This is my favorite Cashew “Cheese” recipe because it’s simple to make, rich and creamy yet healthy, and absolutely delicious! While cashews soak for 15 minutes, throw everything else in the blender and this cashew cheese soak-to-finish is done in 20 minutes or less!
What can you use this for?
My absolute favorite dish for this creamy vegan “cheese” is my Buffalo Mac and Cashew Cheese recipe! For a kid-friendly version, I have a mellower Creamy Mac and Cashew Cheese recipe, with rich and simple flavors that everyone loves. It can also be used for:
- Creamy sauce for pasta dishes
- Tacos or burritos
- Drizzled on broccoli
- Nachos
- Chip and veggie dip
- Drizzled on vegan pizza after it’s cooked
Just to name a few of my favorite options!
Does Cashew Cheese taste like cheese?
Nope! It’s not dairy so it won’t taste like cheese. It’s made from cashews and has it’s own unique flavor profile since it’s a completely different food! If you take a bite expecting this to taste like cheddar then you’re setting yourself up for disappointment because it’s not cheddar. This is a creamy and tasty macaroni dish with delicious flavors of it’s own!
What’s wrong with cheese?
Everything. What isn’t wrong with cheese? The saturated fat, the pregnancy hormones including estrogen and progesterone,1 insulin growth factor-1, the increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers2‘3 just to name a few. We don’t need cheese or any dairy in our diets at all and the quality of life is better without it! Ever wonder why it’s so hard to quit cheese? There’s a reason for it! I wrote all about that in my article: Why is Cheese so Addictive?
Cashew cheese is a tasty, healthy alternative to dairy cheese! Plus, the clean-up is so much easier without all the greasy oil! Win-win.
Creamy (no-cook) Cashew Cheese
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This rich and creamy Cashew “Cheese” is delicious, healthy, and whips up quickly! Perfect for vegan Mac and Cashew cheese, nachos, or dips!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened, unflavored plant milk (more if needed. I prefer soy)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1–2 tsp white miso or 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika (or use smoked paprika for a smokey flavor)
- few grinds of Black pepper
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Soak cashews overnight (best) OR if in a time crunch place 1 cup raw cashews in a bowl and pour boiling water over them and soak for 15+ minutes.
- When ready to make cashew cheese, add all the other ingredients to a high speed blender (starting with 1 tsp miso and adding more to-taste). Once cashews finish soaking, strain water and place in the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape the sides occasionally, about 2 minutes.
- Add anything more to-taste. Cashew cheese will thicken up after it rests, so stir or blend more more plant milk if needed.
Notes
*After cashew cheese has been refrigerated, you may need to add more milk to thicken it up! You can re-blend or heat it up on the stovetop in a pot on low-medium heat, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Soak Time: 15 minutes
- Category: sauces and dressings
- Method: blending
- Cuisine: American
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19496976/#:~:text=Background%3A%20Modern%20genetically%20improved%20dairy,amounts%20of%20estrogens%20and%20progesterone.
- https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-information/health-concerns-about-dairy#:~:text=Research%20has%20linked%20the%20high,of%20dying%20from%20the%20disease.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4524299/#:~:text=Estrogens%20in%20milk%20and%20milk%20products&text=Very%20early%20studies%20showed%20that,17%CE%B2%2Doestradiol%20(86).
