If you are a fan of nuts then you probably love snacking on pecans as well.

However, you probably didn’t know about pecan flour or pecan milk.

Yes you read it right, not almond milk, pecan milk!

In this article, you will discover more things about pecans including their origins, the nutritional value of pecan flour and pecan milk, how to make them at home and use them in your recipes with tips on how to store these pecan subproducts.

Origins of pecans:

In fact, Pecans are almost like walnuts, they are brown and they have an elongated shape.

Most people who tried pecans for the first time ended up falling for their sweet nutty flavor.

Pecans are an oleaginous nut, and it comes in two halves that are covered in a thin dark shell.

Furthermore, It grows on a tree that belongs to the Juglandaceae family and is called Carya Illinoinesis in Latin.

In addition, this tree grows in North America mainly in the eastern region and can reach a height of 100ft (40 meters).

The first cultivation of this plant started in the 19^th century and it was only possible in regions with mild autumns enough to allow the fruit to ripen.

Pecan flour and pecan milk nutrition:

Pecans are usually consumed raw or seasoned like pistachios or peanuts.

However, it is often used in baking recipes like waffles.

There is more to this amazing North American nut as it can be made into milk, oil, or even flour, yes pecan flour!

The sub-products of pecans widen the uses of this amazing nut and allows us to enjoy its benefits in different recipes.

Pecan flour nutrition:

This data counts for the daily recommended dose of 3 tbsp of (45g) of pecan flour:

• Calories: 105
• Fibers: 1.2g
• Protein: 1.3g
• Carbs: 2.2g
• Fat: 11.5g
• E Vitamin: 14%
• B1 vitamin: 9%
• B5 vitamin: 5%
• B6 vitamin: 6%
• B9 vitamin: 3%
• Calcium: 1%
• Iron: 2%
• Phosphorus: 11%
• Potassium: 3%
• Magnesium: 7%
• Manganese: 32%
• Zinc: 7%
• Molybdenum: 8%
• Copper: 21%

Pecan milk nutrition:

This data counts for the daily recommended dose of 3.5fl oz of (100ml) of pecan milk:

• Calories: 140
• Fibers: 2g
• Protein: 2g
• Carbs: 6g
• Fat: 13g
• B1 vitamin: 42%
• B5 vitamin: 12%
• B6 vitamin: 17%
• B9 vitamin: 7%
• Calcium: 7%
• Iron: 16%
• Phosphorus: 32%
• Potassium: 16%
• Magnesium: 28%
• Manganese: 220%
• Zinc: 39%
• Molybdenum: 12%
• Copper: 85%

Pecan milk:

Unlike almond milk which requires draining, pecan milk needs none of that.

Contrarily, pecans fully blend and none of the nutrients is lost in the process.

Pecan milk recipe:

This recipe makes about 4 cups of fresh homemade pecan milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of pecans.
• 4 cups of water.
• 2 tbsp of maple syrup (optional).
• ½ tsp of vanilla extract.
• 1 tsp of Salt.

Preparation:

• Start by chopping pecans or crushing them a little to make it easier to blend them.
• Put the crushed pecans in the blender and add 2 cups of water to them, then blend them for 1 minute.
• Add the remaining 2 cups of water alongside maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.
• Blend the ingredients together for 2 minutes until they are fully blended.
• Taste and add maple syrup if you want and that’s it, you made fresh pecan milk!

Using pecan milk:

The list is literally unlimited as you can drink pecan milk on its own or use it in many different ways:

• Your smoothie recipe.
• As salad dressings.
• Cereal instead of cow milk.
• Your morning coffee.
• Ice-cream recipes.
• Different baking recipes such as cakes, pancakes, waffles…

Hot chocolate using pecan milk:

Ingredients:

• 12 pecan nuts.
• 1tbsp sugar.
• Chocolate powder (1tbsp).
• 1 cup of hot water.
• ½ cup cold water.

Preparation:

• Crush the pecans to easily blend them.
• Put the crushed pecans in a blender and add ½ cup of cold water to it then blend them for 2 minutes.
• Now add chocolate powder, sugar, and hot water and blend them for 1 minute.
• Pour the drink into smaller cups and serve them to 2 people.

Rice pudding with pecan milk:

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of rice.
• 2 egg yolks.
• 1 cup of sour cream.
• 3 cups of pecan milk.
• ¼ cup of sugar.
• 1 vanilla pod.

Preparation:

• Pour pecan milk, sour cream, the seeds of the vanilla pod, and sugar in a pan then heat them on medium heat (350°F, 180°C) while stirring.
• When the mixture starts to thicken, add rice and mix.
• Drop the temperature to 180°F (80°C) and let the rice cook until you see the rice seeds float on the surface which means they are done.
• When the rice is done, the mixture should still be a little liquid since it thickens more during the cool-down phase.
• Finally, take the pan off the oven, add two egg yolks and mix everything, let it cool and serve it for up to 6 people.

