Make your own creamy, homemade Cashew Milk and Cashew Cream with this straightforward, 3-ingredient recipe.
I’ve noticed that commercial cashew milks are becoming more popular lately. It’s not surprising, since cashew milk has a thick, creamy texture and is neutral enough to be used for sweet and savory applications. I’m still partial to soy milk as my go-to vegan milk, but cashew milk has many uses, even more so than almond milk, in my opinion.
My issue with commercial plant milks is that they sometimes can be overly watery and insipid, butwith homemade versions, you can adjust the amount of water to your liking.So, thisrecipe for cashew milk is a bit different than some others I’ve tried because it involves boiling the milk quickly to extract the natural thickening property of cashews. This allows you to use less cashews and still get a rich milk.
Use this milk in your oatmeal, cereal, smoothies, and in baking, including cakes, cookies, and savories. Because itlacks lecithin or the other stabilizers and emulsifiersused in commercial milks,you’ll want to give it a shake before you use it as there will be settling. You’ll also want to keep away anyacidic ingredients fromit, as they will cause the milk to curdle, similar to soy milk and almond milk.
Cashew cream, on the other hand, is a thick, viscous plant cream that makes a wonderful substitute for heavy cream in all cooking applications, except for whipping (I’m working on that one! 🙂 ). Use it to make béchamel sauce, swirl some into a mushroom soup, or make a creamy sauce for pasta by adding some to basic tomato sauce (like in the photobelow). I also use it for desserts. A few glugs of cashew cream cooked into puddings, pastry creams, and sauces makes for a rich result.
Homemade Cashew Milk
Make your own creamy, homemade Cashew Milk and Cashew Cream with this straightforward, 3-ingredient recipe.
Author: Lands & Flavors
Ingredients
- ½ cup (about 70g) unroasted cashews
- 4 teaspoons sweetener of choice (sugar/evaporated cane juice, maple syrup, agave) or 1 large medjool date
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4½ cups water
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in warm/hot water for 1 hour or more to soften them. After soaking, drain and put them in a blender with the sweetener, salt, and 2 cups of the water. Blend on high until completely smooth (it could take a few minutes depending on the power of your blender).
- Pour cashew milk into a medium-sized pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking it occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, just let it simmer for 10-20 seconds and remove it from the heat. It will have thickened considerably. Now pour in the remaining 2½ cups of water and whisk to combine.
- Let the milk come down to room temperature, transfer it into a suitable container, and chill in the refrigerator. I like to use a container with a tight cap so I can give it a little shake whenever I use it.
Notes
-Unlike commercial plant milks, this milk lacks stabilizers and emulsifiers, so you'll notice that it will separate as it sits. This is normal with most all homemade plant milks (almond, oat, etc.). Just give it a little shake before using.
-This is meant to be a drinking and baking milk. Enjoy it with cereal, oatmeal, cookies, and in smoothies. Also use it in baking as you would use any other milk. Keep this milk away from acidic ingredients though, as they will cause curdling. Foods like coffee, tea, and acidic fruits/juices will curdle it.
-Make a sweetened milk using any sweetener you like (or a couple of medjool dates). Add in up to a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or some vanilla bean and a pinch of cinnamon. Or instead, add some dutch-processed cocoa powder and a half teaspoon of instant coffee or instant espresso for a wonderful vegan chocolate milk.
-Makes about 5 cups, or a little over 1 quart or 1 liter of cashew milk.
4.3 from 3 reviews
Homemade Cashew Cream
Make your own creamy, homemade Cashew Milk and Cashew Cream with this straightforward, 3-ingredient recipe.
Author: Lands & Flavors
Ingredients
- ½ cup (about 70g) unroasted cashews
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 2¼ cups water
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in warm/hot water for 1 hour or more to soften them. After soaking, drain and put them in a blender with the salt, and all of the water. Blend on high until completely smooth (it could take a few minutes depending on the power of your blender).
- Pour cashew milk into a medium-sized pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking it occasionally. Once it comes to a boil, just let it simmer for 10-20 seconds and remove it from the heat. It will have thickened considerably.
- Let the milk come down to room temperature, transfer it into a suitable container, and chill in the refrigerator. I like to use a container with a tight cap so I can give it a little shake whenever I use it.
Notes
-This cream lacks stabilizers and emulsifiers, so you'll notice that it will separate as it sits. This is normal with most all homemade plant milks (almond, oat, etc.). Just give it a little shake before using.
-Use it in béchamel sauce, puddings, pastry creams, ice cream, soups, and sauces.
-Makes about 2½ cups of cashew cream.
