Flaxseeds can be ground with a blender. The more you blend, the finer the flax will become.
You’ll need at least 1 cup of seeds to make it worth your time and effort to grind them. After about three minutes of blending, they’ll reach their finest form; or you can leave them in longer for a coarser consistency.
This article is about how to grind flaxseeds in a blender. It will cover the methods for grinding flax seeds, equipment needed, amount of flax needed, and tips for grinding flax.
Benefits Of Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are tiny seeds with a lot of nutritional benefits. They are often referred to as the most powerful plant food in the world.
They are a good source of antioxidants, proteins, and fibers, and have been proven to be beneficial in preventing cardiovascular diseases, blood sugar levels, and lowering blood cholesterol levels.
Whole flaxseeds have a tough outer coating and can pass through the digestive tract without getting digested.
Flaxseeds need to be ground before consumption to allow the body to get the whole health benefit.
Although processed flaxseeds are sold at grocery stores, store-bought bags of flaxseeds powder becomes bad quickly, it becomes rancid and unfit for consumption.
It is advisable to buy whole flaxseeds, and grind them at home as required or needed in meals.
How To Grind Flaxseed
There are several ways of grinding flaxseeds into powder to get the full health benefit. These include the use of a blender or food processor, a coffee grinder, or manual methods like mortar and pestle.
Each of these ways comes with its uniqueness to grind flax seeds to a powder. This article answers the question by reviewing the best ways to grind flaxseeds.
Can You Grind Flaxseeds In A Blender?
Blenders or food processor is a common kitchen appliance to grind. If you want to grind flaxseeds in a blender or food processor, you will need to add at least a cup of flaxseed into the blender or food processor for it to work properly.
This method takes several minutes as you need to regulate the speed of your blender or food processor, stop, shake, and blend again until your flaxseed is ground to your desired consistency.
Using a blender or food processor to grind flaxseed is time-consuming as you have to continue regulating the speed, and grind again to achieve your result.
While using a blender or food processor, care needs to be taken to prevent the flax seeds from turning into paste due to the high quantity of oil present in them.
Related Post: How To Grind Oats In A Blender
How To Grind Flaxseed With Blender Or Food Processor – Pros And Cons
PROS
Using a blender or food processor makes the flaxseed powder easily available. If you want to avoid using an electric mill, this method is highly recommended.
CONS
Grinding with a blender or food processor takes several minutes of time and effort to grind the seeds into powder.
There are chances of your flaxseeds turning into paste due to the presence of large quantities of oil in them.
It might not be suitable for people suffering from arthritis or any kind of motor disabilities that may prevent them from grinding manually.
How To Use Ground Flaxseed In Smoothies?
Flaxseeds can be added to any smoothie recipe for an extra nutty flavor, but should not replace other ingredients.
Add 1-2 teaspoons of flaxseed powder or freshly ground flaxseed into the blender with other ingredients, blend until combined.
Flaxseed contains mucilage fiber which helps thicken the smoothie and binds all the flavors together. Flaxseeds also help balance your blood sugar levels with high fiber content and omega 3 fats. It is one of the many substitutes for chia seeds in smoothies.
Flaxseed oil is also available as a dietary supplement.
All of these options can be easily incorporated into your daily diet by including flaxseeds in smoothies, and it is extremely healthy too!
Can I Grind Flaxseed In A Vitamix?
Vitamix is a powerful blender with high performance. It can be used to grind flaxseeds and get a better or desired consistency.
In using a Vitamix to grind flaxseeds, put the flaxseed in the Vitamix, give it a quick blend by adjusting the variable speed of the blender.
The Vitamix 5200 Blender is a common brand of Vitamix blender and has excellent reviews. Although Vitamix blenders are quite expensive, they are also very efficient.
Related Read: How To Grind Flaxseed In A Vitamix Blender
Can I Grind Flaxseeds In My Ninja?
The Ninja blender is also an excellent choice for grinding flaxseeds. Ninja blenders rank high for their ease of use and are relatively less expensive.
The Ninja Professional Countertop Blender with 1100-Watt Base has one of the highest reviews for blending on Amazon. The Ninja Professional Countertop Blender makes a good option for blending flaxseed.
Related Read: Can Ninja Blender Grind Flaxseeds?
Will Nutribullet Grind Flaxseeds?
The Nutribullet comes with a different blade for milling and enables you to grind your flaxseed to the desired consistency. One advantage of the Nutribullet apart from its being less expensive is its portability.
