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Today we are talking all about our favorite dairy replacement that mimics heavy cream: Cashew Cream! We’re going to talk all about How to Make Cashew Cream because it’s simple to make, has a neutral flavor that compliments most anything it is used with and truly results in making a dish creamy without adding any dairy! It’s compliant with many diets including Keto, Paleo, Whole30 and we guarantee it’s going to be your new favorite dairy-free swap.
How to Make Cashew Cream
It’s a new year and we are launching a new “How-To Wednesday” series. For this series we want to highlight some recipes or tricks that we think will be helpful in maintaining cleaner and healthier eating habits, whether you are a seasoned pro or just starting off your journey. And we are super excited about our first post How to Make Cashew Cream! We recently published a dairy free Creamy Tuscan Chicken that uses cashew cream and we got so many questions and excited responses from this recipe that we felt we should dedicate a whole post on How To Make Cashew Cream because we are as equally as excited about it!
Cashew cream is simply soaked cashews that are blended until they are smooth and creamy. It’s a great replacement for heavy cream or in some recipes cream cheese. It can be used for both savory or sweet recipes but also it’s just kind of delicious!
How do I make cashew cream?
Simply soak raw unsalted cashews in water. We have directions for a quick version where you boil the nuts and soak for 1 hour or an easy overnight version. Drain and blend with a bit of water until it’s reached your desired consistency. You may have to scrape down the sides of the blender basin a few times, but it works in both a standard cheap blender or a high-speed blender as well.
What can I use cashew cream for?
- Any recipe that calls for heavy cream
- Cookie Dough Bars
- Green Bean Casserole
- Creamy Potato Chowder
- Easy Lobster Bisque
- Creamy Pasta Sauce
- Salad Dressing
- Coffee Creamer
- Ice Cream
- Queso Dip
- Cheesecakes
How long will cashew cream last?
We stored ours for about a week in the refrigerator. If any liquid forms on the top of the stored cashew cream just go ahead and stir together before using. You can also freeze cashew cream as well for about 3 months. When ready to use thaw in the refrigerator overnight and briefly place back in the blender before using.
Watch the video:
If you like this How-To recipe, check out these others:
- How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
- How To Make Cold Brew Iced Coffee
- How to Make a Lettuce Wrap Sandwich
- How to Make Chicken Broth
- How to Make a Charcuterie Board
How to Make Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- water
- pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
Quick method:
- Place cashews in a small pot and add enough water to cover by 1".
- Bring cashews to a boil, cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 1 hour.
- There may be a blue-ish film on cashews. Drain water and rinse cashews and place in the basin of a blender with a small pinch of salt.
- Blend using between ¼ cup water (for a high speed blender) or up to ½ cup water (for a traditional blender). You may need to scrape down the mixture several times. Start with 1/4 cup and increase the amount of water a bit at a time with the goal being to get the cashews to a creamy smooth consistency.
- Store in a container for about 1 week. Use in recipe that calls for half and half or cream!
Overnight cashew cream:
- Place cashews in a jar and cover with water by 1". Cover and place in the refrigerator to soak for 8-12 hours.
- Drain the cashews and place in the basin of a blender with a small pinch of salt.
- Blend using between ¼ cup water (for a high speed blender) to ½ cup water (for a traditional blender). You may need to scrape down the mixture several times. Start with 1/4 cup and increase the amount of water a bit at a time with the goal being to get the cashews to a creamy smooth consistency.
- Store in a container for about 1 week. Use in recipe that calls for half and half or cream!
Can other nuts be used, almonds or pecans? I don’t like cashews.
I have unsalted cashews – but they are roasted. Will that make a difference?
It very slightly alters the flavor, but I sometimes make them with the store-bought roasted ones too.
Love this cashew cream for making dairy free creamy recipes! I have struggled with making the cashew cream in a blender, I had to scrape down SO MANY times! Found it was much easier to make a triple batch, did not have to scrape down at all! I froze the leftovers in 1/4 cup servings in silicon muffin molds, took the molds off after freezing and stored the “pucks” in a ziplock in the freezer.
Is there a way to use the instant pot to make this?
We haven’t tried that!
My son is allergic to cashews. Is there another nut that I could substitute?
Hi Gina. Sorry, not for cashew cream. No other nuts work the same way that they do. Is there a specific recipe you were looking at using cashew cream for? We might be able to help you with substitutes for it. -Kelli
Could the cream be turned into butter? If so, how?
No, it cannot. Sorry!
Would you happen to know the carb count per serving? Thanks
This is amazing!! I made it in a food processor and needed to add a little extra water, mind blown!! Used it in LCK Creamy Tuscan Chicken and then used the left over for LCK Spinach Artichoke Dip, both were amazing!!
I just made Lexi’s cashew cream for Christmas as part of her green bean casserole recipe. I used 1/2 cup cashews soaked overnight then blended with 1/2 cup of water. I was at my parent’s’house and only had an immersion blender and the cup that comes with it. That worked perfectly! Since I too have an immersion blender at my house, this is the only way that I am going to blend cashew cream from now on!
Thanks so much!
I have a ton of salted cashews to use up… do you think it would be ok to use those? ? Maybe rinse them?
Hi Christy! Kelli here, part of the LCK team. You can use them if you are using it for savory purposes! Just omit the salt in whatever recipe or dish you are using, and add salt to taste if needed (though it likely won’t need it).
Ooooh! Can’t wait to try this creamy goodness!
Lexi,
I’ve made this before and it turned out amazing (Creamy Tuscan chicken for the win!)! Thank you! I see you mention using this as a queso- what would your recommendation be to add to the recipe in order to use as queso for regular dip-chips and queso?