Homemade Cashew Milk
This creamy homemade cashew milk recipe is the crème de la crème of plant-based milks. It also means you can make your own homemade creamy vegan milk any day of the week. Use this as a base to make the creamiest Vegan Chocolate Milk or Vegan Pudding ever!
I love making my own dairy-free milk. There are plenty of reasons for this, one of which being that just about everything homemade is better. However, I also feel like it’s a big saver of one-time-use plastic containers. Once you get the hang of making your own cashew nut milk, you’ll never run out of milk at home again!
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Using soaked cashews combined with water creates a thick, creamy milk mixture
- Adding dates gives subtle, plant-based sweetness to every sip
- Vanilla enhances the nutty flavor of the cashews, making perfectly flavored nut milk
What You Need
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Cashews — You can buy raw unsalted cashews in health food stores or online. Some grocery stores will carry them, as well.
- Vanilla — We’ll add a bit of vanilla extract for flavor.
- Dates — I recommend Medjool dates, and these can be found at health food stores and many grocery stores. It’s a regular product with my vegan shopping at Costco. You can make unsweetened cashew milk by leaving out the dates in this recipe.
- Water — If your water has flavor, I recommend using filtered water.
- Salt — A pinch of sea salt brings out the best flavors in this nut milk.
Ingredient Spotlight
What Cashews are Best for Milk?
Cashews are technically a seed that’s been categorized as a nut and sometimes considered a legume. Talk about confusing! Whatever they’re called, they can add delicious creaminess to your recipes. If you’ve only had salted roasted cashews, it’s time to try them raw. You can find raw cashews in most health food stores and online and they provide the perfect consistency to use in making cashew milk.
How to Make Cashew Milk from Scratch
- Soak cashews until tender.
- Add all the ingredients to the blender jar and pulse until creamy.
- Transfer the milk to a lidded jar (like a mason jar) and store it in the fridge.
Here’s a more detailed step-by-step guide:
Step One: Soak Cashews
Slow soak cashews:
- Place cashews in a glass bowl and cover with water.
- Refrigerate and soak them for a minimum of four hours or up to overnight.
- Drain the soaking liquid.
Fast soak cashews:
- Fast soak cashews by placing them in a saucepan.
- Cover them with water and then place it over medium heat.
- Bring it to a simmer (low boil) and cook for around 10 minutes. The cashews will become plump.
- Remove from heat and allow them to cool.
- Drain the soaking liquid.
Step Two: Add Ingredients to a Blender
Add all the ingredients to a blender jar and pulse until creamy. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step Three: Chill
Transfer the milk to a lidded jar (like a mason jar) and store it in the fridge.
Zero-Waste Homemade Cashew Milk
I don’t usually strain cashew milk because the cashews are so soft they blend up nicely. It does mean you need to stir it if it’s been sitting in the fridge. That means there’s zero waste involved with making this tasty nut milk!
Storage Tips
Store milk in a glass container, like a mason jar, in the fridge for up to 3 days. This milk will thicken as it sits so it will need to be stirred before using. You can freeze it by pouring it into ice cube trays. Then plop a frozen cube into soups or even hot beverages as you need them. Perfect!
Serving Suggestions
Use this plant-based milk with any of the following:
- Protein Granola
- Peanut Butter Granola
- Blueberry Overnight Oats
- Vegan Hot Chocolate
- Chocolate Chia Pudding
- Chocolate Cashew Milk — make this tasty beverage by combining this nut milk with some vegan chocolate syrup.
I also highly encourage using this creamy milk to make no-churn vegan ice cream or vegan chocolate ice cream.
Making It Nutritious
This nut milk is nutritious as is, but if you’d like to reduce carbs and calories even more, you can leave the dates out. Here are some key nutritional highlights:
- Around 100 calories per serving
- 3g of protein per serving (add a little vanilla protein powder to add even more protein)
- Cashews are great sources of healthy fats, copper, and magnesium, among other nutritional offerings.
Make your homemade raw cashew nut milk keto-friendly by leaving out the dates. If you like a sweet flavor to your nut milk, simply add a zero-calorie sweetener, such as monkfruit.
Frequently-Asked Questions
Is cashew milk vegan?
Cashew nut milk is made from cashews and water, which makes it plant-based and vegan. There can be other ingredients added to homemade and/or store-bought varieties, so be sure to check the label.
Is cashew milk good with cereal?
Because cashew nut milk is so rich and delicious, it’s perfect for serving with your favorite breakfast cereal. It’s also great served over some peanut butter granola, too.
Is cashew milk good in coffee?
Because it’s rich and creamy and has a natural sweet flavor, cashew nut milk is a great option to add to your hot coffee or hot teas. If you find your plant-based milk is curdling in the coffee, you can heat it before adding it, or let your coffee cool a bit before adding the plant-based milk.
Will cashew milk froth like regular milk?
Because of its low protein content, cashew and other nut milks produces large bubbles when frothed. I’ve found that simply shaking cold rather than heating it creates the best froth.
Why is milk made from nuts white in color?
The color of nut milk reflects the color of the nut itself. So, if you’re making pistachio milk, it will have a slight green tint to it. As long as you remove the skins from almonds, the milk will reflect the color of the nut meat, creating a white, creamy nut milk.
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Cashew Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked 4 hours to overnight
- 4 cups water
- 2 Medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt (just a pinch)
Instructions
- Use a blender to pulse all the ingredients until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Once it's smooth, pour the contents of the blender into a mason jar and seal tightly. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Be sure to shake it before serving as the ingredients will settle.
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Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi, if you wanted to get shelf life what natural preservative could I add.
Hi Warren. Here are some tips to help cashew milk keep longer: 1) Strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer to remove bits of cashews, 2) Freeze it. If it separates when thawing, simply run it through the blender again. You can also add a bit of soy lecithin to improve the texture of your nut milk. I would start with a small quantity, like around a teaspoon and increase it based on your preference for texture. I’ve seen recipes call for more than this, but I prefer to be conservative. You can always add more if you think it needs it! I hope this is helpful!
Thanks, Marly, for this cashew milk. I use it all the time and love it!