This vegan heavy cream substitute is so rich and creamy you won’t miss the dairy at all! Perfect for stirring into coffee, soups or curries.
This vegan heavy cream substitute tastes amazing. It has that perfect neutral flavor (that’s also rich and creamy to the max!) that goes with everything.
So if you’re a vegan or just trying to quit dairy, this is the perfect recipe.
It’s totally divine as a vegan coffee creamer or stirred into soups or curries. No one will even know the difference.
And if you love easy and delicious dairy-free substitutes, then check out our very popular vegan butter, our vegan buttermilk (perfect for baking!), vegan mascarpone and vegan whipped cream.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Vegan Heavy Cream:
Ingredient Notes
- Raw cashews – the cashews must be raw and plain so that they create that perfect neutral creamy flavor.
- Almond milk – or plain water both work great. We loved the pairing of almond milk with this as it really created a beautifully neutral flavor. However, you can also pair this with other non-dairy milks OR just plain water. Just keep in mind that certain non-dairy milks (like soy for example) may create an overall flavor that is less neutral.
How To Make Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
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.
- Add your cashews to a bowl. Pour over boiling hot water from the kettle until the cashews are totally submerged. Leave them to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain and rinse them.
- Add them to a blender along with almond milk (or water) and blend until very smooth. If you want a thinner consistency add more almond milk (or water) and blend again.
- And your heavy cream substitute is ready for use!
Need A Substitute For This Substitute?
Cashews tend to work best because they create a very neutral flavor profile, so it works with everything. However, if you’re allergic to cashews or can’t have them for any reason then these are some possible substitutes.
- Sunflower seeds: If you’re allergic to cashews then shelled sunflower seeds can also work. Soak them the same way you would soak the cashews.
- Blanched or slivered almonds: Soak them for a minimum of 1 hour in boiling hot water and use a high speed blender to blend it super smooth.
- Canned coconut cream: Canned, unsweetened coconut cream makes a perfect heavy cream substiute all by itself. We love it and use it all the time! However, if you don’t like the taste of coconut then it’s not a perfect option.
Want To Make Vegan Whipped Cream?
Unfortunately this heavy cream substitute does NOT whip at all. So it’s perfect for stirring into things, but it absolutely will not work for whipping.
For whipping cream I recommend our recipe for vegan whipped cream (using canned coconut cream).
For other great options for dairy-free whipped cream check out The Complete Guide to Dairy-Free & Vegan Whipped Cream from the folks at Go Dairy Free.
Storing and Freezing
Store it in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Give it a stir before using.
It is also freezer friendly for up to three months. It can look like it’s curdled as it thaws, but it’s actually fine! Just give it a quick blend in the blender again and it’s good to go.
More Delicious Cashew Based Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw Cashews (150g)
- 1 ¼ cups Unsweetened Almond Milk (300ml) or Water
Instructions
- Add your cashews to a bowl. Pour over boiling hot water from the kettle until the cashews are totally submerged. Leave them to soak for 15 minutes. Then drain and rinse them.
- Add them to your blender along with almond milk (or water) and blend until very smooth. If you want a thinner consistency add more almond milk (or water) and blend again.
- And your heavy cream substitute is ready for use!
Notes
- Raw cashews – the cashews must be raw and plain so that they create that perfect neutral creamy flavor.
- Almond milk – or plain water both work great. We loved the pairing of almond milk with this as it really created a beautifully neutral flavor. However, you can also pair this with other non-dairy milks OR just plain water. Just keep in mind that certain non-dairy milks (like soy for example) may create an overall flavor that is less neutral.
- Substitutes for cashews:
- Sunflower seeds: Shelled sunflower seeds can also work. Soak them the same way you would soak the cashews.
- Blanched or slivered almonds: Soak them for a minimum of 1 hour in boiling hot water and use a high speed blender to blend it super smooth.
- Whipped cream – unfortunately this will NOT work for making whipped cream. Check out our tutorial for vegan whipped cream (made from coconut cream).
- Storing: Store it in an airtight container or jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Give it a stir before using.
- Freezing: It is also freezer friendly for up to three months. It can look like it’s curdled as it thaws, but it’s actually fine! Just give it a quick blend in the blender again and it’s good to go.
I’m so happy that I found this recipe. It’s so simple and makes a great heavy cream substitute. My main use for this was Au Gratin potatoes. However, I’ve ended up using is several other recipes as well.
So glad to hear you enjoy the recipe Tracy! Thank you so much for your amazing review!
I needed heavy cream to make ganache for my daughter’s birthday cake. I used 1 1/4 cup extra creamy Oat milk and the smoothie cup and blade on my Ninja to blend it. It was still a little gritty but delicious (probably should have blended it longer)! My ganache was really thick – did not drizzle (next time I’ll add a little more Oat milk) but it was super delicious! I usually drink my coffee with heavy cream and though I’m not the one that’s dairy free I thought I’d try it. I didn’t care for it in my coffee. I think maybe if I couldn’t have real heavy cream I’d give it more of a try. Thank you for the great substitute. You saved my daughter’s birthday cake! the whole family loved it and they were shocked to hear it was cashews!
So glad it worked out well! Thanks for sharing and the great review Kathy!
Hi there – am all of a sudden allergic to tree nuts (this sucks bad!) so I am going to try this with the recommended sunflower seeds instead. My question is do I use the same amount of seeds as you would nuts?
Hi Cara, yes you would, but measure by volume (1 cup) and not by weight. All the best! 🙂
Hi!
Can this be used as a vegan heavy whipping cream or would that be a different recipe? I’m wanting to use it to make a vegan sugar cream pie.
Thank you
It definitely won’t whip. You can try our vegan whipped cream recipe instead. 🙂
Thank you, thank you!!! I do not drink coffee but wanted to have a warm drink in the mornings so I started drinking Dandy Blend. I NEED some sort of cream! I tried coconut cream, coconut milk, oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, everything. Nothing worked for me. Made this this morning and was very pleased! It taste good, is very smooth and creamy. It’s now evening and I’m drinking a second cup of Dandy Blend with this vegan heavy cream. Love it!
So happy to hear that Dana! Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review!
All the vegan recipes for milk or cheese, I’m allergic to all forms of nuts and the milk products of said nuts. What other options can I use ?
If you’re okay with sunflower seeds then that can be an option.
Maybe tiger nuts?
Pine nuts make a great substitute and only take a few minutes to soak. I buy them in bulk and add it to Vegan Mac and Cheese, it boosts protein and lowers the carbs per serving, still keep in mind your serving size (a cup or less) because it is delicious.
That’s great to know. Thanks so much for sharing John!
I can’t get over the simplicity of these cream recipes and with such effect! Sooo yummy!
I love this! I might try to use it for the base for a vegan alfredo sauce!
FABULOUS idea! Can’t wait to try it! I’m so excited that you’re not relying on coconut cream/milk for this.
Can I use it with hot black coffee? It won’t curdle? What’s the serving you’d suggest? 🙂
You can definitely use it in coffee! But sometimes the best way to do it is add the cream into your mug first and then the coffee, this merges the two in terms of temperature so that there is less chance of any curdling. We find this works GREAT in coffee.
Hi Allison,
I find with the Blend-Tec I don’t have to soak the cashews. Machine is a wonder. Is that the only reason you soak nuts?
Hi Deb, yes you can skip the soaking if you really don’t need it, powerful blenders often don’t require it. But since this is a short soak it does just make it blend incredibly easily and make it super super smooth!