Ever since I won my Blendtec last December I’ve been threatening promising to make cashew cheese. Actually, ever since I attended a raw food class three years ago I wanted to attempt to create some of the creamy and delicious cheeses and sauces that we made in class with cashews (and almonds, walnuts, and pecans!). My old excuse was my crummy blender, but once I got the Blendtec I knew it was time. It just took me another 10 months.
Finally, about two weeks ago, I bought a large bag of raw cashews. I have no idea what I did with my notes from class, but I remembered that, in addition to the cashews, the important ingredients were lemon juice, salt, and pepper. You can’t go too far wrong with those simple ingredients.
Cashew Cheese: Vegan, Raw, Gluten-free
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- ¼ cup water
- Soak the cashews for at least one hour. Then rinse and drain them.
- Place the cashews, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor.
- Pulse to chop the ingredients (about 30 seconds).
- Add the water and blend until smooth
- Refrigerate until chilled
That’s it! And if you’re really in a hurry (and you have a good blender) you can even skip the soaking part.
I know you’re saying to yourself, “why haven’t I tried this yet?” Right?
This stuff is seriously addictive. I’ve been licking it off my fingers serving it with crackers, but it can be used on pizza, as a creamy pasta sauce, or as a sandwich spread. You can vary the texture and thickness by adding more or less water, and/or soaking the cashews longer (up to 24 hours), which makes for an even creamier version.
You can also get creative with herbs or other flavorings. The second time I made cashew cheese, I used basil instead of parsley. Some of the other add-ins I think would be delicious are sun-dried tomatoes, dill, cucumber, scallions, and nutritional yeast. Though not all at the same time!
In the meantime, I just used some of the above to top off my cashew cheese and crackers!
I can’t wait to experiment with other nut cheeses too. I have to remind myself that, even though cashew cheese is delicious, made with whole-food ingredients, and full of healthy nutrients, cashews are still a high fat and calorie food, so a little goes a long ways. Why do you think I’m making small batches?
Have you ever made or tried nut cheeses? If so, feel free to leave a link in the comments. I’m anxious to try more.
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Sunday Blog Hop with Jenn
Meatless Monday with Tina and Deborah
Meatless Monday with Annmarie
Inspire Me Monday with Janice
Anything Goes with Marilyn
Bonnie, the Pin Junkie
Tip Tuesday with Debbie in Shape
Wild Workout Wednesday with Annmarie, Michelle, Sarah, and Angelena Marie
Wednesday Wisdom with Nanna’s Wisdom
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Friday Fitness with Jill
not shockingly Ive never ever even heard of this!!!
easy and super taste-intriguing!!!
Definitely taste-intriguing. Not exactly like cheese, but good (better, I think
).
Yum! I had no idea you could use cashews to make cheese, but I bet it tastes oh so good!! Thanks for linking up today lovely lady!
Thanks Tina. It is delicious and so easy! I can’t believe I never did it until recently. Now I want to try all kinds of nut cheese
Cashew Cheese? Now this I have to try! Who knew you could make cheese out of it?
I know! And it’s so good. And (best part) literally takes only minutes, outside of soaking ng.
This looks so easy! I need to try to make it for a change of pace. Thanks for joining us for Meatless Monday today
You definitely should try it. I promise, you’ll love it!
yumm.. this looks really good and easy enough for me to try!
It is really so easy. About 10 minutes or less, aside from the soaking
I have never heard of such a thing, how creative! And it looks delish too
have a great week! xo
Well, I wish I could say I thought of it first, but I do know how to take a great idea and run with it.
I’ve had it and heard about it but I had no idea it was so easy! So cool!
I guess I put off trying it because I thought it would take longer (even though I’d made it in class). It did take me a week to remember to soak the cashews
That looks so seriously easy and delicious! Definitely curious about that!!
It is! Totally worth the 10 minutes or so it takes to make it.
Yes and I love it!
It’s so good, isn’t it?
I LOVE cashew cheese! Such a great alternative to dairy cheese!
I love it as an alternative to store bought non-dairy cheese. I just feel so accomplished for making it myself.
I have never even heard of this, but it sounds so tasty!
It is! And easy too! A great change of pace from real cheese.
Hey! What are you doing reading my mind?!
Back when I was a pescetarian, I WANTED to try cashew cheese but never got around to buying a bag of raw cashews! Now that I’m going back to my pescetarian lifestyle, this is a great reminder to FINALLY try cashew cheese again!
So stoked! Thanks!
You’re welcome. Enjoy!
I love cashew cheese! I actually made some yesterday to use in Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls I made (recipe coming soon). I usually add nutritional yeast to mine but I’m definitely going to have to try this recipe, maybe with some fresh herbs for cheese and crackers for the holidays!
Ooh, I’ll need to check out those lasagna rolls. They sound delicious. I like, but don’t love nutritional yeast, so I use it sparingly. I may try it in my next batch though.
I’ve been wanting to make this. Thanks for the recipe. Would adding nutritional yeast work?
Definitely (check the comment directly above). I think I’ll try it in my next batch.
I never thought of making cashew cheese. Looks so easy and yummy.
It is both. Seriously, like 10 minutes excluding soak time. And so good.
I’m not a huge fan of cashew cheese, but I do love how easy it spreads and how it’s non-dairy! Thanks for linking up.
http://www.runningonhappy.com
I guess it’s not for everybody. I’ll eat your portion
It’s really that easy?! Holy cow! Must try, asap.
I know, right? Less than 10 minutes and it’s so good!
I love using Cashews for cheese and many different things. I add a few Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast to mine– I feel like it gives it a kind of tang that is closer to cheese. I just made Potato soup and used this as my “cream.” Yummo! xoxo
Ooh, cashews would be a wonderful way to add a creamy flavor and texture! I’m going to try some nutritional yeast in my next batch.
I’ve seen a few recipes for cashew cheese but yours seems to be the simplest and simple is best for me, ha ha. This is definitely on my list of things to try, especially since I just bought a massive bag of raw cashews. Thanks for sharing!
Perfect timing! I definitely like my recipes simple. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know!
HI. I’m in LOVE with cashew cheese. My only issue is that my son is allergic to nuts. We’re hoping he tests out of cashews. And, if so, I’m going to make this right away.
I love nut cheeses!! This one looks great! What a great resource!
I definitely need to give this a try! It reminds me of the cheese paste my mother used to make for me back in the day. That’s probably one the things I missed the most since going dairy free so it would be nice to have a substitute
Yum!! I have been wanting to try cashew cream and cashew cheese. It looks much simpler to make than I would have thought! Thanks for the recipe
I have made cashew cream over the years and I have never thought of making cashew cheese. What a wonderful recipe I can nearly taste it now.
Kathleen
Fridays Blog Booster Party #27
It looks tasty! And I wouldn’t have thought to try this combination.
This sounds fantastic! Today I was searching pinterest for some sauce/dressing ideas for some rice bowls or pasta/veggie salad type dishes I can create to add some variety and flavor. I think this will be the perfect addition. I can think of a lot of different uses for this recipe! Thank you for knowing exactly what I needed, lol
This sounds delectable! I’ve been making zucchini chips in my dehydrator, to replace the carbs in crackers… this would be a superb dip for snacking on those. I’ll have to try it stat. Thanks for sharing!
You surprise me everyweek Debbie! I’ve never heard of this but I’m certainly going to try it. I’m actually booked in for a healthy cooking class so might pick up some tips as well. Thanks for sharing with us at #AnythingGoes and see you next week.
Wow! This sounds delicious! Never would’ve thought of it on my own. #SundayBlogHop