Description
Use this versatile, basic cashew cream as a replacement for heavy cream and yogurt in soups, pastas and sauces. It can also be blended into mashed potatoes, drizzled over oatmeal, berries, soup and roasted veggies or used to make vegan mayo and sour cream.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 8 hours
- 1/2 – 1 cup water (see notes)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- optional: 1 tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
For Sweet Cashew Cream
- 1–2 tbsp maple syrup or 3–5 soft, pitted dates
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- experiment with spices like cardamom, ginger and cinnamon
For Savory Cashew Cream
- 1–2 cloves garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- experiment with fresh and dried herbs like paprika, cumin, cilantro, dill and ground pepper
Instructions
- Place cashews in a bowl, cover with water and soak at least 8 hours at room temperature. Drain and rinse.
- Add the cashews to a high-speed blender with 1/2 cup of water and the sea salt. Start blending on low and slowly increase the speed. Stop to scrape down the sides as needed and continue blending until it’s completely smooth and creamy, adding more water as necessary to reach your desired consistency. It will thicken further when chilled and can always be thinned later with additional water.
- Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
Notes
For a thick, spreadable dip consistency (good for mayo or sour cream), use 1/2-3/4 cup water. For a heavy cream replacement use 3/4-1 cup water. For half-and-half consistency, you may need up to 1 1/2-2 cups water. For cashew milk, add up t to 4 cups water. I find the amount of water needed depends on the quality of the cashews and how long they were soaked. I’ve used up to 2 cups of water and still had it be quite thick.
See posts for notes on soaking and additional flavour variations.
Nutrition facts are for if you use 3/4 cup water, which makes just over 1 cup.
If it’s too thick after sitting in the fridge simple re-blend with additional water.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tbsp
- Calories: 44
- Sugar: 0.4 g
- Sodium: 1.2 mg
- Fat: 3.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.5 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1.2 g