Cashew Milk
Learn how to make cashew milk and what to do with it, as well as its health properties. Cashew milk is the creamiest and most delicious of dairy-free milks!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on October 5, 2024
Let’s talk milk. Do you like milk? Milk and I have a tumultuous past. As a kid, I boycotted milk for a solid ten years, during which time my mother fretted about my calcium intake and swore I’d turn into a decrepit, brittle old lady. May the record show that I have not once broken a bone.
These days, I’m still not much of a milk drinker. I like a splash of it in my coffee, but I accidentally stopped drinking coffee two months ago. I can’t say I’m a fan of store-bought milk alternatives, either. Soy milk, rice milk and almond milk all have a funky aftertaste that I can’t abide. Homemade almond milk is pretty good, but straining the pulp from the liquid mixture is more trouble than it’s worth.
Homemade cashew milk, however, is a different story. It’s my one exception. It’s easy to make and it’s absolutely delicious. Cashew milk is the creamiest of homemade nut milks and the most refreshing, in my opinion.
Since the nuts blend entirely into the water, no nuts go to waste in the process. That also means that the cashew milk retains all of the fiber and nutrients present in the cashews. Did I mention that you don’t have to strain the mixture? I’m a fan.
Cashew milk is full of redeeming nutrients, like magnesium, phosphorus, iron, potassium and zinc. The fat in cashews is mostly unsaturated and they are a good source of protein (source).
I’ve made this cashew milk recipe in my old blender and my new fancy pants blender (courtesy of Blendtec). Both blenders produced creamy milk that didn’t require straining, so don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy pants blender. Soaking the cashews first helps them break down in the blender, too. Generally, soaking nuts before consuming them helps release beneficial enzymes. I’m not sure that’s true for cashew milk, though, because even “raw” cashews have already been through two roasting processes to remove their inner and outer shells. “Raw” cashew milk/cream/cheese may be a misnomer.
A cold glass of cashew milk is super refreshing on a hot day. Add cinnamon and it reminds me of horchata. Mix some into Assam or black tea with spices for a riff on Chai tea. It would be great with muesli or cereal for breakfast. Apparently you can even make ice cream with cashew milk, though I admit I’m skeptical. Have you tried it?
Watch How to Make Cashew Milk
Please let me know how your cashew milk turns out in the comments! If you’re looking for more homemade milk alternatives, check don’t miss my pecan milk and oat milk.
Cashew Milk
Cashew milk is creamy and refreshing, nutritious and easy to make. You shouldn’t need to strain the mixture after blending if you have a decent blender. That means less hassle and less waste! Recipe yields about 5 cups cashew milk.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 4 cups water, divided*
- 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey or agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Dash of sea salt
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the cashews in water at least 4 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator. Drain the cashews and rinse until the water runs clear. Add the cashews and two cups water to a blender. Start on a low setting and increase the speed until the cashews are totally pulverized. This could take 2 minutes in a high-powered blender or longer in a regular blender.
- Blend in 2 cups more water*, your sweetener of choice, vanilla extract, sea salt and cinnamon (optional). If your blender can’t totally break down the cashews, strain the milk through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth. Store the milk in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days—stir before using.
Notes
*Water ratio: The ratio of water to cashews (4 to 1) in this recipe yields milk that is somewhere between 2% and whole milk in terms of creaminess. I think it’s just right as-is, but you can use less water for even creamier results.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup or agave nectar, not honey.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
My entire milk making world was changed when I started using a nut milk bag for straining! It makes such a huge difference in comparison to cheesecloth. I would always end up squeezing the pulp through the cheesecloth because I didn’t have enough patience to wait for it to strain and it always seemed to get clogged up with the pulp. :) Since buying the nut milk bag (which I despise the name of, haha) I haven’t bought a single carton of nut milk since! Love that first photo!!
Love this. I tried almond milk for the first time last week and it was so much better than store-bought. However, the straining was kind of annoying. Glad you don’t have to strain this one and it looks so creamy! Great for breakfast or even dessert.
Two questions- where do you find is the cheapest place for your raw cashews? I’m on a hunt! Also, what’s your opinion of the blendtec vs. vitamix? Can you make fruit-only sorbets with the Blendtec?
