Ok guys, I’m really excited to share this with you. I’ve finally found the ultimate dairy free replacement for heavy cream in savoury recipes!! As I’ve mentioned before, I have a little guy who is sensitive to dairy, so I’ve had to modify my go to recipes to suit his diet. I’ve told you before about the wonders of full-fat coconut milk for making whipped cream, caramel sauce, like in my Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars, for making the most decadent Salted Oat Chocolate Tart, and even in a savoury applications, like Butter Chicken. Coconut cream works excellently for baking, as the mild coconut flavour suits the sweet flavour profile. It also works well in curries and Indian cuisine as coconut pairs well with spices like ginger and curry powder. However, I was looking for a good stand-in for recipes that traditionally call for heavy cream, where you don’t want coconut flavour – creamy soups, pasta sauces, mashed potatoes, casseroles, etc.
Jillian Harris, a Canadian lifestyle blogger, is quite a master at making standard comfort food into Vegan recipes. While I’m not vegan, I have enjoyed learning her tricks for making dairy free recipes taste just as creamy and cheesy as their original dairy counterparts. She’s always talking about making and using cashew cream as her secret weapon, so I finally decided to give it a try. I am thrilled to report, it is exactly the heavy cream replacement I was looking for, and I am overjoyed to be reunited with some of my old favourites (recipes to come soon!) – Roasted Potato Leek Soup, Alfredo Sauce, Green Bean Casserole, etc. Any recipe that I have tried and simply swapped the heavy cream for cashew cream has worked beautifully!!! Everyone is always shocked when I tell them it’s dairy free.
So how does one make cashew cream? It’s super simple! Basically you are soaking the cashews to soften them, and then blending them with a bit of water, salt, and lemon, to get a smooth cream. Salt is of course a key ingredient in bringing out the flavour of almost anything, but why lemon? It may seem little strange, but a small amount of lemon juice helps to neutralize the “nut” taste and somehow results in the perfect creamy taste. Don’t skip it!
You can also customize your cashew cream to make it sweet or savoury. For a sweetened cashew cream, add a pitted date to the soak and blend it up with the cashew cream. For savoury, cheesy cashew cream, add nutritional yeast while blending. It gives the perfect cheesy flavour – perfect for alfredo sauce, vegan queso dip, cheesy cream soups, etc.
For cashew cream, a blender will work best to get the smoothest consistency. I use the blender attachment with my beloved Ankarsrum mixer. If you don’t have a blender, you can also use a NutriBullet or Food Processor, just make sure to thoroughly blend until you achieve a creamy smooth texture.
Don’t have time to soak? At first, I thought the only way to make cashew cream was to soak the nuts for 12-24 hours in advance. And while this is super easy if you remember to do so ahead of time, it’s a bummer when you forget and need some cashew cream right now to get dinner on the table. Much to my excitement, I discovered there is indeed a last minute cashew cream making hack that will get you homemade cashew cream in under 30 minutes – perfect for a forgetful mama like myself!! I will include both methods below and you can chose what works best fo you – they both taste amazing!
An extra little bonus to making your own cashew cream is that you will reap the benefits of soaked cashews. Similar to grains, nuts contain moderate levels of phytic acid, an anti-nutrient that prevents the seed from sprouting prematurely. While phytic acid is a safeguard for the plant, it can have a negative effect on us humans who consume it. Phytic acid binds to minerals and nutrients in the nut which can stop nutrients form being absorbed in the digestive system, and makes these foods harder to digest. The good news is, by soaking and/or sprouting your nuts and grains, the phytic acid is broken down, making the nuts more nutrient available and easier to digest. I add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the soak because it aids in the development of phytase, which is the enzyme needed to break down the phytic acid. You will not taste it in the final product, as long as you add just a splash!
So, a dairy free alternative that tastes amazing AND is good for you?! It’s all very exciting and I can’t wait for you guys to try it. I will follow up with some of my favourite cashew cream recipes in the following weeks. If you find success using cashew cream, be sure to let me know what you made in the comments! I would love to keep getting good ideas for how to use it. Let’s dive in.
Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar optional
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
Optional mix-ins
- 1 pitted date for sweet cream
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast for "cheesy" cream
Instructions
Slow 24 hour method:
- Add the cashews and water (1:2 ratio), and apple cider vinegar to a large non-reactive bowl, like glass or ceramic, and soak overnight (12-24 hours). The apple cider vinegar helps faciliate the nuts sprouting, which makes them easier for the body to digest. The nuts will still soften with only water. If you want sweet cream, add the pitted date to the soak as well.
- When ready to make your cream, drain the cashews (and date, if using) and rinse well. Do not reuse soaking water.
- Add the drained and rinsed cashews (and date, if using) to a blender or food processor (blender works better if you have one) along with the lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and salt. If you want your cream to have a cheesy flavour, add the nutritional yeast.
- Blend until completely smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the blender. Season to taste with the lemon, salt, and nutritonal yeast (if using). Feel free to add more water if you want a looser texture. Store in an air tight container for up to 1 week in the fridge, or several months in the freezer.
Quick soak method (15 minutes minimum):
- Add cashews and water (1:2 ratio) to a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the apple cider vingar, if using. If you want sweet cream, add the pitted date to the soak as well.
- Let soak for at least 15 minutes, up to 2 hours.
- When ready to make your cream, drain the cashews (and date, if using) and rinse well. Do not reuse soaking water.
- Add the drained and rinsed cashews (and date, if using) to a blender or food processor (blender works better if you have one) along with the lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and salt. If you want your cream to have a cheesy flavour, add the nutrtional yeast.
- Blend until completely smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the blender. Season to taste with the lemon, salt, and nutritonal yeast (if using). Feel free to add more water if you want a looser texture. Store in an air tight container for up to 1 week in the fridge, or several months in the freezer.
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Raw Unsalted Cashews – These are awesome for making homemade cashew cream. You want to use raw, unsalted cashews for the best tasting cream. Yupik has been a very reliable brand for me, I have never been disappointed with one of their products. They’ve always been fresh and reasonably priced!
Nutritional Yeast – You’ll hear me talk about this a lot, and that’s because I put this stuff on just about everything! Nutritional Yeast is high in B12 vitamins (which boost your mood and give you energy), as well as protein. It is low in calories and carbohydrates and has a delicious salty/savoury flavour. It is a great dairy free substitute to give that “cheesy” flavour to your dishes. I love sprinkling it on my pasta, omelettes, salads, soup, etc., and it is excellent in savoury cashew cream. Think of it as a superfood replacement for your typical “shaker” parmesan cheese.
Apple Cider Vinegar – Bragg’s is the most reliable brand of apple cider vinegar I’ve found. I love that it is organic and made “with the mother” so you’re getting all the benefits of associated with these strand-like chains of protein molecules. It’s great for salad dressings, homemade sauces, and bone broth. It’s also excellent for adding to soaked nuts and grains as it aids in the sprouting process. This might be TMI but apple cider vinegar is my number one natural method to removing warts in my children as well!!! This stuff is potent 🙂
Ankarsrum Original Mixer (Assistant), Pearl Blue – This is by no means a must have due to the hefty price tag, but if you’re looking to invest in the ultimate stand mixer, look no further! My sweet husband picked this out for me after a lot of research when I had asked him for a Kitchen Aid mixer several years ago for Christmas. He informed me the Ankarsrum was the far superior choice (lol!), and I think he’s right. It is renown for it’s ability to knead huge batches of dough effortlessly among its other features (my personal favourite feature is the self-scraping bowl spatula). There are all sorts of attachments available to purchase separately as well (see below), which makes this stand mixer quite the multi-tasker. I love using the blender attachment to make homemade cashew cream. If you are an avid baker and cook in large batches this is definitely the mixer for you! Plus it’s just gorgeous to look at, am I right? (It comes in several stunning colours!)
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