How to Make Homemade Cashew Milk
Whether you are allergic to dairy or have lactose intolerance, cashew milk is a great, plant-based milk substitute that you can make at home.
To make this recipe, simply soak the cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes before straining. Then, blend with water and flavorings until completely smooth. You can strain the milk if you like but it isn’t necessary.
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Ingredients for cashew milk
For this recipe, I used:
- raw cashews: unroasted, unsalted, raw whole cashews are perfect for this recipe. But, you can use the roasted and salted versions as substitutes, though they would give a slightly different taste to the milk.
- water: needed for soaking and blending the cashews.
- dates: medjool dates add subtle sweetness to the milk. You can also use white sugar or some honey as a substitute.
- vanilla extract: this gives a subtle, pleasant flavor to the cashew milk.
- spices: like cinnamon powder and freshly grated nutmeg complement the vanilla and further add to the pleasant flavors.
- salt: can accentuate the sweetness and added flavor.
Equipment for this recipe
I used the blender attachment of my Ninja professional kitchen system. It pulverizes the nuts really well and I don’t usually strain the milk. But, if strained milk is your preference, cheesecloth or a nut bag will also be useful for this recipe.
How to make cashew milk
Soak the nuts
Step 1: Add the cashew nuts and about 2 cups of boiling water to a small bowl. The water should cover the nuts.
Step 2: Leave the cashews to soften for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Strain and rinse a couple times (especially if you used salted nuts).
Blend everything
Step 3: Add the rinsed cashews to a blender along with the remaining water, dates, vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, grated nutmeg and salt.
Step 4: Blend all ingredients together for 2 to 3 minutes. The milk should be bright white, creamy, and the pulp should be fully pulverized and soft.
Step 5 (optional): Strain the cashew milk if you desire using a cheesecloth or nut bag.
Step 6: Bottle the cashew milk and store in the fridge. It should last for about 3 to 5 days in the fridge. You can also pour the milk into an ice tray and freeze for later use.
Recipes to try with cashew milk
- Peanut punch: delicious drink made with peanut butter, banana and more.
- Barbadine punch: creamy drink made with giant granadilla or barbadine.
- Soursop juice: another creamy drink made with graviola or guanabana.
Cashew milk recipe
Homemade cashew milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews (approx. 130 g)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 3 cups room temperature water
- 3 pitted dates
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- pinch of salt
Equipment
- Blender
Instructions
- Add the cashew nuts and boiling water to a bowl.
- Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Drain the water.
- Rinse the cashews 2 to 3 times.
- Add the drained cashews to a blender with the room temperature water, dates, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Blend until smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes).
- Strain (optional).
- Bottle and refrigerate immediately. It should last for 3 to 5 days; otherwise freeze the rest.
