Vanilla Cashew Cream
October 9, 2009
This vanilla cashew cream is really easy to make and is super rich and creamy. Use with desserts, baked goods, or in parfaits.
Vanilla Cashew Cream
This raw vegan vanilla cashew cream is creamy, delicious, and is awesome served with dairy-free desserts.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140g) raw unsalted cashews
- 1/2 cup (120ml) filtered water, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) natural vanilla extract
- Pinch of Celtic sea salt
Instructions
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If you are not using a high-speed blender, quick-soak your cashews by placing them in a small bowl, and covering them with boiling hot water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then drain, and discard the soaking liquid. (This will give you the smoothest texture.)
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Throw the drained cashews into your blender with the maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy. Tweak water and sweetener, to taste. You should have about 1 1/4 cups of cream.
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Transfer the mixture to a sealed container, and chill in the fridge for a few hours to thicken. It will keep in the fridge for about 5 days.
Recipe Notes
Yield: Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
Serving: 1 serving = 2 tablespoons.
Comments 82
I cannot believe how creamy this is. It is absolutely delicious.
I know! It is SO creamy and delicious!
This is a LIFESAVER for vegan and people with dairy intolerance! YUMMO!
Any thoughts on subbing Brazil nuts?
I just find Brazil nuts too bitter for this recipe, and they don’t get as rich and creamy. Also, because of the aflatoxins in Brazil nuts, they should be eaten very sparingly, so making a big batch of cream and eating a lot of them in one sitting is not advised.
Creamy, smooth & delish. Dipping fresh straberries & blueberries into this tasty treat . This is my 3rd week with my new raw vegan lifestyle &your; site has been such an adventurous gift on this journey so far. Thank you!
I am so pleased you are finding some of these recipes helpful as you begin your new vegan life. Let me know how you go with the other recipes.
Oh my oh my oh my! I doubled this because I have BIG pigs in the house. When this is gone (probably five minutes after they discover it), I’m trying the lemon cream!!!
Yes! It is hard to keep! The lemon cream goes beautifully with vegan cheesecake 🙂
Blender girl….I was just curious if you can freeze this and it will still be just as creamy once it thaws?
I froze a batch by accident (one corner of the fridge was colder than expected). When it thawed, the color had darkened slightly but it was just as creamy and tasty. Even frozen, it was about the consistency of a fudgsicle and tasted pretty good. Now I want to try making ice cream with it.
Note to non-vegans: unsweetened cashew cream mixed with a little grated Parmesan cheese and a touch of tomato paste makes an unbelievable pasta sauce.
Jolly,
I confess I have not frozen this mixture.
It never lasts that long! LOL!
I would imagine you might lose some of the consistency. But you might be able to blend it up again after defrosting to bring it back to life?
I want to get started on this raw vegan thing . . . thx
Yes….there is something in it…..
Even if you just do it a little bit….
ENJOY!
This is absolute heaven! It is so satisfying and the vanilla perfuming every single bit is glorious! I could eat a bowl of this all by itself!!!
Stace
We will be eating a LOT more of that cream!
Oink Oink 🙂
OMG!!! I never get tired of this. I used the higher quantity of water and added raw cacao powder: chocolate heaven!!
OH yeah baby!
Now you’re talking! YUMMMMO!
Chocolate Piggy Heaven indeed!
Thanks for your lovely feedback.
Oh my goodness, this just makes me so happy! One of my favorite recipes for sure!!! You are so awesome!!!
Oh….you are so lovely!
Thankyou! This recipe makes me happy too!
Love you xxx
I know! It is SOOO good! I could eat these right off of the spoon all day long! YUMMO!
Wonderful! YUMMMO!
Oh wonderful! Yes! It goes really well with the chocolate mousse 🙂
LOL! I Love it! Thanks for sharing Tammi 🙂
LOVE that chocolate hazelnut pie!
SO glad you enjoyed this 🙂
What if you’re allergic to cashews? 🙁
I’m highly allergic to peanuts, cashews & hazelnuts.
Is there any possible way to make an alternative almond cream?
