Homemade cashew cream is a versatile ingredient when it comes to dairy-free cooking. It adds a wonderful creaminess to soups, sauces, pasta dishes and so much more. Plus, it has just 2 simple ingredients!
This simple recipes acts as an all-purpose base that you can later add sweetness or spices to depending on what you’re planning to use it for.
In dairy-free cooking, coconut cream is often used to replicate dairy cream. But, if you’re not a fan of the coconut flavor or you’re allergic, cashew cream is a great alternative because of its very neutral taste.
Another reason that cashews work well is because they’re full of healthy fats, so they provide a similar creamy mouthfeel that you’d get from dairy.
Ingredients
- raw cashews – make sure they’re raw and not roasted. Using raw means they’ll have little to no taste (which is what we’re after).
- water – i prefer to use filtered water, but use what you’re comfortable with
- pinch of salt
How to Make Cashew Cream
Soak. For the creamiest texture, soak your cashews in a bowl of water for at least 2 hours (see the helpful tips section).
Rinse. Drain and rinse your cashews before adding to the base of your blender along with fresh water and a tiny pinch of salt.
Blend. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Depending on the power of your blender, you may need to scrape down the sides or use the tamper (if your blender has one) to get it completely smooth.
Helpful Tips
- Soaking the cashews. If you don’t have a high powered blender, you’ll need to soak the cashews in water overnight in the fridge to get them soft enough to blend them (and also to not wear out the motor of your blender).
- Do you need a blender to make this? A blender will yield the creamiest results, but you can also make this in a food processor just make sure to scrape down the sides in between processing so that it gets as creamy as possible.
- Storing the cashew cream. Store in a glass jar or container in the fridge for no more than 1 week.
- Freezing instructions. The easiest way to freeze the cream is to store it in a silicone tray. Then when you’re ready to use, pop them out and defrost overnight in the fridge or throw into something warm (like roasted tomato soup) to use right away.
What to Make With Cashew Cream
- Creamy Chicken Corn Chowder
- Sweeten it and put on top of Blueberry Peach Cobbler or Oat Flour Crepes
- Creamy Cauliflower Mash (use instead of milk)
- Serve with Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Add some garlic and onion powder for an easy dairy-free Alfredo sauce
- Use any way you’d typically use traditional cream
Please let me know how your cashew cream turns out in the comments!
Easy Homemade Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked, drained, and rinsed
- ¾ cup filtered water
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Soak. Soak your cashews in a bowl of water for at least 2 hours (see notes below).
- Rinse. Drain and rinse your cashews before adding to the base of your blender along with fresh water and a tiny pinch of salt.
- Blend. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Depending on the power of your blender, you may need to scrape down the sides or use the tamper (if your blender has one) to get it completely smooth.
- Makes 1½ cups of cashew cream.
Notes
- Soaking the cashews. If you don’t have a high powered blender, you’ll need to soak the cashews in water overnight in the fridge to get them soft enough to blend them (and also to not wear out the motor of your blender).
- Do you need a blender to make this? A blender will yield the creamiest results, but you can also make this in a food processor just make sure to scrape down the sides in between processing so that it gets as creamy as possible.
- Storing the cashew cream. Store in a glass jar or container in the fridge for no more than 1 week.
- Freezing instructions. The easiest way to freeze the cream is to store it in a silicone tray. Then when you’re ready to use, pop them out and defrost overnight in the fridge.
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