Cashew cream is a simple vegan and dairy-free trick to make soups, sauces, and pastas creamy. Here’s how to make it, and all my favorite ways to use it!
Cashew cream is something I avoided for years. It’s too trendy, and it can’t be that good, I thought. Well I thought wrong, because after one taste I was sold! It’s not that eating it straight up is so amazing: there are just so many ways that you can use it to make plant based recipes creamy without using dairy.
This substance is basically non-dairy sour cream, mayo, heavy cream, and yogurt all in one. Here are all my tips for how to make cashew cream and the ways I love to use it.
5 Star Reader Review
“I was worried to try this because it seemed too simple, but I gave it a go (without even soaking the cashews) and it is delicious. This will be going into the bookmarks for sure!” -Lisa A.
What Does Cashew Cream Do?
Cashew cream is a creamy blend of soaked cashews and water. You can use this vegan sauce in all sorts of recipes as a non-dairy substitute for things like sour cream, heavy cream, yogurt, or mayonnaise. It’s what makes the creaminess in my popular Creamy Vegan Pasta Marinara and Wild Rice Soup.
If you want a vegan cream with a little firmer texture and a tangy flavor, you can try my Vegan Sour Cream. It’s got cashews and a little tofu to provide more body. But on the regular, I use cashew cream for most of these uses!
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need for this simple recipe are:
- Cashews: You can use raw or roasted cashews, but if possible buy unsalted nuts. If your cashews are salted, use about half the amount of salt called for and adjust the seasoning as needed. I also keep a stash for everything from cashew butter to vegan cashew pesto).
- Water or vegetable broth: Water makes a clean, neutral tasting flavor. Broth adds savory depth, which I love if I have it on hand (especially one of those small boxes).
- Kosher salt: This is what makes the flavor pop; I like using kosher salt because it salts gently and enhances the flavor.
How to Make Cashew Cream
The only “hard” part is remembering to soak the cashews at least 1 hour before you want to use them. Once that’s done, it comes together in minutes. Here’s what to do:
- Soak the cashews. Cover 1 cup cashews with water and soak at least 1 hour. (With a high-speed blender you can get away with 30 minutes; for the smoothest result, soak overnight.) You can also soak the cashews overnight.
- Blend. Add the drained cashews, ¾ cup water or broth, and salt to a blender. Blend on high until the mixture comes together, stopping and scraping as needed.
- Check the texture. Blend until it’s completely smooth with no graininess. Taste and adjust the salt to taste.
Blending Pro Tip
It is very helpful to have a high speed blender for this recipe! It blends up quickly and makes just the right creamy consistency of sauce. You can use a high quality standard blender, but you may want to soak your cashews for longer, even overnight, to get the correct consistency.
If you have a low-quality blender, this recipe probably won’t work well. It might be time to invest in a new blender!
My Favorite Ways To Use Cashew Cream
Here are some of my favorite ways to use cashew cream in recipes:
- Stir it into pasta: In my Creamy Vegan Pasta Marinara, it’s stirred in to make a creamy tomato sauce similar to a vodka sauce
- Make a vegan sauce: In my Refried Bean Tacos, you can use it as the base for the creamy chipotle sauce. Same concept for these Greek Nachos and Easy Vegan Tacos.
- Stir it into soups: My popular Wild Rice Soup and Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup recipes become magically creamy by stirring in soaked cashews and blending.
- Use it as vegan cheese: The cashew cream base is used for all sorts of vegan cheeses, like my famous Vegan Nacho Cheese.
- Use it as vegan sour cream: Dollop it onto Loaded Tater Tot Nachos or Vegetarian Chili.
- Use it as vegan mayo: My No Mayo Potato Salad uses a version it, or you can use it as a substitute in my Chickpea Salad Sandwich.
Storage Instructions
You can store cashew cream in a sealed container refrigerated for up to 1 week. It also freezes well: you can divide it into small containers and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge before using.
Dietary Notes
This cashew cream recipe is vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and refined sugar free.
Cashew Cream
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Cashew cream is a simple vegan and dairy-free trick to make soups, sauces, and pastas creamy. Here’s how to make it, and all my favorite ways to use it!
- Author: Sonja Overhiser
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Blended
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw or roasted cashews*
- ¾ cup water or vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak for at least 1 hour (or the very least, 30 minutes if you have a high speed blender). For preparation in advance, you can soak the cashews overnight, which is even better.
- Drain the cashews. Add the cashews, broth or water, and salt to a blender, then blend on high for 1 minute. Stop and scrape, then add additional liquid if necessary to come to a creamy consistency. Blend for several minutes until creamy and smooth. (Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for several months.)
Notes
*This recipe doesn’t call for salted cashews, but if that’s all you can find, add only half of the kosher salt when you first blend the sauce. Then add additional salt to taste.
from A Couple Cooks https://ift.tt/9b01Dl8
