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Bowlsful of colourful cashew cream sauce.

Easy Cashew Cream Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Tracy Halasz

Equipment

  • high-power blender

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw cashews
  • ¾ - 1 cup boiling water
  • 1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
  • 1-2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
  • salt (optional)

Instructions

Pre-Soaking Cashews

  • No High Power Blender: soak the cashews covered in hot water for a couple hours for the creamiest, smoothest cashew sauce.
  • High Power Blender: Pour boiling hot water over cashews nuts. Let sit for 5-15 minutes in the blender cup with the lid on. Drain and rinse before proceeding.

How to Blend the Cashew Cream Sauce

  • Place soaked cashews into the cup of a high-speed blender. Pour ¾ cup of hot water over raw cashew nuts.  
  • Blend on high until smooth and creamy. It may be necessary to stop and scrape down the sides.
  • Base white sauce is just cashew nuts and hot water. For savoury recipes I always add 1-2 garlic cloves, a splash of lemon, and salt to taste.
  • For a thick, spreadable sauce or dip, add less water.
  • For a thinner, pourable cream/milk or drizzle, add more water a tablespoonful or two at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
  • Store leftover sauce in a covered jar in the fridge for up to a week.
  • Sauce thickens up in the fridge, add 1 tsp of water at a time to thin.

Notes

Raw cashews are readily available in grocery stores by the bag or in bulk. Or for your convenience, they can be ordered online.
The base sauce is cashews and water only which is mostly bland. From there you can build flavours and texture.
See cashew nut to water ratio guideline in the post to make thinner or thicker sauces.
Store leftover cashew sauce in fridge to be used up all week long. The sauce will thicken when chilled so it may need to be thinned with a teaspoonful or two of water.
Cashew cream can be frozen in a freezer-friendly container for up to 6 months.