• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Loving It Vegan

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » How To

    Simple Cashew Cream

    Published: Aug 16, 2021 Updated: Aug 16, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Cashew Cream

    This creamy cashew cream is great with absolutely everything! It’s the perfect substitute for dairy cream and can be used in a variety of dishes.

    Cashew cream in a turquoise and white ramekin with chopped chives on top. Half a lemon, cashews and chives are in the background.

    Cashew cream is simply incredible and can be used in a variety of ways. From topping your vegan chili to adding it as the base for your favorite mashed potatoes, this recipe is so versatile and so delicious.

    This is the basic version, the ‘classic’ version really, which is great because the flavor doesn’t clash with anything, it goes with everything!

    You can fancy it up with some crushed garlic or other spices, and fresh herbs for a savory version or add sweetness for a sweet version.

    Ingredients You’ll Need:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make cashew cream

    Ingredient Notes

    • Raw cashews – are ideal for this cashew cream. Roasted cashews would also work but they would add roasted flavor which may not be suitable, depending on how you want to use the cream.
    • Water – you can be flexible with the amount of water and add more water for a thinner consistency.
    • Lemon juice and salt – are both optional ingredients but make the cashew cream taste really good if you want to use it as a standalone thing.
    Cashew cream in a turquoise and white ramekin with chopped chives on top.

    How To Make Cashew Cream

    This simple recipe is ready in 5-minutes and is just a total breeze to prepare.

    If you have a powerful blender, like a Vitamix, you don’t even have to soak the cashews first. 

    You just add the cashews to the blender with some water, lemon juice and salt and blend!

    The lemon juice does add a tang and if you are wanting to create a perfect blank slate to replace dairy cream in a recipe, then you can leave out the lemon juice and the salt. I love using the lemon juice and salt when I want the cashew cream to be a standalone thing that tastes great as is. 

    Cashews in a blender with water, lemon juice and salt.
    Cashew Cream in a blender jug freshly blended.

    How To Use Cashew Cream

    • Use it to replace dairy-cream.
    • Put a dollop on top of savory dishes like chilis, stews or soups. You can also use it in cooking.
    • Use it as a pasta sauce. Add additional flavorings like black pepper, crushed garlic, hot sauce, nutritional yeast or fresh herbs.
    • Add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup and ½-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for a sweet cream.
    Cashew cream in a turquoise and white ramekin with chopped chives on top.

    Cashew Cream Q&A

    Do I have to soak the cashews first?

    If you have a strong blender like a Vitamix then no, you don’t have to soak the cashews first. I don’t usually soak the cashews for this recipe. But if you prefer the texture of soaked cashews or if you have a blender that is a weaker model then you can soak them for 15 minutes in hot water. Add the cashews to a bowl and pour over boiling water from the kettle and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain them and carry on with the recipe as normal. 

    How do I get the cashew cream really smooth?

    Even in a strong blender like a Vitamix (highly recommended) you need to blend it for a bit to get a smooth consistency. So it’s not a case of blending it as long as it takes for the ingredients to combine, you need to keep blending until it’s really smooth. So be patient, stop and scrape down the sides of the blender and then blend again. Then check the texture. When there is no graininess at all, then you know you’re done. 

    How to store it?

    Keep it stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.

    Can you freeze it?

    Yes you can! Freeze it and then let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then use as normal. 

    A spoonful of cashew cream.

    More Cashew Recipes

    1. Sliceable Cashew Cheese
    2. Cashew Cheese Sauce
    3. Vegan Cream Cheese
    4. Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
    5. Cashew Milk
    6. Vegan Sour Cream

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Cashew Cream in a blue and white dish.