The Nutribullet allows you to grind a small amount of flaxseed to be included in your meal.NutriBullet NBR-1201 12-Piece High-Speed Blender/Mixer System, Gray (600 Watts)Â offers a great choice of grinding flaxseeds into meals.
Related Post: Can You Grind Flaxseed In A Nutribullet?
Can I Use The Coffee Grinder?
The coffee grinder is one of the easiest and fastest ways of grinding flaxseeds. It offers convenience, as coffee grinders are quite inexpensive and are efficient in grinding flaxseeds.
Using a coffee grinder, you need to add whole flaxseeds to the fill level of the grinder, then power it on. It takes a few seconds for the seeds to achieve the desired consistency. The flax seeds should be ground for a minimal time while using the coffee grinder, as flax seeds tend to turn paste-like when ground for longer durations.
A coffee grinder allows you to grind the amount you need at once.
However, you need to have a separate coffee grinder for your flaxseed, as using the same one for coffee affects the flaxseeds and causes early spoilage.
KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder is a highly recommended coffee grinder to grind flaxseeds.
How To Grind Flaxseed With A Coffee Grinder – Pros And Cons
PROS
Using a coffee grinder makes it easier to manage your foods, and it saves time.
Coffee grinders are small appliances that don’t take up so much space in your kitchen countertops.
A coffee grinder is easy to operate, in case you face problem operating your blender or food processor.
CONS
Coffee grinders are designed to only grind coffee beans, not flaxseeds.
You need to clean the device after every use, otherwise, the residue will clog inside making it difficult for you to continue grinding in future sessions.
How To Grind Flaxseeds Without A Blender?
If you do not have any of the above home appliances, you can make use of the manual method to grind your flaxseed.
Mortar and pestle can also be used to grind flaxseeds, it serves as a better option for grinding smaller amounts.
Put the flaxseeds into the mortar and crush them with the pestle. Using mortar and pestle takes extra effort, and may not achieve a fine consistency as others.
How To Grind Flaxseed With Grinding Stone (Mortar And Pestle) – Pros And Cons
PROS
Grinding stone is one of the oldest method of grinding flax seeds into powder.
Using a grinding stone makes you feel closer to the traditional methods of life.
It’s environment friendly as no electrical appliances are used here.
CONS
Grinding flaxseeds with a mortar and pestle is time-consuming and energy costly.
Hard manual labor needs to be put in while using this method, making it unsuitable for people suffering from arthritis or any other motor disabilities prohibiting them from putting so much effort into manual labor.
How To Store Flaxseeds?
Ground flaxseeds get spoilt easily, the seeds are sensitive to heat and sunlight and can get easily rancid if not stored properly.
Powdered flaxseeds are best stored in airtight containers, and kept in the fridge for about 2-4 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Flaxseeds have a nutty or earthly flavor and can be easily detected when spoilt with their bitter smell or taste.
Related Post: Can You Grind Flaxseed With A Magic Bullet?
Flaxseed Uses
Coating for meat or fish
Ground flaxseeds are used to coat meats or fish prior to frying. The ground seeds form a thin layer around the food giving it a crunchy flavor when fried with the meal.
Adding to baked goods
A small amount of ground flaxseed can be added to bread, pastries, pancakes, waffles, etc., which adds healthy fats and fiber with no effect on flavor or texture.
Use in smoothies or drinks
One tablespoon of flaxseed oil mixed with water is recommended as an excellent substitute for cooking oil.
To use, mix one tablespoon of flaxseed oil with three tablespoons of water and enjoy this healthy drink instead of your regular breakfast juice.
Conclusion
Flaxseeds are beneficial and protect the body from cardiovascular diseases and lower blood cholesterol levels. The coating of flaxseeds needs to be broken down for the body to get the full health benefits.
Various ways have been described to grind flaxseeds through the use of common household appliances. You can grind flaxseeds in a blender or food processor, coffee grinder, or manual means like mortar and pestle.
A coffee grinder serves as the easiest, fastest and convenient means of grinding flaxseeds. Ground flaxseeds need to be stored in airtight containers and kept in the fridge or freezer to prevent them from going rancid.
Some of the common and best products for grinding flaxseeds are the Vitamix 5200 Blender, Ninja Professional Countertop Blender, the NutriBullet NBR-1201 . Coffee grinders like KRUPS F203 Electric Spice and Coffee Grinder also work effectively in grinding flaxseeds.
References
Parikh M, Netticadan T, Pierce GN. Flaxseed: its bioactive components and their cardiovascular benefits. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2018 Feb 1;314(2):H146-H159. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00400.2017. Epub 2017 Nov 3. PMID: 29101172.
Related Posts