Hey Katy! Great question. Probably the best place to buy nuts is Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods or a health food store with high turnover. They are a little pricy, but at least none go to waste in this recipe. I haven’t had a chance to test Blendtec vs. Vitamix personally. I haven’t made sorbet in my Blendtec blender yet, but I see a berry sorbet made with fruit and ice cubes in their recipe book, so I think it can be done.
thank you Kate for the recipe! i just wanted to say i lucked out and found unsalted cashews at Costco yesterday 2.5lbs for $14.99..fyi if anyone is on the hunt for cashews!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Kelly!
Did you have success making cashew milk from the Costco Kirkland Signature Raw Unsalted Organic Cashews? It says on the container that they are steam pasteurized. Thanks.
That should work!
Delicious. I added a dash of maple syrup and removed all other flavours. Its amazing and no need to sieve. I strained once just to check and there was only 1 teaspoon of very soft sediment. I didn’t even soak the nuts. I used my nutribullet first to pulverize the nut then added syrup. Delicious and super fast.
Thanks, Melita! Glad you’re enjoying cashew milk!
Melita: I would greatly appreciate if you could write your method of making the cashew milk using a nutri bullet.
Ash is right on the nut milk bag being so key. It makes the process kind of fun and it better preserves the nut pulp for other uses. But! There are definitely merits to the no-strain milks like cashew and my fave, hemp seed milk. Yum yum yum.
I’m lactose intolerant, so I’m always looking for non-dairy alternatives. I usually go for almond/coconut milk, but cashew milk sounds delish! I must give it a try!
I usually drink Almond milk, but only because I’ve never tried cashew milk! Cashews are my favorite nut, so I’d probably love this!
Please do give cashew milk a try, Katrina! I know you’ll love it.
Hi,
about your question concerning the ice cream: I often use cashew nuts in ice cream! Not cashew milk-though, but either cashew nuts + ice cubes + dried fruit/cocoa or frozen berries + few ice cubes + cashew nuts. I think using milk would make the whole thing maybe a bit too warm when mixing, depending on what else you are using in the ice cream.
Using cashew nuts in ice cream is fantastic, as they make the whole mixture taste very creamy.
Besides, I always use cashew milk when “normal” recipes call for milk or cream. Here I use a 1:5 ratio of nuts:water when substituting cream and 1:7 when substituting milk. I’ve never had any problems with that, it works fantastically =)
Thank you so much for your input, Inés! I’ll have to give cashew ice cream (your way) a go soon. It sounds delicious.
I’m absolutely delighted with this milk. I’ll go today to the grocery store to by cashews. Almond milk is such a fuss to make…
Thanks for this delicious-looking recipe and well-researched information.
I am tempted by all of your recipes — especially your vibrantly colorful, creatively constructed salads — but I’ve forced myself to resist your tempting nut-based recipes (rosemary-roasted nuts, gingerbread granola, pecan butter) because the price of nuts is so darn high, and climbing, out here where I live. Do you have any tips or sources for finding affordable cashews, pecans, almonds, or walnuts? I know that nuts are protein-rich, filling, and packed with healthy fats, which makes them a worthwhile component of a healthy diet, but I just can’t justify that $12.99 per pound.
Hey Christine, thank you so much for commenting. I’m sorry nuts are expensive where you live! I know that my grocery bill is definitely higher than usual when it’s time to stock up on nuts, but I try to think of the expense in terms of nutritional value, and then they’re worth it. I have been buying my nuts at Trader Joe’s, which seems to have high turnover and reasonable prices. Whole Foods or a health food store with high turnover might be your best bet. I try to avoid using pine nuts since they are so very expensive! Hope you can justify the expense of the cashews for this recipe.
If you have a Winco near by, their bulk bins are great, and inexpensive!
I have been buying farm fresh nuts from : http://www.california-almonds.com
They are a co-op of farms. Their prices are good. For 5 pounds, you don’t pay shipping. Cashews are imported, and don’t grow in the US, so I get Now Foods brand from http://www.iherb.com. Not cheap, but very fresh.
I’ve been pouring Aldi brand almond milk in my cereal for months now. I know it’s not the best thing for me, but being lactose intolerant, I can’t handle regular milk even with the enzymes I take. I knew it was a pretty big hassle to make your own almond milk, but this sounds totally doable! Also, my Mexican husband LOVES horchata. It’s a win-win. I’ll be trying this soon!
Hope you both enjoy the cashew milk, Megan! You might add extra cinnamon and maybe a little more sweetener to make it taste more like horchata.
