Cashew Cream Recipe (Vegan & Versatile)

This cashew cream recipe is the secret sauce to giving dishes a creamy and rich note, without any dairy. Ready in five minutes with optional add-ins for dimension and balance.

If you want to understand what makes vegan dishes creamy without relying on dairy, this is a good place to start. This cashew cream recipe is built on two basics—raw cashews and water—and works well on its own as a neutral, all-purpose sauce. From there, you can add a small amount of coconut cream, apple cider vinegar, and salt to give it more body and balance, depending on how you plan to use it. All you need is a blender and about five minutes.

What Is Cashew Cream?

Cashew cream is a dairy-free sauce made by blending raw cashews with water until completely smooth. The result is a mild, neutral cream that can be used as a base for sauces, stirred into soups and pastas, or thinned out for dressings. Because it doesn’t have a strong flavor of its own, it works well in savory dishes without overpowering them.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Cashew cream is built on very few ingredients, which makes the quality of each one matter. The base relies on raw cashews and water, while the optional additions—used together—fine-tune body and balance, depending on how you plan to use the cream.

• Raw cashews: Use raw, not roasted. Raw cashews blend up smooth and neutral, which keeps the finished cream flexible across savory dishes.
• Water: This is the primary liquid that turns the cashews into a sauce. The amount you use controls how thick or pourable the cashew cream ends up.
• Full-fat canned coconut milk (optional): A small amount adds extra body and richness, especially useful for sauces and pastas.
• Apple cider vinegar or coconut vinegar (optional): Just enough to lift the flavor and counterbalance the natural sweetness of the cashews.
• Fine sea salt (optional): A pinch helps round everything out without making the cream taste seasoned.

How to Make Cashew Cream

Making this cashew cream recipe is easy once the cashews are softened and ready to blend. A high-speed blender will give you the smoothest result, but a standard blender works just fine with a bit more blending time. For full recipe details, scroll to the end of this post.

• Step 1: Drain and rinse the cashews – Once the cashews are fully soaked, drain them and give them a good rinse.
• Step 2: Blend – Add the cashews and water to the blender and process until smooth. Blend until the mixture feels silky, not gritty, when rubbed between your fingers.
• Step 3: Add optional ingredients – If you’re using the coconut cream, vinegar, and salt, add them after the cashews and water are fully blended. These additions work together to add body and balance without changing the neutral base.
• Step 4: Adjust consistency (gradually) – If the cashew cream is thicker than you want, add more water a tablespoon at a time, blending fully between additions. Keep in mind that it will thicken slightly as it chills.
• Step 5: Use or chill – Use the cashew cream right away, or refrigerate it until ready to use. If it thickens more than you want after chilling, add a small splash of water and re-blend before using.

How Thick Should Cashew Cream Be?

This recipe makes a smooth, sauce-like cashew cream. From there, you can thin it as needed depending on how you plan to use it. It can be:

• Smooth and sauce-like (the default here): When cashew cream slowly pours and coats the back of a spoon, it’s ideal for pasta sauces, soups, and creamy mains.
• Thin and pourable: For dressings and drizzles, add water a tablespoon at a time, blending thoroughly between additions, until it pours easily.

It will thicken slightly after chilling, so if you’re planning to refrigerate it, stop just shy of your final texture.

Ways to Use Cashew Cream

Cashew cream can be used as a sauce or base in a few core ways, depending on how thick you make it and where you add it in the cooking process. Here are some ideas:

• In sauces and pasta dishes: Stir cashew cream directly into warm sauces like our vegan alfredo sauce to add body and richness without weighing them down. It works especially well in mushroom-based pastas and simple cream-style sauces, like our king oyster mushroom scallops with pea puree.
• In soups and stews: Blended into soups like our creamy cauliflower soup, split pea soup, and vegan clam chowder, cashew cream adds creaminess while keeping the base light and balanced. It can be added at the end or stirred in gently while reheating.
• As a finishing sauce or drizzle: When thinned slightly, cashew cream can be spooned or drizzled over grain bowls, roasted vegetables, these mushroom scallops, or plated mains just before serving.
• In dips and spreads: Used thicker, cashew cream can anchor dips and spreads that benefit from a smooth, neutral base like our vegan ricotta recipe.

FAQs

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This recipe was originally published in 2013 and updated in 2026 with added serving suggestions and recipe notes.