    Cashew Cream

    This creamy and delicious cashew cream is great with absolutely everything! It’s the perfect substitute for dairy cream and can be used in a variety of dishes.
    4.93 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Gluten-Free, How To, Sides
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 1 cup
    Calories: 208kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
    • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice Optional
    • ½ cup Water (120ml)
    • ½ tsp Salt Optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add the cashews, lemon juice (if using) water and salt (if using) to the blender jug and blend until smooth.
    • The basic cream recipe is really just the cashews and water. If you want a thinner cream then use up to a ¼ cup more water. The lemon juice and salt add a tang and a little savory flavor, though it’s mild. It makes this stand out more as a standalone recipe ready to use as is. If you are really wanting just the blank slate recipe to use in another recipe or to closely match unflavored dairy cream, then start with just the cashews and water only.

    Video

    Notes

    1. You don’t have to soak the cashews first unless you have a weaker model blender. If you do want/need to soak them then you can place them in a bowl, pour over boiling water from the kettle and leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain and rinse and continue with the recipe. 
    2. If you want a thinner cream you can add more water for a thinner consistency. The consistency in this recipe as written, is for a fairly thick cream which is perfect to dollop on top of various dishes or serve as a sauce with pasta.
    3. The lemon juice adds a slight tang to this, which I love. But if you are wanting a more bland cream to be used in a recipe, you can omit the lemon juice for more of a ‘blank slate’ cream that is closer to a plain dairy cream.
    4. Optional additions to this recipe could be: crushed garlic, apple cider vinegar (for more of a sour cream), maple syrup for a sweeter cream, nutritional yeast (for cheesy flavor), hot sauce for spiciness, the options are endless!
    5. This recipe was first published in April 2018. It has been updated with extra tips but the recipe itself is unchanged. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve (¼ cup) | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.7g | Protein: 6.8g | Fat: 16.4g | Saturated Fat: 2.9g | Sodium: 299mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 2.3g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!
    « Vegan Cornbread Muffins
    Vegan Blueberry Waffles »
    3.1K shares

    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kristin Haskell says

      October 19, 2021 at 5:27 pm

      While I am not vegan, this sounds like an amazing versatile cream. I am trying to feed the family Whole Foods and healthier foods so I am thrilled about using this! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 20, 2021 at 10:52 am

        Thanks Kristin, hope you’ll love it when you try it! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Ken says

      August 16, 2021 at 5:59 pm

      Thanx for the recipe, Alison. Cashews are getting to be incredibly expensive here in Canada. Any tips on buying cashews at a relatively affordable price? For me, at their current price, they make great cashew recipes somewhat untenable.4 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 17, 2021 at 10:54 am

        Hi Ken, sorry to hear that they are getting so pricey. Slivered almonds or blanched almonds (soaked first) can also make a good non-dairy cream, though the texture is a little more coarse than with cashews.

        Reply
    3. Primroselil says

      August 16, 2021 at 4:11 pm

      I’ve made cashew cream for many years. I add apple jiuce instead of water, it makes the most delicious slightly sweet cream, perfect on crumble! I love all your recipes, thank you.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 17, 2021 at 10:54 am

        Oh that sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing!

        Reply
    4. Kat says

      August 01, 2021 at 5:14 pm

      Has anyone ever tried this with oats, or beans (what kind?) instead of cashews?
      Or a mix of both?

      Reply
    5. Amy says

      February 25, 2021 at 2:26 am

      Thank you! I have so many recipes I want to make that call for heavy cream and this worked out beautifully!5 stars

      Reply
      • Elaine says

        August 16, 2021 at 4:37 pm

        I’m wondering if I could use this as a sauce for an apple pizza (changing the salt for a good sugar and no lemon)? Any ideas ?

        Reply
        • Alison Andrews says

          August 17, 2021 at 10:54 am

          Sure, I think that could work great!

          Reply
    6. Marie says

      August 05, 2020 at 1:54 pm

      Just made the cashew cream and used it in the vegan mushroom sauce. It was yummy!!!

      Reply
    7. Kristen says

      May 01, 2020 at 10:33 pm

      Hi! I made this recipe and blended with an immersion blender. It looked great, last night. I shook it this morning and put a couple spoons into my coffee, and everything was fine until I got to the bottom of my coffee and discovered all this cashew sludge (not as gross as it sounds) at the bottom of my cup. Is this just what is to be expected since it’s made from cashews? Or should it really blend better than that? Does blending in a VitaMix really make that big of a difference in terms of consistency? Thank you in advance!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 03, 2020 at 9:51 am

        Hi Kristen, hmmm, I haven’t used this in coffee, but even plant milks can sometimes not mix super well in coffee and can cause curdling, so usually you want to add it first and then gradually add the coffee so that the plant milk comes to the temperature of the coffee and they mix well together. It could be something similar here.

