How To Make Cashew Cream

How to make cashew cream with just 3 ingredients (including water and salt!) and a blender. This dairy-free cream is the perfect base for dips, sauces, a coffee creamer, and a dairy alternative in tons of recipes. Plus, it’s practically effortless to make and takes minutes (post-soak)!

Cashew cream is a staple of any vegan or dairy-free household (and those who are just curious). This simple, three-ingredient ‘cream’ has become a favorite addition of mine to vegan cheesecakes, ice-cream, sauces, vegan cheeses, salad dressings, and more.

Plus because of it’s creamy, yet fairly neutral flavor, it is a great dairy alternative. In fact, it can be used in place of cream, sour cream, cream cheese, other cheeses, etc.

In fact, I chuck soaked cashews into all kinds of dishes, to add that little extra creamyness. Plus, this cashew cream has a more neutral flavor than both coconut milk and silken tofu, making it a great option for those who wan’t something neutral.

Best of all, apart from the soaking time for the cashews, this vegan cashew cream takes just minutes to blend up and is practically effortless (no, seriously!)

Recipe Ingredients and Add-ins

• Raw Cashews
• Water
• Salt

And that is all you need for the very ‘base’ mix of this cream at it;s optimal neutrality in flavor. However, there are also tons of ways that you can easily add in some extra zing.

For Sweet Cashew Cream:

Though any sweeteners and additions are likely listed in whatever recipe that you’re needing the sweet cashew cream for, there are a few simple additions you can make for an overall sweet blend.

These include adding a little of your favorite liquid sweetener (i.e. agave nectar, maple syrup, etc), and some vanilla extract. You could also include cacao powder, cinnamon, ginger, etc.

Just a couple of ingredient add-ins and you have the perfect sweet dessert dip.

For this recipe I usually add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoon of a natural sweetener, then any spices of choice (cinnamon, cardamom, etc.)

For Savory Cashew cream:

Once again, there are tons of simple recipe add-ins that you can include for a simple but flavorful sauce.

• Lemon juice (perfect for making cashew sour cream)
• Garlic
• Herbs & spices (paprika, onion, cumin, mustard pepper, dill, chives, etc.)
• Nutritional yeast – for a cheesy flavor
• Pesto – like this Delicious Vegan Basil Pesto (with pistachios) or Carrot Leaf Pesto, for a quick and simple dip.
• Curry powder

And many other options. In fact, let me know in the comments what your favorite additions are and I’ll give them a try.

Step By Step Instructions

This cashew cream recipe is practically effortless and requires just two steps

Step 1. Soak The Cashews

Soak the raw cashews for at-least two hours with filtered water, (on the counter-top) if you have a high-speed blender.

However, I prefer to soak the nuts overnight, as this makes them super easy to blend and results in a silky smooth sauce.

There is also a quick soak method by convering the nuts in boiling water to soak for 30 minutes. However, this may affect the nutritional properties of the nuts.

Step 2. Blend

Once the cashews are soaked, drain the soaking liquid and rinse well. Next, add all of the ingredients to your blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

If using a food processor or large blender jug then you’ll need to pause the machine every not and then and scrape down the sides of the jug. Blend until you reach the desired consistency.

Once smooth, the cream is ready to use!

How To Use:

This cream can be used in several ways, such as:

• As a coffee creamer – such as for this Iced Latte, or Iced Matcha Latte or within warm golden milk. Alternatively, you can use this Oat Milk Creamer.
• Within pasta sauces (like this Creamy Vegan Mac and Cheese)
• Other sauces
• Stirred into soups and stews (like this Creamy Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup or Tumeric and Ginger Spiced Pumpkin Soup)
• For vegan cheese recipes (listed below)
• Within DF cheesecakes and desserts ( Raw Vegan Berry Cheesecake Slices, Vegan no-bake layered Cherry Cheesecake (gluten-free))
• As a spread
• Mixed into mashed potatoes and twice-baked potatoes
• For a creamy ganache
• Flavor and drizzle over pizza (like this Sweet Potato Crust Rainbow Pizza or Butternut Squash Pizza)
• Within salad dressings
• For dairy-free ice-cream like these Salted Caramel & Raspberry Vegan Magnum Ice Creams.

and many many more ideas.

FAQs

Other Recipe Notes

• You can adjust the thickness of the cream by simply adding a little extra water when blending.
• Though not as light and fluffy, cashew cream can be used to make cashew whipped cream. Coconut cream is a better option for one that acts the same way as dairy ream.
• Food processors won’t provide the same creamy results, and can be slightly ‘grainy’.
• If you specifically want a savory cashew cream them you can use vegetable stock in place of water, when blending. It packs tons of flavor!
• The soaking water will contain the phytic acid from the cashews and is best to discard.
• If you’re wanting a nut-free version to use for savory dishes like pasta sauces, etc. then raw sunflower seeds can work well. Hemp seeds also work well (with no soaking required)- however, they have a strong flavor so are usually best used as a combination with the nuts or seeds.
• Macadamia nuts would be another nut version of making a fairly neutral cream.
• If you have a really high powered blender you may not need to soak the nuts at all.
• I wouldn’t recommend using less than 1 cup of cashew nuts in most blenders unless the jug is small. Otherwise, they won’t blend properly and reach that silky consistency.

Other Cashew Based Recipes

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• Simple Homemade Vegan Cashew Cheese
• Simple Smoky Vegan Cheddar Cheese
• Easy Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
• Simple Herby Vegan Feta Cheese
• Zero Waste Homemade Cashew Milk
• How to Make Homemade Cashew Butter

If you give this cashew cream recipe a go, then let me know your thoughts and any questions in the comments. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.