I am not vegan, but I make this Cashew Cream almost every other week. Why? Because it taste so good!! You do not need to be vegan to make this Cashew Cream, make this just because it is delicious. I’ve seen and heard about this Cashew Cream quite a lot of times and I would lie if I say I was not even curious. My curiosity drove me to finally give this a try, and oh boy! Now I get it why vegan or non-vegan people are crazy about this Cashew Cream. It is creamy, smooth and so easy to make and budget friendly too. You can make this every week and not break your budget. It is so versatile, you can use it in several ways and you can easily make variations. It is like a blank (delicious) canvass waiting for you to splash some color into it. So what are you waiting for? Get your pen (or phone) and put this in your to do list.

About This Recipe

• Ease in Making the Recipe: This recipe is so easy to make, once the cashew has been soaked, you only need 3 -5 minutes to make it. The soaking process is at least 2 hrs to soften the cashew, or you can leave the cashew soaking overnight which is what I always do so I don’t have to wait for it. I’ll go to bed and the following day I can immediately use it. The only thing I have to point out is that you will need a food processor or a high speed blender to make this recipe. You need high speed to produce a creamy, smooth sauce. Once the cashew has been soaked, the blender will do the remaining of the job for you. Simply put all the ingredients in the blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. You can even make different flavors and variations.
• Ingredients: This is a good starting base to make variations. You only need 3 ingredients to start with. Soaked raw cashew, water and salt. From this you can make different variations, I added garlic to make to make it a creamy garlic cashew sauce. If you are not into garlic, check out below my other variation recommendations.
• Texture, Taste & Flavor: Smooth, lusciously creamy and flavorful. I love the addition of garlic and black pepper to the sauce. The consistency is not too thick or thin, just perfect for use in salad or rice bowl.
• Make-Ahead: The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days. The sauce will thicken as it sits in the refrigerator. If you find it get too thick for the intended use, simply add a bit of water or even lemon juice then stir.

Where to Use Cashew Cream

You can use Cashew Cream in different ways for different food, it taste so good that you would want to put this on everything you can put this on.

• for salad to replace heavy cream based dressing
• for tortilla wrap
• for buddha bowl
• for avocado toast
• for fruits, veggie and chip dips
• for pizza dressing. Yes, I love adding drizzle of cream base creamy dressing on my pizza the likes of ranch dressing, but now this is my new favorite one to use
• pasta sauce
• on top of sweet or savory Oatmeal
• pancake, waffle, french toast

These are just some ways I used it, I am pretty sure you can find other delicious creative ways to use it. Do share it in the comment, I love trying new things.

Ingredients for Creamy Garlic Cashew Sauce

• Cashew – use only raw Cashew, never roasted or toasted. Raw cashew are moist and creamy when puréed. Make sure to soak the Cashew so if soften, this helps in breaking it down easily and it produce a smooth and creamy sauce
• Water – Because this is a basic variation, I only used water for the liquid part. Liquid is key to breakdown the Cashew into a creamy sauce
• Salt – This is a MUST. We are making a sauce not Cashew milk so we need this sauce to have a nice taste (not bland). Adjust the amount to your preference.
• 1 clove Garlic – This is optional. If you do not like garlic, feel free to replace it with other flavoring. Fresh herbs are great addition too.

How to Make Cashew Cream Sauce

Start with the key step, that is soaking the Cashew nuts. This is a MUST. If you don’t have much time to wait, soak it in hot water for 2 hrs. I highly recommend soak it in room temperature water and just leave it overnight. I find this make ahead step better as you are not pressure to wait for it while it soak. You can immediately use it the following day.

Once the Cashew has been soak, rinse it and transfer in the blender along with water, salt, garlic and black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy. The consistency of this is best for salad, flatbread and pizza dressing, or rice/veggie bowls. If you want some hint thicker and spreadable, reduce the water to 1/2 cup, making the ratio 1:1 (1 part milk to 1 part water). Remember, the ratio of water to cashew depends on what you intent to use the cashew cream for. The thicker you want, the less water you need to add.

Variations:

By simply adding few extra ingredients, you can make different variations. Experiment and enjoy. Here are few suggestions to start with

• Pesto Cashew Cream – simply add any type of pesto once the cashew cream had been pureed. I like to add it at the end and do some few pulses to mix it in. About 1 tablespoon is good, add more or less depending on the consistency you are aiming for.
• Cheesy Cashew Cream – Add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• Cinnamon Vanilla Cashew Cream – 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon powder (more if you want stronger flavor or less if you want subtle flavor), 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup. This is a sweet cashew variation, feel free to use other sweetener of your choice and adjust the sweetness level to your liking
• Sriracha Cashew Cream – 1 teaspoon sriracha. Adjust according to your spice tolerance
• Herby Cashew Cream – 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried Rosemary or Italian Seasoning
• Chocolate Cashew Cream – remove the garlic in the recipe, add 1 – 2 tablespoon melted chocolate. This variation is great for pancake, french toast, waffle or for fruit dip
• Sesame Tahini Cashew Cream – 1 tablespoon tahini sauce, 1/2 teaspoon toasted white sesame seed

Success Tips in Making Cashew Cream Sauce

1. Soak the Cashew – There is no getting out of this. Soaking is a MUST to produce a creamy sauce. Soak in hot water for 2 hrs or leave overnight and soak in room temperature water.
2. Make Variations – Treat this as a blank canvass and make your own variations. This makes it more fun and something that you will look forward to using on your food.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw Cashew (soaked overnight)
• 3/4 – 1 cup Water
• 1/4 teaspoon table Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 clove Garlic

Instructions:

1. Place cashews in a bowl. Cover with hot water and soak for about 2 hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
   • Alternatively, use room temperature water and leave soaking overnight. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
2. Place soaked cashews in the bowl of a food processor or blender with the water, garlic, black pepper and salt. Puree until very, very smooth. Thin out with more water to desired consistency or use less water for a thicker spreadable sauce.
3. Transfer in an air tight container and store in fridge for 3-4 days.
4. Use for salad, rice/veggie bowl, pizza/flatbread dressing, light pasta sauce

Recipe Notes:

• Simply add more water to thin out the consistency. Adjust the liquid to adjust thickness consistency
• Make variations by simply adding fresh herbs like Cilantro, Rosemary,Basil. You can also add homemade pesto, sriracha sauce for a spicy spin, dash of turmeric, nutritional yeast for a “cheesy’ twist. Be creative and enjoy 🙂

Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information was calculated using Veryfitwell Recipe Calorie and Nutrition Calculator. For details about Nutritional Information in this website, please read the Disclaimer page.

My Latest Video

Click the item to get the full recipe

Featured Posts:

• Homemade Tzatziki
• Turmeric Spiced Hummus
• Red Bell Pepper Hummus
• Vegan Coconut Caramel Sauce
• Avocado and Cilantro Hummus
• Classic Chickpea Hummus
• Peanut Garlic Dipping Sauce
• Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing
• Strawberry Poppy Seed Dressing

Thank You for visiting my website. Please don’t forget to click the “Like” button below if you like this recipe. Lastly, did you know that I have a YouTube Channel? Please support my channel by clicking on the “Subscribe” button in my video and the “Bell” icon to get notification of new videos.

FOLLOW SWEETNSPICYLIVING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube