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.
Where has this recipe been all my life?!?! This is so delicious and it is now the only milk we drink. It really could not be any easier. It’s also quite a treat to drink some as soon as you make it, while it is still warm from the Vitamix.
Hi Lisa, as I am italian, I am not used to using cups. I see you use a different kind of cup, a glass one, for the cashew. The metal one doesn’t fit? Thanks.
Hi Laura – I always have metric measurements listed in the recipe card :) There is a toggle button where you can choose metrics!
Hi Lisa:
Love your website! Question – can you use unsalted cashews instead of raw and if you can, do they need to be soaked as well?
Hi Sonya – thanks so much! And yes, you can use unsalted cashews. They do still need to be soaked.