Description

Make your own, quick and easy cashew cream with just a few ingredients—raw cashews, lemon juice, and your favorite additions—as a plant-based, vegan, gluten-free base to replace cheese, cream, sour cream, and more in cooking.

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups cashews, raw
1 cup water (plus more for soaking)
1 small lemon, juiced

Optional:

2 cloves garlic (for savory recipes)
Pinch sea salt and white pepper (for savory recipes)
1 tablespoon agave or coconut palm sugar (for sweet recipes)
1 teaspoon vanilla (for sweet recipes)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 3 hours. Or do the quick soak method by soaking for 15 minutes in boiling water.
Drain cashews.
Place cashews in blender or food processor with lemon juice, 1 cup fresh water, and optional ingredients as desired—depending on your preference for use in savory or sweet dishes.
Process cashews until very smooth. May have to pause and scrape down sides a few times. Texture should be thick and creamy.
Remove from blender and place in an airtight container. Chill for up to 5 days. Makes 3 cups (12 servings, ¼-cup each).

Notes

Use in place of cheese, sour cream, or cream cheese in pastas, casseroles, dips, desserts, and sauces. Excellent as a topping for salads and tacos. May add additional flavorings to suit recipes, such as herbs and green onions for salad dressings, and cinnamon for a sweet topping.

Prep Time: 5 minutes (plus 3 hours soaking time)
Category: Dip
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 126
Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 3 mg
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 4 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg