DIY Ripple Milk
This recipe is more of an addendum to my split pea milk recipe. I have had many more questions about it coming from Ripple drinkers. Some of the struggles were: separation, strong pea taste, watery taste and thickened texture. My original recipe was written for g-tube feedings and oral eaters with limited taste experiences. After fielding many of your questions, I set out to make a recipe that would work for Ripple drinkers. Please keep in mind, nothing we make at home can match the process that Ripple can produce in the lab. This recipe is creamier than my original recipe and does not separate. Hopefully my adjustments will make it more palatable. Please take note of the pictures above. The picture in the top right corner show 2 mason jars. The jar on the left is Ripple. The jar on the right is the DIY Ripple. Even after sitting overnight, it had not separated.
As always, my goal is not to just create and share new recipes but to educate: To give information not opinions. The pictures and notes are here to help you make the best choice for you.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of dry split peas (cooked in 3 cups of water)
- 4 large Medjool dates (3oz)
- 2-4 teaspoons of vanilla
- 1/4 cup of Sunflower oil (or oil of choice)
- 7-10 cups of water
Directions
Cooking the split peas:
Place 1 cup of dried peas into a bowl and cover with 3 cups of water. Let sit for 8 hours or overnight. Transfer the peas into a pot or into the pressure cooker. If cooking on the stove, cook peas about 1-1 1/2 hours or until the peas are completely soft and all of the water has been absorbed. Stir. Note: If using an electric pressure cooker, there is no need to soak the peas overnight. Select “beans/lentils” and adjust the time setting to 30 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally. This may take up to 15 minutes. Remove lid and stir. Note, if using the pressure cooker it is important NOT to use the quick release. The starch in peas is very light. Using the quick release up and out of the pressure cooker through the valve making a mess:
Making the milk:
Place 1 1/2 cups of cooked peas into the large (64oz) Vitamix container. Add 3 1/2-5 cups of water, dates, 1/2 of the oil (5 teaspoons) and vanilla and let stand (to soften the dates) for 30 minutes. Blend on High for 1 minute or use the “Smoothie” setting. Transfer first batch to mason jars and ice cube trays. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients. If If the texture is not to your liking, you may want to run the milk through a nut milk bag to remove the starchy component of the peas.
Please keep in mind that, if you need it to have a higher caloric content, you will lose quite a few calories this way. The milk will keep fresh for about 4 days in the refrigerator. How quickly you use the milk will help you decide how much to freeze. After I use what is in the refrigerator, I take out only what I will use the next day and let it thaw overnight.
Food tips: Although sunflower oil is listed, I used grape seed oil because I didn’t have any and couldn’t find any. Other oils will work but I would hesitate using coconut oil. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and could clog g-tubes if the milk separates when chilled. I put sunflower oil in the recipe because that is the oil listed on the Ripple label. I don’t know if it would taste any different since vegetable oil is pretty tasteless. I’m sure it’s better for you so use it if you can find it and afford it. Be sure to pit the dates before putting them into the blender. I don’t use pitted dates in my recipes because they are too dry and sometime the pits are not completely removed. Calories/cup are 141.5. The breakdown is in the Cronometer picture below. Because Ripple is making it’s milk from extracted pea protein and not whole peas, their protein content will be higher. Other than that, my DIY version of vanilla Ripple is pretty close if it is consumed unfiltered:
Time tip: If you have a pressure cooker, use it. Time and clean up can be cut in half that way. Freezing the extra milk in ice cube trays makes it easy to defrost exactly what you want. Each standard ice cube is 1 once.
Money Tip: Buying your peas from a bulk food store like Winco Foods is the best money saver. Most of their bulk food items are 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of those bought prepackaged. It also saves on waste because you only buy what you need.
Matthew's Manna 
Hi, can coconut oil be used in this recipe? Trying to find a drink my 1 year old can tolerate due to food sensitivities. Thank you!
You can but, the problem with coconut oil, is it is solid at room temperature. Once you blend it and then put it in the refrigerator you may get small solid pieces. If you put in a baby bottle, it may clog. Give it a try with the first 1 1/2 cups of cooked peas and see. Please let me know how it turns out so I can add the results to the blog post.
Well that makes sense, I wasn’t thinking about the refrigerated part. We’ll try olive oil. Also, does it matter much if you use green rather than yellow peas?
I’ve never used green. I think the only difference would be the color.
I’ve been making variations of this recipe but my version always separates out. I always have to have a give it a good shake it before I drink it. Do you know what would stop that from happening or which ingredients you used is helping it not do that?
Hi Dean. I have to shake mine as well. The store bought version doesn’t separate because they have isolated the pea protein form the starch then processed to created a homogenized drink. All of my homemade milks need a good shake before using.
