Classic Cashew Cream
Gena Hamshaw
Photo by James Ransom
- Serves
- 2 1/2 - 3 cups cashew cream (recipe can easily be halved)
An easy recipe for cashew cream is one of the most powerful tools that any vegan home cook can have in his or her arsenal. This simple cashew cream can be modified according to the application; add a bit of sugar for desserts, or lemon and sea salt for savory dishes.
Ingredients
- 2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup cold water, plus more as needed
- 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
- 2 tablespoon evaporated cane juice, demerara sugar, or maple syrup (optional)
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Directions
- Step 1
Soak the cashews in cold water overnight.
- Step 2
Drain cashews. Add them to a food processor and pulse a few times to grind them up.
- Step 3
With the motor running, drizzle in fresh water (start with 1 cup), stopping a few times to scrape the bowl of the food processor down. You can continue to add more water depending on how thick or thin you'd like the cream to be; you may want it as thick as whipped cream, or you may want it to be closer to the texture of coconut milk. Keep adding water until you like the consistency. Alternately, you can add the cashews and the water to a high speed blender and blend, adding water as needed, till you reach the desired consistency. I don't recommend a conventional blender, though.
- Step 4
For a savory cream, add the lemon and sea salt. For a sweet cream, add the maple syrup, cane juice, or sugar. Feel free to vary flavorings as you like!