If you’ve been around here for a while, you might have noticed cashew cream popping up in a few of our recipes. It’s one of those things we always have in the fridge, and once you start making it you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. We put it on everything. Pancakes, smoothie bowls, porridge, stirred into sauces, dolloped on curry, drizzled over ice cream, spooned onto roasted vegetables… honestly, if something needs a creamy finish, cashew cream is the answer. We are not exaggerating when we say we put this stuff on everything. It has become a permanent fixture in our kitchen and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
The best part is that it takes pretty much zero effort. The only real requirement is remembering to soak the cashews the night before, which sounds like a commitment but really just means putting a bowl of cashews in water before you go to bed. That’s it. That’s the hard part. You go to sleep, the cashews do their thing, and by morning they’re soft, squishy, and ready to be blended into something incredible. Everything after that takes less than five minutes.
Raw cashews are one of the most magical ingredients in vegan cooking. When soaked and blended, they transform into something unbelievably smooth and creamy, with a naturally buttery flavor that doesn’t taste nutty so much as just rich and luxurious. They’re also packed with healthy fats, protein, and minerals, which means this isn’t just a delicious topping – it’s actually good for you too. Love when that happens.
The maple syrup adds just enough sweetness to make it feel indulgent without tipping it into dessert territory, which is what keeps it so versatile. A little goes a long way, and you can always adjust depending on what you’re using it for. More maple if it’s going on pancakes or a smoothie bowl, less if you’re stirring it into a savory sauce or using it as a topping for something already sweet.
And then there’s the cardamom. This is optional, technically, but we really, really encourage you to try it. Cardamom is one of my absolute favorite spices. It has this warm, slightly floral, almost citrusy depth that is really hard to describe but impossible to stop thinking about once you’ve tasted it. It makes the cashew cream taste like something from a fancy cafe rather than something you threw together in your kitchen on a weekday morning. If you’ve never cooked with cardamom before, this is a great place to start.
The consistency is completely up to you and easy to control. Add less plant milk for something thick enough to spoon generously, add more for something you can drizzle elegantly over everything. We tend to make it on the thicker side and then thin it out with a splash more milk depending on what we’re using it for that day. Rice milk is our go-to because it’s light and slightly sweet, but oat or soy milk both work great too.
Make a batch on Sunday and you’ll be finding excuses to put it on things all week. You’ve been warned.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl, cover with water, and soak overnight or for at least 6-8 hours.
- Drain and rinse the cashews well to remove the soaking water.
- Add the cashews to a blender along with the plant milk and maple syrup.
- Blend on high for about 3 minutes until completely smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. If your blender has a nut butter setting, use that.
- Add more plant milk a little at a time if needed to help it blend, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Add a pinch of cardamom if using and blend briefly to combine.
- Taste and adjust sweetness with a little more maple syrup if you like.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