Thanks
Yes Lila,
If you are not strictly raw, blanched almonds work beautifully in this recipe. If you are strictly raw, you can use use whole raw soaked almonds, or raw unsalted macadamias. YUM!
Just made this a few minutes ago and I have to say WOW! It’s so creamy and delicious! Far better than any dairy cream I had when I was omni. Thank you for sharing the recipe, it will be going on my christmas pudding tomorrow. Happy Holidays xx
So glad you enjoyed it Heather. I really love this recipe too, and it is SO good with Christmas pudding!
True all dat. While I am not a vegan by any longshot, I find vegan additions to my standard diet a good thing. I first learned of cashew cream from Fran Costigan’s vegan chocolate cookbook and now incorporate cashew cream whenever possible into my cooking when I feel the need for a good dairy substitute.
Not only sweet but savory, as well, adding it to soups or potato gratins is a no brainer.
I still often (no absolutes here) find vegans quite annoying, but vegan cuisine can excel and I love how promoting the lifestyle can be so good for health as well as the environment.
Chris, that is sad that you find vegans annoying. But, I am glad you enjoy some plant based foods.
how long does the cream last refrigerated … I made a very large batch!
It lasts for about 5 days.
I’ve kept it for a couple of weeks, tightly sealed in a very cold refrigerator, and it was just as good.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing Bob.
How thick can this cream get? Can you get it like dairy whipped cream?
Yes you can. The thickness depends on the amount of water you blend it with. It’s about as thick as a milkshake when it comes out of the blender, but thickens as it sets. I use it as pie topping and as a non-dairy coffee creamer. If you leave out the vanilla and maple syrup, and add some chopped herbs and a dash of cider vinegar or lemon juice instead, it also makes a terrific dip.
Thanks for sharing Bob. Rebekah. yes, add less water and chill in the fridge, and it is just like thick clotted cream. It’s great for topping baked goods or raw desserts.
I have made a few cashew creams and this one was the best by far and actually the easiest to make! Thanks for sharing! It will be a hit at Christmas lunch tomorrow 🙂 x
Awesome. Thanks so much Lisa.
Can this be used in a savory recipe to replace heavy cream? Such as a chowder? I can never get soy milk to get that creamy consistency I’m craving.
Yes. Remove the vanilla and the sweetener, and instead, add a splash of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and salt.
I would like to layer it with granola and berries to make a parfait. Is the consistency right, or should I decrease the amount of water?
You can absolutely use this for a parfait. I do it all the time. Reduce the water just a tad, and it thickens in the fridge. Enjoy 🙂
Made this tonight, used honey instead of maple syrup. Was yummy but it was also the tipping point that convinced me I need the smaller 32 oz container for my vita mix. I couldn’t get it smooth with my 64 oz container. Was a bit chippy.
Thanks for sharing your experience Mickey. Did you soak your cashews and use the tamper constantly? I use my 62 oz container on the 5200 machine. I find it does struggle with the 750 machine. That model doesn’t handle smaller quantities very well.
How long will this keep in the refrigerator? (That’s assuming that there will anything left after I make it and serve it once!)
LOL! Yes! Exactly. It keeps in the fridge for about 5 − 7 days.
Can I substitute the cashews for pecans? I’m not really a fan of the taste of cashews.
Yes! Maple pecan cream is utterly divine. Enjoy!
Great question, as I also love pecans but they are my 2nd favorite to cashews.
Yes, add water to your preference and add a bit more maple syrup for maple pecan cream. Just so so good!
Can you whip it?
No, it doesn’t really respond to whipping. Try whipping coconut milk for that result. Sorry.
Is there a way to make cashew cream by some other nuts (when vegan)? I am highly allergic to cashews.
You can make blanched almond cream, macadamia cream, or coconut cream by using coconut meat and coconut milk. It’s amazing.
… “make this cream with some other nuts”… sorry for the mistake.
I got you 🙂 See above.
I’m trying to cut on dairy and I am now sure I have to try the cashew cream, it looks so yummy! I’ll definitely try your recipe!
Great. Enjoy.
