Cashew cream – your new dairy free bestie
If you’re living that dairy-free life (or just want to dip your toes into it), cashew cream is about to become your BFF in the kitchen. This simple cashew cream recipe is the perfect dairy free substitute for everything from pasta sauces to desserts. It’s creamy, versatile, and super easy to make. The best part? You only need two ingredients!
More dairy free basics: scrambled eggs without milk / vegan buttermilk substitute / dairy free mac and cheese / dairy free chocolate chip cookies
Ingredient notes:
- Cashews – Make sure they’re raw. Roasted cashews will work, but you’ll want to make sure they’re unsalted. If you can’t use cashews, blanched almonds would work, too!
- Water – For soaking and blending. That’s it!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips + tricks:
- If you don’t have time to soak your cashews overnight, you can boil the cashews for about 10 minutes to speed up the soaking process.
- To make your cream sweet, add 2 – 3 tablespoons of maple syrup or other liquid sweetener. If you want to use sugar, I recommend adding it when blending to ensure the smoothest texture.
- To make this sauce cheesy, add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, a pinch of salt and a splash of lemon juice (about 1 teaspoon or less).
- Don’t have cashews? If you don’t have cashews on hand, you can easily make this recipe with blanched almonds!
Frequently asked questions
You need to soak cashews for at least 8 hours, but ideally overnight is best. This softens them enough to blend into a smooth, creamy consistency. If you don’t have that much time, you can “quick soak” them by covering the cashews with boiling water and letting them sit for at least an hour.
Cashew cream will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 1 week or for up to 6 months in the freezer. If you freeze it, you may find that you need to re-blend it after thawing to bring it back to its original consistency.
Raw cashews give you the most neutral flavor, but roasted cashews will work. Just make sure they’re unsalted.
Blanched almonds (skins removed) are your best substitute for cashews in this recipe, but the flavor will be slightly nuttier. Other nuts will work, but they tend to be pricier and not worth it, in my opinion.
My favorite ways to use cashew cream:
More dairy free favorites: dairy free cheesecake / dairy free potato soup / dairy free biscuits / dairy free birthday cake
Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/2 cups water
Instructions
- Soak the cashews. Place your cashews in a mason jar or other air tight container and cover with water – adding more if needed. Cover and allow the cashews to soak overnight.Quick soak alternative: Place cashews in a mason jar and cover with boiling water. Allow the cashews to soak for at least 1 hour, or until cooled.
- Blend the cashew cream. Drain the cashews, reserving about 1 cup of the water. Place the reserved water and soaked cashews in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Storage tips. Transfer the cashew cream to a mason jar or airtight container and store for up to 1 week in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months. If the cream separates after thawing, you can re-blend it to restore its consistency.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
How much does this recipe make? I need to use it in a recipe, but I feel this will make more than my recipe calls for and I don’t have plans to use the remaining cream.
This makes about 2 cups!