Thank you! I made this mostly because I wanted an organic version of Ripple. It was easy and good tasting.
Do you have any thoughts that would make it whip better for a latte?
Hi Marie! So glad that the recipe worked for you. I think adding a bit more water to the blend will work. Then, right before using it, give your container a good shake. Also you might try my Hemp milk recipe. It is frothy after a good shake and tastes amazing! It got me off the traditional coffee creamers.
please make a video about this
I was wondering when I would have to take this blog to the next level. Unfortunately my blog does not support video…yet. I will need to upgrade. Thank you for asking. I will work on that.
So this looks really awesome (and I can get pea protein in bulk form, so it’s even easier!). But I’m wondering how this compares in terms of other nutrients. It seems like it would be lacking in calcium, potassium, and some of the vitamins. Do you just deal with this with multivitamins?
It’s great that you can get the pea protein in bulk. May I ask where? That would cut the starchiness of the blend. As for the other nutrients, it depends on how and why you are using the pea milk. My son has a g-tube but he also eats his blends orally. I have been trying to get him off of the formula he is drinking by mouth. I use the pea milk to make his blends and cut the formula. Because he receives a variety of blended food, his diet is complete. If there is not much variety in the diet, I would definitely suggest a multivitamin of some sort.
You can get it here: https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/nutritional-supplements/protein/pea-protein/pea-protein-powder-organic/21244?package=NS0206
I haven’t bought it yet, though, so I can’t necessarily vouch for it.
I guess the main reason I switched to pea milk is to go vegan without sacrificing the nutrients that are in regular milk (I am still in that process, so currently I’ve only really switched the milk itself and still rely on dairy yogurt and cheese for various reasons). My general diet is varied, but I suspect I would feel more comfortable making my own pea milk rather than buying Ripple if I were fairly confident I’m not losing nutritional value.
It only has a small amount of calcium and no potassium. Those minerals are easy to get in a vegan diet but it would be a good idea to take a calcium supplement.
I’m gluten, lactose, egg and fructose intolerant with a weak digestive system and would love to try the split pea milk but I can’t use the dates mentioned. Is there anything else you could suggest I use in place of them. Do you know if the milk would be easier to digest than Soy Milk? This would be terrific if I could tolerate it.
If your system can handle Stevia then I would try that. You can grow the plant on your own or, by Truvia of Pure Via. Both are great plant based sweeteners. I think it digest about the same. I stopped making soy milk when I found out it contained high levels of estrogen. For higher levels of protein, I plan to try making the milk from isolated pea protein now that I know it can be bought in bulk.
Thank you Tina for the information on Stevia and Truvia, I’ll certainly look into them.
You are welcome. Please let me know how it works out. I can add your change the change to give others more options.
soy milk contains phyto estrogens which are different to mammalian estrogens and are actually beneficial to women(and men)through locking ont estrogen receptors blocking dairy estrogens. Women in Asian countries consuming a lot of soy have WAY lower rates of breast cancer-and the men WAY lower rates of prostate cancer.Soy is protective.
I honestly made this yesterday and did not include the dates or the flavoring. I find that the peas are sweet enough. Plus, I personally like the idea of being able to use to cook with.
Can you use a soy/nut milk maker? My soy milk maker calls for 1 c of soy beans to make 1 quart of milk.
I have never used one but i think it is worth a try. If it comes out too thick you can always add more water. Please let me know if it comes out good using the milk maker.
can you use any bean/legume? Same process? Can u use this as normal milk? Hot beverages?
Hi, Julie. Like sou beans, you can use this recipe with any legume providing you like the taste as a milk. If you try it with your favorite legume please post your results here. I’m open to more nondairy milk choices.
great! Thanks so much!!
Thanks for the recipe. I made this yesterday without adding the dates and flavoring. It turned out great! I shared with friends.
That is so exciting! I love that you shared my recipe and that it is so versatile.
thank you so much for this recipe- it turned out delicious and i love when i can make something at home instead of buying plastic bottles at the store-
Thank you for letting me know! I agree. I make everything homemade time permitting. I also like the fact that I can leave the dates out of my split pea milk recipe when I am using it for my son’s g-tube feeding. Please tell others about Matthews Manna. There really is something here for everyone. Look for new posts in the near future. I’m working on my nut and seed butter recipes.
Hi, thank you for the recipe. It’s only the second one I’ve seen. When using the pea protein how much do you use? How does the recipe change?
Hi, Ashley. Thank you for contacting me. So far I have only made the pea milk from dried split peas. I bought Orgain Organic plant protein powder in hope’s of making a pea milk with less carbohydrates. Unfortunately, it tasted and smelled so bad I couldn’t even use it for my son’s g-tube feeding. I took it back to Costco. If you know of an isolated pea protein powder that tastes good, please let me know and I will try again.
