Easy step by step guide to making the creamiest dreamiest homemade cashew milk. Wonderful in tea and coffee or over cereal or just to drink as is.
Making your own homemade nut milks is a valuable life skill. Even though buying non-dairy milks is super easy these days (and thank goodness for that), there’s something very satisfying about making your own.
You can just sort of sit there smiling smugly to yourself, knowing that you can make your own. Anytime you want.
And while the stuff you buy at the store is pretty darn fabulous, there is something a little extra special about the homemade variety.
And then….cashew milk in particular? Well…it’s one of the best tasting plant milks ever.
I remember the days of drinking cows milk and then contemplating switching to plant milks and trying out soy milk for the first time. I remember thinking ‘oh geez now this is going to be an acquired taste’.
I definitely DID acquire the taste and now I love it, but if someone is new to non dairy milks or you just want to try them on a plant milk then cashew milk, especially the homemade variety, is just so darn tasty it’s probably the easiest one to transition to.
It’s also closest to dairy milk in the way that it tastes in tea and coffee. It is also very white so it lightens tea and coffee in the same way that dairy milk does, so that’s another familiar thing for someone who is trying out plant milks for the first time.
The best thing about making your own cashew milk is you get to make it as creamy as you want. And this cashew milk is super creamy. You’re going to be looking for ways to use it up so you don’t waste a drop.
And if you love making homemade milks then you’ll also love our oat milk and almond milk recipes.
How To Make Cashew Milk
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
The main thing to remember is to put the raw cashews on to soak for an hour before you can start making this. So put the cashews in a bowl, pour boiling water from the kettle over them until they’re completely covered and then just leave them for an hour.
After an hour, drain them, add them to the blender with some fresh water, maple syrup, vanilla extract and salt.
Blend super well until it’s creamy frothy smooth cashew milk.
How To Use Cashew Milk
It replaces dairy milk perfectly in tea and coffee. While we had a batch of this in the fridge I must confess to drinking much more coffee than usual! It’s very creamy and most closely matches dairy milk when used in coffee in terms of taste and color. It’s like a full cream milk in that respect.
It’s also delicious in hot chocolate and divine with cereal too. It’s also really good tasting to just drink as is.
Recipe Tips
It thickens when heated. It can be added to hot drinks without any problem, but it does thicken when heated. I tried it with our recipe for vegan hot chocolate and while heating on the stove it thickened up quite a bit. So it is best to add it to a hot drink, don’t heat it up with the hot drink.
We use cashews for thickening all the time, in recipes like our vegan korma and our vegan scalloped potatoes and vegan mushroom stroganoff.
Thin it out before using it in baking. Because of the thickening effect mentioned above, it would be best to thin it out before using it in baking. I would thin it out by half. So if the recipe calls for a cup of non-dairy milk, then I would use ½ cup cashew milk mixed with ½ cup water.
If you’re using a store-bought variety of cashew milk then this won’t apply, as the store-bought varieties are usually quite thinned out already.
Cashew Milk Q&A
What does cashew milk taste like? It tastes wonderfully creamy with a very neutral flavor profile. It’s closest to a full cream milk or dairy cream in taste and texture of all the plant milks I’ve tasted.
What is the difference between homemade cashew milk and store-bought? Store-bought varieties tend to be much thinner and less creamy. When it comes to real deliciousness, you can’t beat homemade.
What is the difference between cashew milk and cashew cream? While this milk is seriously creamy, when I make cashew cream I make it much thicker. Check out our recipe for cashew cream. And when I make a cashew base for use in vegan ice cream, I also make it seriously thick, check out our cashew ice cream recipe.
Storing and Freezing
It keeps for around 3-5 days in the fridge. I have had it last only 3 days and then also had it last 5 days! Not sure what the difference was. But ideally you want to drink it within 3 days for the best taste results.
It does separate in the fridge and this is totally normal, just shake it up and carry on.
It also freezes well. You can freeze it in ice cube trays for an easy way to pop them out and use in your coffee, or freeze it any way you usually like to freeze milk.
More Delicious Cashew Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Cashew Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g) soaked for 1 hour in hot water
- 3 cups Fresh Water (720ml)
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Add the soaked cashew nuts to the blender with the 3 cups of water, maple syrup, vanilla and salt.
- Blend very well until completely smooth. You don’t need to strain this milk as it blends completely smooth. If it is still a little gritty then just blend it for longer.
- Place into a glass container with a lid and keep refrigerated where it will keep for around 3-5 days.
- Use in smoothies, over cereal, in tea and coffee, and just drink it as is.
Video
Notes
- To soak the cashews, add them to a bowl and then pour over boiling water from the kettle. Leave them to soak for 1 hour and then drain and add to the blender.
- Prep time includes the time spent soaking the cashews.
- This recipe makes around 3 ½ cups of cashew milk.
would this work well in savory dishes like mashed potatoes? or would the maple syrup/ vanilla make it to sweet?
I’m wanting a versatile milk alternative to use a both a thicker ‘milk’ in my coffee but also in dishes that may not warrant a sweet taste.
A fast, superior plant milk recipe for my tea/coffee etc. Great you don’t have to strain the milk. Wish I’d made this version years ago. I added a few sunflower seeds into the mix for extra creaminess. Many thanks. 🙂
I made it without soaking the cashews using a Vitamix and it turned out great. Would soaking make it creamier/smoother?
So glad it worked out great! It generally does make it come out smoother if you soak them first.
Hi Alison
I made this today and it is lovely, thank you for the recipe. I have been making my own oat milk for the last year or so and wanted a change, I wasn’t disappointed. I ❤️ it.
So happy to hear it Jane! Thanks for the awesome review!
Is it OK to leave the nuts soaking in the fridge for more than 1 hour before changing the water and making the milk?
Yes, it’s fine, but don’t leave it longer than a day. 🙂
Hi Allison,
I was wondering if there is any flavor lost if using roasted / unsalted cashew nuts instead of raw?
Thank you for another simple but great recipe!
I think there would just be a roasted flavor to the milk but that’s the only thing that would be different. 🙂
As an avid English Breakfast tea drinker, I have been finding the transition to being vegan hard, because I haven’t been able to find a milk alternative… until today! I can’t describe how happy this has made me. I am so grateful for you sharing this awesome recipe. Thank you ????
Awesome! So happy to hear that Hannah!