How to Make Cashew Milk
Cashew milk is my favorite dairy-free nut milk. Not only is it super creamy, it’s easy to make at home. And bonus, you don’t have to strain it like almond milk. Just soak your cashews overnight, drain, then blend with water. Voila, homemade cashew milk!
Cashew Milk
Up until a few years ago I drank dairy milk like it was going out of style. So much so, that my family historically referred to me as “the cow” because I was always drinking milk (which, I should clarify was said all in good family jesting and not in a derogatory way). I’m not joking when I say I drank a lot of milk…as in a gallon or so a week.
Fast forward 4 years, 4 autoimmune diagnoses, a health coaching certification and a healthy living blog and I’m happy to report that I’m far more educated on nutrition and what I put into my body.
Now to be clear, I’m not anti high-quality dairy (you guys know I like my goat cheese and homemade yogurt). And I sure try hard not to demonize foods.
But the simple fact is that 65% of the worlds population has a problem digesting lactose. And for others, particularly those with digestive autoimmune conditions, dairy can flare and exacerbate symptoms.
So what’s a dairy-free peep to do? Well, you could turn to coconut milk, oat milk, almond milk, hemp milk, banana milk or my favorite of the nut milks – cashew milk!
You Don’t Have to Strain Cashew Milk
Almond milk is the perennial favorite of nut milks, but I find cashew milk to be much creamier and more mild in flavor. I also love that you don’t have to strain it, like you do almond milk. There’s no pulp left when blended on high with a powerful blender.
How to Make Cashew Milk
You’ll see in the video below how quickly the cashew milk comes together. So really there’s no need to pay a premium and buy it at the store. The hardest part is just remembering to soak the cashews the night before. Here’s how you make it:
- Soak 1 cup of cashews overnight, then drain and rinse
- Add the cashews and 4 cups of water (plus any sweeteners) to a high-powered blender
- Blend on high for a minute
- Pour into a storage container and refrigerate
Drink the cashew milk straight up or use it in a recipe as you would any dairy milk.
How Long Does It Last?
Homemade cashew milk lasts 3-4 days in the fridge. Though I think it’s best consumed within the first 2-3 days. You can halve this recipe if you don’t think you’ll use it all up.
You can also make a full batch and pour any extra into a silicone ice cube tray and freeze for future use. I show how to do this with herbs on my Kitchen Gadgets video. Then, it’s as easy as popping a cube into your next mango smoothie or thawing for a cup of coffee. Brilliant, eh?
Cashew Milk Recipe Video
While it’s super easy to make cashew milk, it always helps to watch a quick tutorial video. You can also subscribe to my YouTube Channel for weekly cooking videos!
More Recipes Using This Cashew Milk
How to Make Cashew Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups water
Optional
- 1-2 tbsp maple syrup , (or honey)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- After the cashews have soaked overnight, drain and rinse them.
- Place the cashews into a high-powered blender and add the remaining ingredients. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until the milk is smooth and creamy.
- Place the cashew milk in a storage container and refrigerate.
Lisa's Tips
- This is my favorite storage container for homemade cashew milk.
Nutrition
Recipe originally posted October 2016, but updated to include new information.
Hi Lisa, I understand that this is your favourite milk. I’m not vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free or anything else, but I like to try new and healthy recipes. I’ve already tried some of your recipes, but this milk is the best. It’s the first nut milk I’ve tried but it’s definitely not the last. I’m so happy I found your website, you are amazing.
Hi Martina – Glad to hear you’re loving all my recipes so far, even though you don’t have any autoimmune diseases or food sensitivities! And yes, cashew milk is one of my favorites to make and one I use in a lot of my recipes :)
Just tried this recipe today, it’s so creamy and delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe!❤️
Hi Ann – Amazing! Glad you enjoyed one of my favorite nut milks to make :)
I have been making this cashew milk for a while now for my smoothies and it’s so good !! What would you add to make a chocolate cashew milk? Cacao powder? If so, how much? Thanks :)
Hi Martine – I haven’t tried making a chocolate version, but I would add about 1/4 cup cacao powder :) Let me know how it turns out!
Ok, I tried this for the first time tonight and…..just WOW. It is delicious and so creamy!! The texture is addictive!! I admit, I was skeptical as I am not a real fan of cashews, but I am more than pleasantly surprised! It’s in the fridge tonight and I can’t wait to try it on my cereal in the morning!
Thank you for all your recipes and hints and life hacks for being healthier and just more kind to our bodies and our spirits. 💜
Hi Becky – So glad this milk changed your mind about cashews :) This will be great to put in your cereal in the morning.
Thank you for this recipe! This makes a creamy milk and better than the store bought milk!!
Hi Christina – Cashew milk is definitely one of my favorites to make :) Glad you enjoy it as well!
I made the cashew milk with my Ninja Blender on high speed for about 4 mins. total. I followed Lisa’s recipe using the maple syrup and it turned out creamy and delicious!
Hi Jane – Wonderful! This is my favorite non-dairy milk to make as well :)
This cashew milk is so creamy and delicious. Another wonderful recipe. I’m not gluten free, but feel so blessed to have found your community and your healthy recipes. I’m looking forward to trying more.
Hi Ellen – I’m so glad to hear that as we are happy to have you as part of this community :)
Thank you for this amazing recipe Lisa! This is by far my favorite non-dairy milk!!! I was graciously gifted a Vitamix for Christmas and I’ve been making cashew milk every other day since then. Thank you again for all that you share. I’ve really been enjoying poking around your website and Instagram for amazing recipes to try.
Hi Sasha – Congrats on your new Vitamix! I’m so glad you loved this cashew milk as this is also one of my favorites to make :) Thanks again for all your support and I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes and tips into the new year!