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 don’t know if whipping this with egg beaters or a kitchenaid mixer would work, but I do have an iSi cream whipper that uses those tiny canisters of Nitrous (i think) that might work. I’m a little afraid to try because it might ruin the cashew cream AND use up one of the canisters! I don’t really want to buy new canisters because i don’t whip cream very often any more…but great recipe! Probably going to put it on some fresh strawberries i have
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I made this last night and it was ah-mazing! My husband is lactose intolerant, so when I saw that I could possibly make a dessert that had “whipped cream” that he could actually eat, I just HAD to try it out. I was in awe! This was fabulous. I’m excited to try it on the savory side… I haven’t been able to make fettuccine Alfredo for yeeeeears, and I think this would be perfect!
Hey! Katie, you are seriously SO inspirational. I Love all that you post. I am a health food freak and really would love to have a blog like this someday. I just started one (Kissmyassparagus.tumblr.com). I love ALL your recipes. Never stop what you do !!! XOXO
Hey Katie! All of your posts are amazing! You are SO inspiring. I am a health food nut and I love your site! I just started my own (Kissmyassparagus.tumblr.com) and I hope to make mine awesome! Never stop doing what you do! XOXO
I have a question, just to be clear, when I put the cashews and water in the food processor, am I supposed to use the water that I soaked them in, or fresh water? Thanks!
fresh
This is so good! For those wanting whipped cream, like a cool whip type, I also tried this
http://magicjelly.com.au/blog/2012/07/vegan-whipped-cream/
It took a bit of work, but it is so good.
I also used raw cashew pieces and soaked them overnight, it make getting them smooth a little easier.
I am using it on your chocolate pecan pie tonight! 🙂
Oh my…this is soooooooo delicious. Warm, straight out of the blender, it tastes like a delicious and difficult-to-make sauce. I imagine cold it will taste even better, like an ice cream that has melted a little. (I’m using it as a sauce over fresh berries for dessert.) I will never look at cashews the same way again (which was as the dry, semi-boring nut I tolerated in otherwise delicious nut mixes!) Btw, I used 4 cups of nuts, 2 cups of water and agave instead of grain sugar. By lessening the water, I left room for the liquid sweetener, and it worked great. The cream is thick but pourable. Perfect consistency!
So my friend is dairy free and ive been meaning to make her a cheese cake … i’ve learnt you can use dairy free milk to make ricotta – but can you use cashew/macadamia cream in either a baked or an unbaked cheesecake?
thanks xxx
I thought my blender wouldn’t be able to handle it, but it this recipe turned out great. Ultra creamy and smooth. Now I want to make more for some home made ice cream! 🙂
Well, now, that’s really old,… this recipe, or idea, has been published on a bunch of other vegan or raw food blogs before. Why not something new? Honestly, Katie, I know you do have better ideas than this!
well, everyone who follows katie and sees this recipe but not on another website still got a lot out of it!