How to Make Vegan Cashew Cream Sauce – vegane Cashew-Sahnesauce

by: Sylvie Fulson  /  Copy Editor, Copywriter, Plant-Based Cook, Wife, Mom

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Cashew cream sauce is popular among vegan recipes and is really quite easy to make. This creamy sauce is a combination of simple healthy ingredients: cashews, water, and salt. Lemon juice is optional, but we love its tangy flavor so we always add it in.

Cashew cream is one of the many delicious dairy-free recipes made with cashews.

What is cashew cream sauce a substitute for?

A lot of German recipes call for heavy cream, sour cream, and mayonnaise, and if you’re looking to cut down on dairy, learning how to make cashew cream will come in handy when you need a delicious dairy-free alternative.

In our house, we make cashew cream on a weekly basis and use it in all sorts of ways:

• we like to smother our boiled potatoes with it
• we use it as a spread on bread or toast
• we spread it on toast topped with tomato slices and sprinkled with salt and pepper for delicious toasted tomato sandwiches
• we add apple cider vinegar and dill weed to it and then mix it with mashed chickpeas as a sandwich spread reminiscent of tuna salad, or with leftover boiled potatoes for a quick and easy potato salad
• we like to mix it with diced tomatoes for a deliciously creamy pasta sauce
• we add a nice big dollop to a bowl of hot soup, such as lentil or beet soup, and swirl it in
• it is delicious in tacos and on veggie burgers
• I like to mix it with some Dijon mustard for a yummy dipping sauce for baked potato wedges (also yummy with steamed or roasted broccoli or cauliflower!)
• and my son loves to eat it as a side dish! :)

As you can see, it makes a great dairy-free replacement and would be perfect paired with many of your favorite German meals.

Turn basic cashew cream sauce into delicious concoctions

This smooth cashew cream recipe is so versatile and makes a great base recipe for amazing sauces, dressings, and dips. As mentioned above, it’s as simple as adding a little apple cider vinegar and dill weed, or some Dijon mustard. But you can get super creative and take it to a whole new level!

You can blend it with some nutritional yeast, garlic, and maybe a little bit of onion powder for a cheesy version, served warm or room temperature. Maybe add some hot sauce for some extra kick! Perfect for dipping your favorite tortilla chips or drizzled over nachos.

You can experiment by adding some of your favorite fresh herbs and spices. Maybe add some fresh or frozen spinach for a creamy green sauce with a little extra nutritional oomph.

This simple recipe can also be transformed into a delectably sweet delight by adding in a few dates or some maple syrup, a tsp vanilla extract, and perhaps some cinnamon. Perfect for dipping fruit or as a delicious garnish for fresh apple strudel! 

My favorite way to eat it lately is to mix two to three tablespoons of cashew cream with a little bit of water, about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, and a little bit of salt and black pepper for a delicious salad dressing. This combo is amazing mixed with greens, but it also tastes so good mixed with leftover rice, sweet potatoes, edamame, and sauerkraut for a quick and easy lunch!

To soak or not to soak

A lot of cashew cream recipes call for soaked cashews. If you’re pressed for time, there is no need to soak the cashews if you have a high-speed blender. You’ll still get a deliciously creamy sauce.

However, soaked cashews do tend to yield the best results. And if you’re using a regular blender or food processor, soaking the cashews ahead of time is a must to get that creamy texture. 

To save on time, make sure you always have soaked cashews on hand so that you can make cashew cream whenever the mood strikes. Simply buy raw unsalted cashews in bulk, soak them in water for 5 to 8 hours, then drain and rinse. Divide them into 1 cup portions and store them in the freezer until ready to use.

When you're ready to make cashew cream, simply add them directly to your blender or food processor and you’re ready to go. No need to thaw! If you have lemon juice in the freezer also, even better! You can have delicious and creamy cashew cream ready to use in a matter of minutes.

Enjoy!

If this is your first time making this vegan cream sauce, you'll find it's a game changer. It will take your meals to a whole new level. Use this recipe as a guideline. Start with the amounts suggested, then play around with the ingredients to get it tasting just right for you. Enjoy it just the way it is, or have fun adding in different ingredients and make it your very own. Enjoy!!

Ready to make this cashew cream sauce recipe?

Print Recipe

How to Make Vegan Cashew Cream Sauce – vegane Cashew-Sahnesauce

Cashew cream sauce is popular among vegan recipes and is really quite easy to make. This creamy sauce is a combination of simple healthy ingredients: cashews, water, and salt. Lemon juice is optional, but we love its tangy flavor so we always add it in. 

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time none

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings:

Makes 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons water 
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 2½ tablespoons lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend or process until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender or processor.
2. Adjust ingredients, to taste, if necessary.

Notes/Hints:

• If you do not have a powerful blender, be sure to soak cashews in water ahead of time for 5 to 8 hours. Alternately, you can boil them in a pot for 10 to 15 minutes. Simply drain and rinse the softened cashews and add them to the recipe. 
• Add a little less or a little more water to get your cashew cream to the desired consistency.
• Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
• It will thicken in the refrigerator. If you find it too thick, simply add a little bit of water and stir.
• Save time by juicing a bunch of lemons ahead of time and freezing the juice in ice cube trays. Each cube is approximately 1 tablespoon.
• Cashews are expensive, but one cup of cashews will give you one week’s worth of cashew cream.

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10.20.2021 revision update

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How to Make Vegan Cashew Cream Sauce

By Sylvie Fulson

How to make cashew cream is really simple. At its most basic, it's a combination of cashews, water & salt. Cashew cream sauce is one of the many delicious dairy-free recipes.

Ingredients: cashews, lemon juice, salt

For the full recipe, scroll up ...

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.