Hi there. I have just bought an ice cream maker and am looking for an alternative to coconut cream. Do you think this would be suitable and could the nuts be blended in a nutribullet after having been soaked. Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks
You can soak the cashews and blend them in a bullet. You won’t get the silky creamy consistency that you get with a high-speed blender. In terms of making cream, do you want to put the mixture in your ice-cream maker to make ice-cream or cream? To make cream, you don’t need to put the mixture in the ice-cream maker. Let me know so I can help you better. Thanks.
Karen, the Chocolate Hazelnut Pie is on the site here:
http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/gluten_free_dairy_free_chocolate_hazelnut_blender_pie
Hi, can u make this with almonds instead? I’m allergic to cashews 🙁
Thanks!
You can make almond cream, but it’s slightly more gritty than cashews. Use blanched slivered almonds in place of the cashews. You could also add a bit of full-fat coconut milk in place of the water to get a creamier result, too.
Hint for any other Ninja blender user: for the quantity in this recipe, use the single-serve smoothie cup, not the prep bowl or blender. 🙂
Thanks for sharing so other Ninja owners can benefit.
Thanks for sharing.
I can honestly say I LUV THIS CREAM ! I make it to go with any dessert and is always a winner. Thank you so much for this easy to make recipe and oh so enjoyable to eat. Last time I used a little lemon zest and sum lemon juice and m partner and I luved it, also I used coconut nectre to sweeten, it tasted like cheesecake, so so good
Fantastic. I’m so glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing your tweaks. Yes! Lemon juice and zest in this cream is deelish!
I wonder if I can substitute it for full-fat coconut milk. My stomach has a strange relationship with coconut — some products are ok, like coconut oil and even shaved coconut. But coconut milk, not so much. Think I could use a thin version of cashew cream as a sub for coconut milk in a smoothie?
thx
Oh, cashew cream is so so delicious in smoothies. But know that cashews are acid- and fungus-forming, and should be eaten in moderation.
I’d like to know if you have ever replaced eggs in baking with thick cashew cream? I’m having loads of problems with gumminess from using the golden flax seed meal so I was wondering if using a straight 1 – 1 substitute for eggs?
Sorry, I’ve not had success using cashew cream as an egg replacer. Try chia eggs, mashed banana, applesauce, or pumpkin puree as an egg replacer. They all work really well.
Why Celtic sea salt? Can regular sea salt be used instead
You can use any high quality salt in this recipe. But, I use Celtic Sea Salt from Selina Naturally because it has superior quality, nutrient density, and flavor. Himalayan crystal salt is also very good. Both of these salts are mineral-rich and harvested (and sold) as they come from the ocean or the earth. Rich in alkalizing minerals, high-quality natural salts help neutralize the acidity produced by sugar, stimulate the lymphatic system, replenish electrolytes, and help the body access energy. They also fight bacterial infections, combat environmental pollutants and free radical damage, and assist digestion.
Hi Blender Girl, Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to try it as one year being vegan, I would love a non dairy alternative to cream. Two questions before I do…firstly, how much water do you soak the cashews in? Secondly, do you drain off this liquid that you soaked them in, to blend the mix? Neither is clear to me in the method. I understand that you add the filtered water when blending. Sorry for asking. Love your book by the way.
No worries at all. This is a very common question. You soak the cashews in just enough water to cover them. Leave them soaking for 2 hours, then rinse and discard the soaking liquid. That contains all of the enzyme inhibitors and toxins. Add fresh filtered water to the recipe. If you want to soak the cashews just to soften them to get the smoothest consistency you can pour boiled water over the cashews and soak for 10 minutes.
How would the cashew cream do in homemade white chocolate?
It would be divine. Just add gradually to get the balance just right. Enjoy.
Oh….it would be absolutely divine. Just add gradually to get the balance of flavors just right. Yum…yum….yum….Let me know how it turns out.
Just Delicious! I don’t have the patience to soak cashews for a couple of hours, so I did them in the pressure cooker 4-minutes on high. Threw everything into my Vitamix and it came out super creamy. I had to force myself to put it into the fridge or I would have eaten all of it right then!
I love that you put the cashews in the pressure cooker. Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I know….I could just sit there and lick this cream out of the blender container in one sitting. So so good.