How to make cashew cream and our best vegan cashew cream recipes

cashew nuts 200g

step 1

Put the cashew nuts in a bowl and cover with water. Cover with clingfilm and leave for 2 hours.

step 2

Strain the cashews through a sieve and tip into a liquidizer or blender. Add 200ml fresh water and blend until very smooth. Add more water a little at a time to get the consistency required. Add a pinch of salt (or honey for a sweet version) and blend again. Tip into a container and cover.

Top cashew cream tip: If your blender isn’t powerful enough to make a smooth texture, you could always let down cashew nut butter with a little water to get a cream consistency.

Watercress soup with cashew cream

15 minutes, Serves 2, EASY, VEGETARIAN

spring onions 2, sliced

olive oil spray

garlic 1 clove, crushed

watercress 140g bag

rocket 100g bag

parsley ½ a bunch

vegetable stock 400ml, hot

lemon 1, zested and juiced

Fry the spring onions in a spray of olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and fry for another minute before tipping in most of the watercress, all the rocket and parsley. Stir though until wilted, then add the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and season well. Blend until a stick blender until smooth. Add most of the lemon zest and season with a little lemon juice.

Divide between bowls, then add a tbsp of cashew cream to each bowl. Scatter with more lemon zest and watercress leaves to serve if you like.

Very berry cashew smoothie

15 minutes, Serves 1, EASY

Whisk 100ml cashew cream with enough water to get the consistency of double cream. Tip a handful of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries (or half a pack frozen mixed berries if not in season) into a blender with a handful ice cubes, the cashew cream, ½ banana and 1 tbsp maple syrup. Blend until smooth, adding another splash of water if too thick.

Minted strawberries with sweet cashew cream

20 minutes + 1 hour macerating, Serves 4, EASY

Remove the stalks and halve or quarter 400g strawberries. Tip 3 tbsp sugar into a small blender with a handful mint leaves. Whizz until you get a smooth green sugar. Toss with the strawberries and leave for 1 hour to macerate.

Make the cashew cream as above, but add 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup instead of salt. Add 150ml water and blend, you want a thicker cream than that used in the soup recipe. Adding 1 tbsp at a time after this, until you get the consistency of whipped cream. Pile the minty strawberries and the cashew cream in layers into tall glasses and finish off with a sprig of fresh mint.

Roast broccoli with tahini and cashew dressing

30 minutes, Serves 2, EASY

Toss 300g tenderstem broccoli with 1 tbsp oil, zest of ½ lemon and a pinch chilli flakes. Tip onto a baking tray and cook at 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 for 15-20 minutes until soft and starting to turn golden. Mix 1 tbsp tahini with juice ½ lemon, 4 tbsp cashew cream and dill chopped to make 1 tbsp. Season well. Drizzle over the dressing to serve.

Creamy vegan carbonara

20 minutes, Serves 2, EASY

Cook 200g linguine in boiling salted water until al dente. Fry 1 diced onion and a handful sliced mushrooms in 1 tbsp oil until soft. Tip in a handful of fresh peas, a pack of blanched baby asparagus and 50ml cashew cream until heated through. Season well. Tip in the cooked pasta with some of the pasta water and serve with vegan cheese or nutritional yeast sprinkled over.

Sriracha-cashew coleslaw

15 minutes, Serves 2 as a side, EASY

Mix 4 tbsp cashew cream with 1 tbsp sriracha and season. Toss shredded red cabbage, onion and grated carrot in a large bowl then mix well with the dressing. Mix in chopped coriander to serve. (You could also top with more roasted and chopped cashew nuts for an extra crunch if you like)

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