Storing pecan milk:

You can store it in the refrigerator in a glass jar for 7 days.

Just make sure you stir before you consume it as nuts milk tends to separate when it sits for too long.

Nonetheless, If you are making a large amount of pecan milk, you can store it in several jars.

Therefore, every time you want to use pecan milk you won’t risk exposing all of the quantity to air.

You can also freeze pecan milk for a longer lifespan of up to 3 weeks.

However, make sure you consume it no longer than 1 day after defrosting as it spoils fast.

If you open a jar of pecan milk after you stored it for a couple of days and it smells weird and tastes spicy, throw it away as it is spoiled.

Pecan flour:

Similar to almond flour, pecan flour is not only ground nuts made into powder.

Before the blending process, the oil of the pecans is extracted by pressing them.

Then, the dry and pressed pecans go through a milling process to obtain a dry fine flour.

Flour usually contains fewer fats and fatty acids than nuts.

Also, a dough made from pecan flour doesn’t swell when baked as it is starch and gluten-free.

Therefore, for baking recipes make sure pecan flour makes up no more than 30% of the total flour mix, and the rest 70% is wheat flour.

Pecan flour recipe:

Pecan flour is actually very easy to make and is a better healthy alternative to wheat flour.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of pecans.

Preparation:

• Start by crushing pecans into smaller pieces to make it easy to blend them.
• Pour half of the number of pecan pieces into the blender and grind them for 20 seconds.
• Put the ground pecans into a sifter to separate flour from the remaining pieces of pecans.
• Place those small pieces again in the blender and add more raw pecan pieces and repeat the process.
• Remember to only blend for a few seconds each time as you don’t want to obtain pecan butter.
• Finally, you should have fresh pecan flour and a few remaining pieces which you can also use as a topping for your waffles or cakes.

Using pecan flour:

Pecan flour can replace wheat flour in any type of recipe as it will just add a sweet nutty flavor.

You can use pecan flour in many different ways to make:

• Brownies.
• Cookies.
• Puddings and pies.
• Pancakes.
• Cinnamon rolls.
• Breading for fish or chicken before frying them.

Brownies with pecan flour:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of butter.
• 1 cup of cocoa.
• 1 cup of pecan flour.
• 1 cup of sugar.
• 4 eggs.
• ½ cup of almonds.
• ½ tsp of baking powder.
• 2 tsp vanilla extract.
• ¼ tsp of salt.

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• In a bowl, place the vanilla extract and sugar.
• Slowly melt the butter in a hot pan then add It to the bowl alongside sugar and vanilla.
• Now add the eggs and the cocoa and mix the ingredients together.
• Add almond milk, salt, and baking powder to the bowl and stir.
• At this stage, start adding pecan flour while mixing at the same time to avoid leaving unmixed flour.
• Make sure you grease the oven tray with a little butter or vegetable oil.
• Pour the brownies mix you made into the oven trat then place it in the oven for 30 minutes or until the brownies start to peel off the sides of the tray.
• Let it cool down then cut it into 8 to 10 square shapes and enjoy it with your family!

Chocolate chip cookies with pecan flour:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of pecan flour.
• 1 cup of dark chocolate chips.
• 1 cup of butter.
• 1 cup of sugar.
• 1 cup of chocolate powder.
• ½ tsp of salt.
• 1 tsp vanilla extract.
• 1 egg.

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare the tray by sprinkling a little flour on it using a fine strainer.
• Start by melting the butter in a hot pan.
• While the butter is melting, mix pecan flour and salt in a bowl and stir them.
• When the butter becomes liquid, pour it into a mixer with vanilla extract and eggs and start beating it while adding sugar gradually until you obtain a fluffy mixture.
• Keep the mixer on and start adding the pecan flour+salt mixture gradually until you obtain a homogeneous dough.
• Make small shapes of cookies from this mix using your hand or by simply dropping spoonfuls on the tray.
• You can shape the top of the cookies with the palm of your hand.
• Now it’s time to add the chocolate chips on top of the cookies.
• Finally, place the tray in the oven and let the cookies bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the edges become brown.
• Take the tray out, let it cool and enjoy your pecan flour chocolate chips cookies with your loved ones!

Storing pecan flour:

Generally, flours made from nuts have a lower lifespan compared to wheat flour.

So, make sure you use your pecan flour as soon as you make it or preserve it in the refrigerator for a week.

If you want to keep your pecan flour for a longer time, put it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to 1 month.

However, in case of freezing make sure you use pecan flour 1 or 2 days after defrosting to avoid spoilage.