We can’t buy almond milk in South Africa, but I’ve made some. I’m definitely going to try this. Anything that’s less effort is worth a try. Cashews are also the cheapest nuts, so that’s a big plus.
Thanks for commenting, Natasha! I’m glad cashews are affordable where you live. Hope you love the cashew milk.
Whole Foods sells a cashew milk ice cream- in pistachio flavor!- which is fantastic! Easily the best dairy-free ice cream I’ve tried so far.
I’ll have to hunt down some cashew milk ice cream! Thanks for the head’s up, Kristina. Can’t wait to try it.
I’ve tried my hand at making almond milk, but not cashew! Also, the non-dairy milks work surprisingly well in ice cream, you just have to bulk it up with frozen bananas or coconut milk : )
Awesome, great to know! Thanks, Abby.
Oooooo I wanna try! Let’s get cashewed!
well, now I have to try and make cashew ice cream. you’ve thrown down the gauntlet!
Yessssssssss! I just made a batch of this yesterday. And your photos are stunning!
I don’t drink milk but I love cashews; this is the kind of milk for me!
I bet you’d love cashew milk, Laura! Hope you’ll give it a try.
I accidentally stopped drinking milk a couple of years ago and hadn’t tried almond milk because it seemed like a lot of work, but this sounds fantastic as I adore cashews. The idea of cashew milk ice cream intrigues me too. Sounds like something I have to try!
By the way, thanks for stopping by my blog. I’ve been a stalker of yours for some time.
As I saw your first photo I was reminded of the fact that I keep meaning to try making my own cashew milk, but still haven’t invested in a nut milk bag. THEN I was overjoyed to read that you don’t actually need one! I was a huuuuuge milk drinker as a kid but have sort of gone off of it in favour of almond milk now because it keeps longer in the fridge. I will be giving this a try!
Cashew milk makes the BEST EVER homemade ice cream. Incidentally :)
Good to know! Can’t wait to try it.
That is the EXACT story of my relationship with milk. “boycotted” is a good word for it.. I usually just eat yogurt instead but nut milk seems like a nice thing to try.
I love milk, but I also love cashews and have dabbled in cashew sauce before. I bet this would be so good with a bowl of cereal! I need to make this ASAP!
This is a wonderful idea – I love that there is no wasted or leftover nut meal at the end of it. I was taken off dairy for years as a little girl because of allergies – I do now drink it but it’s great to have alternatives!
Cinnamon cashew milk is one of my favorites! It has a wonderful creaminess to it with just a hint of spice to liven it up.
I love nut milks and their natural sweetness. They bring something to recipes that ordinary dairy milk doesn’t. I will have to try making cashew milk since I already love cashew cheese!
I’m actually a BIG almond milk fan but I wouldn’t say that I drink it religiously or daily or even weekly…it’s more like whenever I happen to have it around. I’m thinking I need to try a homemade variety of nut milk and you are really selling this cashew milk!
I’ve never liked milk (I even preferred my cereal dry!) but I am quite into nut milks these days. I don’t make it myself often, but I am excited to try this out.
Haha, I refused to eat cereal with milk as a kid because it seemed like “cold soup”. Hope you’ll give cashew milk a shot, it’s really lovely. P.s. I owe you an email, I’m working on it! xo
Cashews and nuts such as macadamias and pistachios are hideously expensive in my neck of the woods (Antwerp, Belgium). This recipe will easily set me back USD10-12 for the one cup of cashews. I make my own granola as store-bought granola (or store-bought anything, in my view) is just so blah after tasting the joy of homemade, so I need to cut down on other things to afford the multitude of nuts that go into it. But over the years I have simply grown more and more accustomed to cut down on loads of things in order to have a good budget for food year round. A life without good food just about each day is just not worth it, now is it?
So yes, I will be making this cashew milk soon! And cashews being my favourite nuts…
I’m sorry nuts are so expensive in Belgium! I agree, though, I couldn’t go without them. Hope the cashew milk proves worth your time and effort.
I don’t often drink milk straight up anymore, but one of my fav things to do with it is drizzle it over my hot oats after they’re cooked–so nummy– and also make some lovely chai tea :) This cashew milk looks like a winner and I will definitely try it!
I bet cashew milk on oatmeal would be wonderful! I’ll have to give it a try.
