How to Make Cashew Cream

Soaking, blending and seasoning cashews into a pourable cream for soups, sauces, pasta and desserts.

Soak before you blend

Cover raw cashews with hot water and leave them for twenty minutes, or with cold water overnight. Soaked nuts blend into a smooth cream in a minute; unsoaked ones stay gritty no matter how long the machine runs.

Drain the soaking water and rinse the nuts before blending. The soaking liquid tastes flat and slightly bitter, and it carries nothing you want in the finished cream.

Use the ratio that matches the job

For a pourable cream that replaces dairy cream in soup, blend one part soaked cashews with two to three parts water. For a thick base such as a pasta sauce or a dip, drop to one part water.

Add liquid a little at a time and scrape the sides of the jug. A cream that looks too thick at first usually loosens after another thirty seconds of blending.

Season it like dairy cream

Cashew cream is sweet and bland on its own, so it needs salt, an acid and something savoury. A pinch of salt plus a squeeze of lemon is the minimum; a teaspoon of miso or a little mustard carries it further in savoury dishes.

For desserts, skip the acid and add vanilla or a small amount of syrup. Keep the cream in the fridge and stir before using, since it thickens as it cools. Not a medical or allergen guarantee.

Reviewed on 2026-10-19 · Basis: Seed substitution table (A7)