        Reply
    8. Theresa says

      April 29, 2020 at 11:50 pm

      YUM! Perfect in the AMAZING Vegan Mushroom Sauce recipe! (I made it without the lemon juice.)5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 01, 2020 at 1:40 pm

        Awesome! Thanks Theresa!

        Reply
    9. Ann Francis says

      October 10, 2019 at 12:57 am

      Thank you first of all for all your wonderful delicious scrumptious recipes…delicious delicious delicious!!!
      So I made a sweet potato salad and I didn’t have my usual Kensington Vegan mayo I usually get from Whole Foods; so I made a half batch of this recipe and added onion powder garlic powder and mix in some dill. Sooo good!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 10, 2019 at 10:05 am

        So glad it worked out great! Thanks for sharing! So happy you like the recipes. 🙂

        Reply
      • Ally Gonzales says

        April 17, 2021 at 1:01 am

        I added a 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast to the recipe and three cloves of garlic ! It’s delicious!

        Reply
    10. Cheryl says

      April 07, 2019 at 1:40 am

      I just discovered this recipe and it is truly SIMPLE and DELICIOUS! It can be used for a wide variety of things – I use it as a dip for artichokes, drizzle on roasted veggies, salad dressing, and thin it out a bit for a creamy pasta sauce. I like to use apple cider vinegar if I don’t have lemon and other add-ins like fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, etc to make it the perfect fit with whatever I’m preparing. It’s also such a great source of WHOLE FOOD nutrients with no processed additives. Simply wonderful, thank you, Alison!5 stars

      Reply
      • Cheryl says

        April 07, 2019 at 1:42 am

        Oh, and soaking the cashews in warm water for an hour before blending makes all the creamy difference!

        Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 08, 2019 at 2:38 pm

        Awesome! Thanks so much for the great review, love all the uses for this recipe! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Kathy says

      February 06, 2019 at 4:06 pm

      Would a mini food processor work?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 07, 2019 at 11:58 am

        It won’t get super smooth, it will be more grainy. But it might work. It might be a good idea to start off with just the dry nuts and process until they are very finely chopped and only then add in the other ingredients, while the machine is running if possible. And then I’ve never actually used a mini food processor so I’m not sure how much that changes things, I have only got experience with a medium sized food processor. All the best!

        Reply
    12. Kim says

      January 21, 2019 at 8:26 pm

      Can you use this cream in a soup that calls for dairy cream? Would you use equal amounts?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 22, 2019 at 12:21 pm

        Hi Kim, you could, but you might want to thin it out a bit more if you’re using it that way, because dairy cream if it’s not whipped is quite runny. Cashew cream also has quite a thickening effect when added into something like a soup, so I would thin it out more and then use it in the same quantity as the dairy cream amount required. I usually use canned coconut cream to replace dairy cream in a soup, which is more of a similar consistency. All the best! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Anna Andrews says

      April 03, 2018 at 4:22 pm

      Superb sauce!5 stars

      Reply

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    Leave A Comment & Review Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Popular Posts

    • Vegan Tuna
    • The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese (Classic, Baked)
    • Vegan Burrito
    • Super Eggy Vegan Tofu Scramble
    • Sliceable Cashew Cheese
    • Homemade Vegan Butter

    Veganuary

    • Vegan Halloumi
    • Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
    • Vegan Stuffed Peppers
    • Vegan Granola
    • The Best Vegan Waffles
    • Vegan Salmon

    See all Veganuary Recipes →


    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    As Seen In

    Press logos black and white

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Contact

    • About
    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Loving It Vegan

    Get 10 fabulous dinner recipes!
    Absolutely free! Sign up below!
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!