I am not a milk person, not a huge fan actually. Mom still tells tales about how she had to make me drink milk! huh :D The husband on the other hand drinks milk everyday, even now. So I will try this for him. He will love it :)
I had (amazingly delicious) hazelnut sorbet at Hen of the Woods once, and I’ve been curious if just using sweetened nut milk and an ice cream maker would approximate it. Now I need to try it with cashew milk–thanks so much for sharing your recipe and lovely photos!
I love cashew milk! When I did a juice cleanse a while ago, the cashew milk at the end of the day was my saving grace! I totally agree that a dash of cinnamon really completes the drink. This would go great with those GF chocolate chip cookies you posted a while ago!
Oh this cashew milk looks delicious! I just bought two pounds of cashews so I will be making this asap. I just did a post on Vegan Caesar Dressing using cashews and it is wonderful.
I don’t have a blender. Would this work in a food processor?
I’m really not sure. If you have a great food processor, it might, but I think you will have to strain out some leftover bits of cashews at the end.
Almond milk is not that difficult to make with a nut milk bag. Maple Pecan milk is really good. I have made cashew cream but not milk, I will have to try this. Oat milk is also good but you have to make it carefully or it will turn to slime. Almond/Coconut milk is good. It’s all good!
Maple pecan milk sounds wonderful! I’ll have to try that soon. I really enjoy the flavor of cashew milk, and it’s nice not to have any pulp leftover to deal with.
This is very similar to the Cashew milk I make for my daughter. I didn’t want to give her any dairy so I did some research and found cashew milk is a great alternative for kiddos. Best part is with the Vitamix you don’t have to strain with a nut bag! Love your recipes-thanks!
I’ve known I have milk protein intolerance for 6 months now, and I have tried every nut , seed and grain replacement for it that I could find. None of them were very good, because they either had a weird aftertaste or a yucky texture. But this recipe has sort of saved my life, and
I AM ADDICTED TO MAKING THIS MILK NOW, IT IS SO EASY AND TASTES AWESOME AND I LOVE IT!!! Thank you so much for posting it!
Hooray! I’m so glad you love the cashew milk, Eva.
I was wondering if they absolutely HAVE to be raw cashews? Nutritional value or not, I have a strict $250/mo food budget for a family of five. We are EXTREMELY “green” to going vegan. Actually, only on day two, but we are committed to making this happen. If roasted cashews will work, I thought I’d mention that Dollar Stores, such as Dollar General, and Family Dollar have tins of cashews for only $1-$2 here in Kansas, but even on the East coast, the price is about the same. I’m not sure I could even buy raw cashews in my town. We don’t have a natural foods store for over 20 miles (and I don’t have a car), and our natural foods section at the local Wal-Mart, is less than one full side of one aisle (unless you count the produce section). Any good tips on buying dirt cheap vegan foods? I’m very, very interested in trying this recipe! Thanks!
Hi Jennifer, I do believe the cashews should be labeled raw. I’m not sure the golden, roasted ones will break down as well in the blender. I suppose you could try, though. I would definitely not use salted cashews or cashews that are coated with added oils. Nuts are on the pricy side, but I don’t buy meat so I think it all balances out. I’ll ask my facebook followers if they have any suggestions on where to buy affordable nuts and will report back if I get any good suggestions.
I’ve used Kirkland roasted unsalted cashews in my Vitamix for cheeses & milk. It works really well! The cashew taste is a little more robust with roasted cashews, but it’s still really good. This brand does have some peanut oil in them. And while I know it’s not as healthy as just cashews as an ingredient, it still beats buying cartons from the store with added sugars, thickeners, carrageenan, & oils too. I just work with what I can find within my budget.
Thanks for this recipe. I have been trying to stay away from store bought milk substitutes as they tend to add “extras” but making almond milk is such a pain and I honestly don’t like it that much. Cashew milk is the perfect alternative, it has such a mild flavor and I don’t bother adding sweetener to mine. I’m curious to see how it does in some of my vegan recipes as I usually go with soy milk in those. Can’t wait to try.
thanks so much for this recipe. I tried it and it was amazing. Goodbye cow milk!
Thanks, Erhyka! Glad you love the cashew milk!
Best part is with the Vitamix you don’t have to strain with a nut bag! Love your recipes-thanks!
Hi Kate,
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I just made the cashew milk and it’s delicious!
