How to Select Cashews & Make Cashew Milk or Cream

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Making your own cashew milk or cashew cream is very easy. There is no nut bag required and it’s very economical! Cashew milk can be used as ordinary milk for cereal and for baking.

For best results, use a high speed blender like a VitaMix. Without a high speed blender pre-planning is required as cashews are very hard and will need to be soaked for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight (8 to 12 hours).

How to Select Cashews

Look for raw, whole, unsalted cashews. They should be creamy white with few blemishes. The bigger they are, the less split and broken the cashews are, the better the quality. Pay attention to dark spots and broken exposed areas as this is where contamination begins.

Although the picture below doesn’t do justice, it shows a side by side comparison. The cashews on the left are of superior quality while the cashews on the right displays poor quality. Poor quality cashews are broken, smaller in size, have blemishes, and are often deformed. The exposed surface of broken pieces often look speckled and dirty and look unappetizing. This is where they begin to go rancid. Poor quality cashews are often shriveled and dried out and must be soaked for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably as long as over night, before using. After these nuts are softened, the blemished parts can be trim off with a paring knife. Now that you know what to look for, do yourself a favor, and always look for the best quality.

Instructions Start

Ratio for Milk

(for cereal & baking)

  • .4 oz/12 g raw cashews
  • 8 oz water

Ratio for Cream

(for soups, scalloped potatoes & sauces)

  • 1 oz/30 g raw cashews
  • 8 oz water

Instructions

Soaking is an option dependant on whether you have a high speed blender and/or on the quality of the cashews. See introduction and How to Select Cashews above.

  1. Soak cashews for a minimum of 3 hours or as long as overnight. Discard the soaking water.
  2. Add cashews and water to blender and blend on high until creamy. (about 1 minute) There is no need to strain.
  3. Pour into suitable container like a pitcher, bottle, jar with a lid.
  4. After blending the milk/cream will be warm but could be used right away. There are no additives or emulsifiers in this, so after a few hours, it will separate. Before using, stir if in a pitcher, or gently shake if in a bottle or jar. 
  5. Keep in refrigerator and use within 5 days.