How to make your own cashew cream at home, completely vegan and soy free!
So why make your own cashew cream?
Cashew cream is a wonderful and versatile plant-based alternative to heavy cream that can be used as a topping for fresh berries, sliced peaches, or even my Crustless Pumpkin Pie.
It also makes a fabulous coconut-free base for ice cream or chocolate mousse, or you can use it to thicken soups, smoothies, or for making the creamiest alfredo sauce of your life.
Of course, you can also thin it out to use as cashew milk… or even drink the thick cream.
I know I can’t be the only child who used to love drinking straight-up heavy cream from the carton.
NO dairy / NO soy / NO gluten / NO coconut / NO eggs
The cream takes on the flavor of whatever ingredients you use to season it.
Try garlic, salt, onion, and a little turmeric for a savory cashew cream sauce.
Or add some stevia, maple syrup, sugar of choice, or even an overripe banana for a sweeter sauce or dessert topping or mousse.
My sister has a really good ice cream recipe that uses dairy heavy cream, and I’ve been meaning to try replacing the cream in her recipe with this homemade cashew cream recipe.
Or you can use it to make the best Vegan Mac And Cheese!
The first time I ever tried making cashew cream was actually in a savory recipe, after I’d had the best alfredo sauce of my life at a vegan restaurant in New York City.
Since then, I’ve used the cream mostly for pie recipes, but I also really like it on top of freshly-sliced peaches in the summertime.
So so good! I’m sure many people have their own tweaked method and recipe for homemade cashew cream. What follows is my method for how to make cashew cream.
If you can’t find raw cashews, raw macadamia nuts are equally delicious here.
How To Make Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews or macadamia nuts (120g)
- 1/3 cup to 3/4 cup water depending on how thick you want your cream (For homemade cashew milk, use 3 cups water)
Instructions
- In a bowl, cover the cashews with water and let sit at least 3 hours (no longer than 8). Drain completely, then combine the drained cashews with the water and blend until very smooth (a full minute in a Vita-Mix, or much longer in a food processor, making sure to scrape down the sides occasionally). For a sweet cream, add pure vanilla extract, salt, and sweetener (if using 3/4c water, add 1/8 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Also add 1-2 tbsp sugar or maple syrup, or a pinch of stevia, or a few dates.) For a savory vegan cream, add a little salt and perhaps some lemon juice, miso, fresh or dried herbs, etc. This recipe lasts 3-4 days in the fridge, or it can be frozen. Makes up to 1 1/2 cups cashew cream.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
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I really look forward to trying this.
And I also had a question. I’ve looked around on your site, and for a lot of recipes, there’s a nut required for it. There’s a few that I’d like to try and make for family gatherings, but my cousins are both allergic to nuts. I didn’t see any substitutes, but I was wondering if there was any?
yeah, every other type of cream ever
Thanks for reading to notice that I wasn’t asking about this specific recipe.
Hi Bryanna,
It really depends on the recipe.
You mentioned not letting the nuts soak longer than 8 hours, and I have always wondered about this… I have read that you can soak cashews longer than macadamias, but not as long as almonds and it seemed rather odd. Is there a point at which the nuts break down, or do they just start to spoil and grow bacteria? Does using filtered water, which I have seen in recipes calling for soaked nuts make a difference?
Thanks!
No idea about the filtered water. I just think they start to taste rancid/odd if soaked too long.
Heck yes! I love cashew cream sweetened a bit and poured over pancakes. Yes POURED. I devour it. SO GOOD! Probably one of the coolest things to make.. and most delicious… and easiest… I gotta go make some right now! haha 🙂
I’ve never tried anything like this, but I think I will. I do have one question, though. In the recipe it says: ” Drain, then combine the drained cashews with the water and blend until very smooth.” So you drain it, but reserve the water, then combine the nuts with the water again and blend? Maybe I’m being dense, but why drain the cashews if you are just going to put them back together again?
I think you use fresh water when blending, the initial water is however much you need to cover them to soak, then you discard that (good for plants I believe) and then when in the blender add 1/3 – 3/4C depending on how thick you want the cream.
I drained the water into a measuring cup and reused it. I added small amounts back in based on how thick i wanted the cream. My first time making it and I used an immersion blender. Different but still yummy. I am far from vegan but love to try all sorts of healthy recipes. 🙂 Thanks Katie!
When you soak nuts, they release enzyme inhibitors into the water. Because the enzyme inhibitors inhibit digestion and absorption of nutrients, you wouldn’t want to reuse the water. Some people choose to soak and then dehydrate all nuts and seeds. You can buy nuts, nut butters, and etc that have been de-enzyme inhibitorized for you.
“Raw” cashews aren’t really raw. They have to be heated/boiled to get them edible; raw cashews are not roasted with salt and added oils.
I’ve made ice cream with just cashews, dates, cocoa and water before and it turned out (surprisingly) amazing. Give it a go!
Wow! I never knew cashews could do this! Do you think it would work in a normal blender??? I bet you could make ice cream with this too!!
I really don’t know :-?.
I made it in my food processor and had to blend forever, literally a total of like 40 minutes on and off. It was super yummy, but I think I still never got as creamy a texture as I could have with a Vitamix. Maybe soaking longer could have helped. I soaked for about 4 hours only. Oh Vitamix…one day I will have you in my life…
Have made ice cream with it! Works great!
A word to the wise – never attempt to freeze this stuff! I had some leftover and stuck it in the freezer, then pulled it out and used it in a soup, which totally tasted like it had sand in it.
We always make a version of this for desserts at special occasions. If you chill the cream overnight you can whip it up almost like whipped cream. It’s the perfect alternative for my lactose intolerant brother.
your blog is about food — your personal thoughts are just that, personal — no need to apologize
Love the idea- what a coincidence, I was recently attempting to make a healthier thickened cream also 🙂