This Cashew Cream is a great dairy free alternative to heavy cream. It's neutral in flavor and can be used in pasta sauces, soups and more!
Cashew cream is a quick and easy dairy free substitute for heavy cream. The flavor is neutral so it can be used in soups and other recipes as you would heavy cream or add herbs and seasonings to use as a sauce for pasta and more.
Try cashew cream in this soup recipe. Or use it as a topping for this taco salad or a dip for these quesadillas.
Ingredients
Cashew cream could not be easier to make - you need just 2 ingredients. Cashews and water, that's it!
- cashews
- water
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making cashew cream is really simple. The most important step is soaking the cashews to soften them enough to blend smooth.
Start by soaking cashews in very hot water for about 30 minutes if you have a high speed blender. If you don't have a high speed blender soak cashews overnight.
After soaking, drain the cashews and transfer to blender. Add fresh water.
Blend until very smooth stopping to scrap down sides of blender as needed.
Adjust the thickness by adding additional water, if desired.
Hint: You can adjust the thickness of the cream by reducing or adding water to achieve your desired consistency.
Substitutions
- Cashews - Instead of cashews use raw sunflower seeds for a nut free version. The flavor will be different.
Variations
- Herb - add fresh herbs such as cilantro, a pinch of salt and fresh lime juice for a bright sauce to drizzle over grain bowls.
- Cheesy - add 2-3 tablespoon nutritional yeast, a good pinch of salt and fresh lemon juice for a kid friendly sauce for pasta.
- Sweet - add 1-2 tablespoon maple syrup or blend with 1-2 dates and cinnamon or ginger to use with fresh berries, peaches or other fruit.
Equipment
You'll need a good blender, preferably a high speed one for this recipe. A food processor would also work if you don't have a blender.
Storage
Store leftover cashew cream in an air tight container in the fridge. Good for 3-4 days.
This cashew cream stands up well to freezing for up to a month.
Top tip
Cashews can be pricey so to save look for cashew pieces as they are typical cheaper than whole nuts.
FAQ
Cashews offer protein as well as healthy fats and iron and magnesium while heavy cream is high in saturated fats which is associated with a risk of higher cholesterol.
Yes! This cashew cream can be used in many of the same applications as heavy cream.
Cashews are a great source of healthy fats and decent source of protein making them a healthy option for many.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with cashew cream:
This Cashew Cream is a great dairy free alternative to heavy cream. It's neutral in flavor and can be used in pasta sauces, soups and more!
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ½ -1 cup water
-
Soak cashews in very hot water for about 30 minutes if you have a high speed blender. If you don't have a high speed blender soak cashews overnight.
-
After soaking, drain the cashews and transfer to blender. Add up to 1 cup of fresh water.
-
Blend until very smooth stopping to scrap down sides of blender as needed.
-
Adjust the thickness by adding additional water, if desired.
-
If you want to make any of the variations listed in the post add those components and blend again to incorporate.
Variations
- Herb - add a small handful of fresh herbs such as cilantro, a pinch of salt and fresh lime juice for a bright sauce to drizzle over grain bowls.
- Cheesy - add 2-3 tablespoon nutritional yeast, a good pinch of salt and fresh lemon juice for a kid friendly sauce for pasta.
- Sweet - add 1-2 tablespoon maple syrup and a little cinnamon or ginger to use with fresh berries, peaches or other fruit.
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