My only mistake was to add it to my coffee. Will never do that again, the taste just does not match. Do you know another substitute for regular milk to use in coffee (though I know that you don’t drink it anymore :) ) ?
Thanks again Kate, you are an inspiration!
Hello Kate! I wish I knew of a good milk substitute for coffee. I’ve tried almond milk, cashew milk and coconut milk, and none of them tasted right. One time I tried store-bought hazelnut milk and the flavor paired pretty well, but of course it tastes like hazelnuts. I gave up and just keep half and half in the fridge.
I loved it in my coffee
Woke up this morning and realized I am out of almond milk! I have always wanted to make my own cashew milk ( I used to make my own almond milk). I have a bag of raw cashews in the fridge and have decided to give your recipe a whirl (pun intended ;-) ) The hardest part will be waiting out the 4 hours to soak the cashews! Oh well, I often eat breakfast in the afternoon on the weekends…….I’ll let you know how it goes but it sounds DELISH!!! :)
Hope you loved the cashew milk, Andrea! Thanks for commenting.
Lolllll. Thx for commenting (not really).
I live in Brunei and raw cashews are easy to find, however I have only just tried cashew nut milk for the first time a few days ago and used a chopped date in the blender with the nuts for sweetness and it is delicious…Diana
So glad you enjoyed the cashew milk, Diana! I bet a chopped date is a tasty addition.
Hi Diana! I just got back to brunei and have no idea where to get any raw nuts here! Could you point me in the right direction? Raw supplies are so hard to find here!
As a person who is lactose intolerant and allergic to almonds I am so happy to have found this recipe!
I have tried other non-dairy milk such as coconut, soy, rice, and almond (before the allergy kicked in) and I have to say that this is my favorite. I followed your recipe but cut in in half, I didn’t want to “waste” a bunch of cashews if I didn’t like it.
Thank you!
You’re welcome! Glad you like it. Cashew milk is my favorite, too.
A GREAT website for getting RAW cashews at great prices (especially when they’re on sale) is at The Raw Food World. You can get them in bulk too if I remember correctly.
Finally tried this and so glad I did! It’s incredibly easy and really tasty! I love the addition of cinnamon! I’ve got some chia pudding going in the fridge now, and I’m also looking forward to adding the milk to my smoothies!
Awesome! Can’t wait to see you soon!
Hi there,
This recipe sounds great, I can’t wait to try it but I just have one question about the water that you initially soaked the cashews in, which is discarded when you strain the cashews before blending. Are any nutrients lost in this process? Would there be any benefit in keeping the strained liquid and adding back into the blender with the cashews, or is the point of discarding the water to minimize the starch content?
Thanks alot!
Hi Jamie, I’m not entirely sure why, but all nut milk recipes I’ve seen emphasize the importance of draining and rinsing the nuts before blending. I suspect it’s because the stagnant water might harbor some bacteria or off flavors.
Okay, so I love almond milk and am dairy free and mostly grain free, but my hubby just recently decided to join me on this path and he HATES almonds… So cashew milk is AWESOME! But… after running my raw cashews (they soaked for 25 hours) through my Kitchenaid food processor I still had a lot of grainy texture. So I poured the stuff into my Magic Bullet, seemed smooth so I added some to my coffee, it separated, yuck… I decided to pour this through two layers of rather fine knit cheese cloth, actually I made a dipped net into a quart Mason jar and poured in my milk/nut mix, it took two hours to strain, sitting in the fridge… I finally have milk, and its AMAZING!!! But the whole “no-straining-necessary” didn’t work for me. One of these days I’m gonna get a vitamix, until then straining worked, and the stuff left in the cheese cloth is literally like WHIPPED CREAM! So, that’s going on some berries with maple syrup and granola for breakfast, nothing wasted… Just wish this really was “no-strain” . I wanted creamy milk so I blended my 1 cup cashews with 2 cups water, and will definitely do it again!!! I got 1 cup of milk, and about 1 cup of whipped cashew
Hi Caitlyn, I’m sorry you had to strain the cashew milk! I’m a little stumped by that because the milk came out smooth even when I made it in my $30 blender. Maybe I should give that blender more credit! My only other thought is that maybe your cashews weren’t as fresh as mine? No idea.
Made your cashew milk this afternoon and it turned out great. Can’t wait to use the milk in my smoothies the next couple of mornings!
That’s terrific! Glad it turned out well!