Felicia and the mom doc, how about avocado oil? Olive oil should never be cooked.
Also, sunflower seed oil is highly processed and adds too much omega-3 to our already out of balance omega fatty acids. Should be 1:1, but the American Diet puts us at more like 10:1.
Hi, Dawn. Thank you for your input on the oils. So which oil would you recommend? I don’t cook the oils added to the recipe but it must be stable in the refrigerator.
Hi again, Dawn. Looks like I missed your comment here. So would you use avocado oil over uncooked olive oil? What about grape seed oil?
There are good fats and bad fats. I’ll share a video on this. The video explains that it’s the seed oils that will stay liquid in the refrigerator and even the freezer. However, how thevoseed oils are processed is crucial. Most are highly refined, use chemicals and expose to high heat during processing. If you can get seed oils in dark bottles in the refrigerated section of health food stores (possibly health food sections of some larger grocery stores), then it should be good oil. https://www.facebook.com/BigFatLieMovie/videos/246462812932143?sfns=mo
I hope I’ve not replied twice; if so, delete one (first reply didn’t appear). There are good fats and bad fats. I’ll post a link for an informative video. The seed oils will stay liquid in the refrigerator, but are usually highly processed/refined with chemicals and high heat. They are oxidized and act as toxins. If you can get seed oils in dark bottles in the refrigerated section of health food stores or natural sections of larger grocery stores. I’ll test some avocado oil in the refrigerator. https://www.facebook.com/BigFatLieMovie/videos/246462812932143?sfns=mo
Thanks, Dawn. I will review the video when I get a moment.
Hello!
Awesome recipe! However, I am confused with the measurements of the peas. In your instructions you say you only need 1 cup and then later in the recipe you call for 1 1/2 cups. Which is correct?
Thanks!
Thank you! The recipe for the milk calls for 1 1/2 cups of cooked peas. The 1 cup measurement is for the dry peas before they are cooked. The directions start off in step 1 by showing you how to cook the dry peas. The directions for the milk start in step 2 using the ingredients listed in the recipe. I hope that helps clear things up.
Yes it does! Thank you so much! So I actually thought of another question. So I see with your comparison of calories of Ripple to Homemade “Ripple” that the Homemade version has more carbs than Ripple. How did you calculate the caloric intakes? And also, would it be feasible to use Pea Protein Powder instead of Split Peas?
Maybe a better question would be — If I filter out the peas, will I get rid of the carbs? I am on a low calorie diet but love the idea of having a high protein plant based milk
Yes. If you filter the peas through a nut milk bag you will remove a good portion of the carbohydrate but, unfortunately you will also remove part of the protein. My post on “How Ripple is Made” explains why. I my son drinks stor bought Ripple but gets homemade via his g-tube. I tried making the milk using isolated pea protein and it tasted and smelled horrible. If you find an isolated pea protein that tastes good please let me know and I will try again.
hi, from the bottle ingredient content shown in the photo, it seems like it has been fortified with calcium. What is the calcium content of the home made pea milk?
and thanks for the recipe:)
You are welcome! Yes. The Ripple is fortified. Split peas only have 108mg of calcium per cup dry. That’s not very much per serving of split pea milk. Because my son has a g-tube I just dissolve a calcium tablet in a serving before giving it. If your using it for oral purposes, you could do the same but it might taste chalky. Personally I just make sure I am getting enough calcium from other foods or take a supplement. Thank you for you question.
What if I dont have a vitamix container? Can I use a ninja ?
If you use a Ninja, I would suggest using a filtration/nut milk bag after blending if the milk is for drinking or tube feeding. The texture will be smoother. If your just using it to cook with, it should be fine.
Just wanted to mention that Ripple uses yellow peas – as do all the makers of pea protein powder. I have been using the Ripple because when you add vinegar to it (vegan version of buttermilk) it really congeals.
But peas are a high pesticide use product so I really wanted to switch over to an organic yellow pea. I get mine at Shiloh on line – they are split so no outer casing (yippee)
Another reason I wanted to make this from scratch is that they pasteurize all these milks and that kills all the nutrients. As I use this milk for baking…..I just grind the peas coarsely instead of cooking them.
I use my Nutrimilk machine to make this – you can put the ground peas and raw sunflower seeds in and it comes out dandy.
Thank you for that very helpful information! Could you please share how your nutmilk machine processes the milk? I don’t have one but I would like to see if I can create a similar process with the Vitamix.
I really like the idea of using the pea protein for this milk. How would the recipe change? I’ve made this using both green and yellow split peas. Not much difference than the color. The dates I am using have pits and are hard, so I cook them in the Insta Pot with the split peas. That works really well. The separating problem happens the most when I freeze it. The flavor is great!