For the last few years I have been making almond milk at home pretty religiously. I like the fact that I can control the ingredients that go into it, there are no preservatives, and I just honestly prefer the taste to store bought. If the almond is so good, I thought cashew milk just had to be delicious.
Last Fall, I started experimenting with new nut and seed milk combinations in our home like my coconut almond milk and pumpkin spiced pepita milk. Which led me to realize that I had been cheating our taste buds by only serving up almond milk at home. Since then I have been soaking and blending a new variation of nuts or seeds every week to see what we like best as a family and it turns out that the easiest of all the nut milks happens to be our family favorite for both flavor and consistency. It comes together in under 5 minutes, not counting soaking of course, and tastes better than any store bought plant based milk you can buy. Our 12-year old dairy fanatic doesn't even scoff at my cashew milk!
Use this delicious cashew milk in smoothies, recipes, or drink it straight.
I use this cashew milk everyday now in our smoothies and cereal, I pour the little fruit bandit and I big cups to sip on while we enjoy our lunch, and I am developing some pretty spectacular popsicles for B&B using this cashew milk as a base.
So, let's get busy and make a big batch of cashew milk!! You will be SO glad you did.
Step 1: Combine all of the ingredients into your blender.
- Combine your soaked and rinsed cashews, 3 cups filtered water, 1-2 tablespoons agave or maple syrup, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
- We like our cashew milk on the sweeter side, so we use 2 tablespoons of agave, but you can absolutely eliminate the sweetener and extract if you want a savory cashew milk. We won't judge.
Step 2: Blend, blend, blend...
- If you are using a Vitamix or high-speed blender simply select variable 1 (the lowest setting), start the machine and slowly increase the speed to variable 10 (the highest setting). Blend for 2 minutes. No straining necessary.
- If you are not using a high-speed blender you will need to add a minute to the blend time and possibly strain your milk through a nut milk bag , cheesecloth, or a fine mesh strainer.
Thirsty for more nut/seed milk recipes? I started a Pinterest board with a few of my favorite bloggers all about making nut/seed milk at home! Just click here.
If you’ve tried this Cashew Milk Recipe, I would be so grateful if you would rate it. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I just love hearing from you, and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours!
PrintCashew Milk (Gluten Free & Vegan)
Don’t forget to rate the recipe, and let me know what you think about this Cashew Milk in the comments below. I just love hearing from you. Your reviews/comments really help other people that visit This Mess is Ours!
- Cook Time: 3 mins
- Total Time: 3 mins
- Yield: 3 ½ cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups raw, unsalted cashews, soaked and rinsed
- 3 cups filtered water
- 1-2 tablespoons light agave, maple syrup, or preferred sweetener
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in the order listed into the carafe of a high-speed blender in the order listed.
- Starting on the lowest setting and working all the way to the highest setting blend the ingredients for 2 minutes.
Notes
To soak cashews place in a bowl and cover by a few inches with filtered water. You can soak for 2-4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
Cashew milk will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
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What are the health benefits of cashews?
Cashews are filled with protein, fiber, and healthy unsaturated fats. They also have high amounts of necessary minerals like copper, manganese, and magnesium which promote bone health. These nutrients serve to improve bone health, regulate blood sugar, and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Click here for more information on the health benefits of cashews.
Tim says
I would love to start making cashew or other nut milks in my Vitamix...although both my boys are still using sippy cups...I know my vitamix is good, but is it good enough to blend it enough so that my boys can drink it through the sippy cup valve? has anyone else tried that? any tips or suggestions to ensure it is blended fully?
Meg says
Cashew milk is easy to make in the Vitamix and doesn't require any straining at all. Simply run the blender until the milk is smooth - when my son was using a sippy cup I just thinned out the milk a bit more by adding more water to the blender.
Lori says
Silk just started selling cashew milk. I'd love to try to make it! Where do you buy your raw cashews at?
Meg says
Lori, it is SO easy to make and tastes better! I buy raw cashews from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, but most healthfood stores will have them. If not, I have also used nuts.com in the past and love them!
Marjorie Frankfurth says
Can this be made with roasted and salted cashews. That's what I have on hand already.
Meg says
No unfortunately, roasted nuts have a completely different texture than raw.
Judy says
Love at first sip. This is so easy and so yummy! I have been trying to kick my awful soymilk habit and now I no longer have to try...DONE. I even love it in my after dinner coffee 😉 thank you for making life better.
Meg says
Judy you just made my day! I am so glad that you love the cashew milk as much as we do. It's such an easy nut milk to make that I make it every few days for smoothies, cereal, and creamer around here.
Rae Lynn Carter says
Thank you so much for this post! I haven't even tasted the almond milk yet, been wanting to since I saw it in the stores, but need regular milk and can't afford to get both. Can I use these nut milks for everything, like I use regular milk? I mean, like in oatmeal, cereal, among other things, including drinking...I know I can do that. But I'm scared to try it...that I won't like it or be able to use it in everything like milk. I love milk for everything, even to just drink by itself. What do they taste like...almonds, cashews, etc.? Is there any way you can post how to make almond milk? I may like the cashew milk in the end, but I love the idea of almond milk and would like to taste it first. Had no idea I could make these myself. Also, do you know how to make almond butter, or other nut butters? And do you know if you use them as I would real butter. I'm thinking no, because I use real butter for everything too, like milk. I even use it to "grill" my steaks in...yummy taste!!! It's kind of rare, but when I do, I then pour the remaining butter onto the steak (not much), but then, I don't even need steak sauce or anything! Ok, again thank you!!! You have great ideas!!!
Meg says
You are so welcome Rae! You can use nut milk for pretty much anything. If you plan to cook with it you may want to leave any sweetener or flavorings out. I shared my method for making almond milk a few years ago and although I love it cashew milk is easier and takes less time due to the fact that you don't have to strain it. It's hard to explain what they taste like except for the fact that they are delicious and light. When you store nutmilks it is important to know that they don't have a very long shelf life and they will naturally separate. Simply shake them and they will be fine. As far as the butters are concerned they are more like peanut butter than regular butter. I hope this helps!
Erica says
Thanks for posting this, Julia. Had no idea making your own milk could be so easy.
Only problem I had: the cashew part separated from the water part. So it's lumpy, not smooth! I shake it and it helps a little, but not much. Any suggestions?
Also: lasts only 3 days in fridge or should it be OK for longer?
Meg says
Hi Erica,
When the milk sits in the fridge it will separate you should be able to simply shake it vigorously and it will blend back together. As far as the period of time tha the milk will last you can totally tell by smell, just like dairy milk. I find that 3-4 days is about as long as I am willing to keep it.
Julia says
This tutorial RULES, lady! I drink almond milk every single day and have been meaning to make homemade nut milk. I need to hop to it! I was in Whole Foods the other day and picked up a jar of cashew milk and it was something like $13.00....for like a quarter of a gallon. I definitely need to be trimming my expenses and making this stuff on my own!! 🙂 xoxo
Meg says
Thanks Julia!! I know cashew milk is insanely expensive pre-made not to mention what they have to put into it to give it a shelf life. I am telling you that cashew milk is SO much easier than almond milk to make too...because sometimes I get lazy and don't want to have to mess with the whole straining step;)