fiber in 3 tablespoons. The Kirkland brand from Costco says 2 carbs and 1 gram of fiber in 3 tablespoons. (I have no idea why the nutritional information is different. The two products seem identical to me!)
How should you store Hemp Hearts?
The Hemp Hearts package advises to refrigerate them after opening, but I store mine in the freezer. I recommend freezing, especially if you buy one of the big bags from Costco. They’re very small so they thaw quickly when you need to use some in a recipe.
Recipes where I’ve used Hemp Hearts:
- Olive Bread
- Beef and Sausage Meatballs with Tomato Sauce
- Turkey Parmesan Meatballs
- Swiss Chard Casserole
- Cottage Cheese Breakfast Muffins with Mushrooms and Feta
- Savory Almond Flour Bread
- Cottage Cheese Breakfast Muffins with Ham and Cheddar
- Salmon Patties
- Flourless Savory Breakfast Muffins
- Grilled Salmon Burgers
- Cottage Cheese Breakfast Muffins with Bacon
Other uses for Hemp Seeds or Hemp Hearts:
Some other suggested uses for Hemp Seeds or Hemp Hearts include sprinkling them on salads, adding them to smoothies, adding them to cereal or oatmeal, sprinkling them on yogurt, or used in any recipe where you’d sprinkle some nuts on the finished dish.
More about Kalyn’s Kitchen Picks:
Kalyn’s Kitchen Picks is a blog feature where I spotlight products I love and buy over and over. Everything featured as one of my picks is a product I purchased myself, and so my readers will know that my choices are completely unbiased, I don’t accept sample products from the many companies that offer to send them to me. You can see all the products I’ve spotlighted at the page for Kalyn’s Kitchen Picks.
8 Comments on “Why I love Hemp Hearts (and Recipes with Hemp Seed Products)”
Nice to see “Manitoba Harvest” hemp hearts! Not often a Canadian product is highlighted and even less, a Manitoba product. Thanks for that,
A Proud Manitoban
Fun, I think they are great quality!
Thank you for sharing.love your stuff.
My pleasure! Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
I made the cheddar and ham cottage cheese muffins with hemp hearts after seeing this. Delicious! Turned out great!
So glad you enjoyed them. I love all three of those cottage cheese muffin recipes!
I cannot thank you enough for this post! A few years ago, my sister-in-law gave me a recipe for tabbouleh made with hemp hearts instead of bulgar, and it was delicious. I had purchased a bag of hemp hearts, Kirkland brand from Costo and was not sure what to do with the rest of the bag. I still have some of that package, so I wish i had frozen it. Now I am going to make the Olive Bread and the other recipes you listed. Excited!
So glad it is useful for you. And I do love the idea of tabbouli made with hemp hearts.