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.
Hello Kate,
I have started making cashew nut milk but have one problem with it.
I do strain it through a nut milk bag but when I add it to my coffee it separates out from the coffee within seconds and won’t stay mixed in.
Is this to be expected? I don’t understand why it won’t stay mixed in, in the same way that dairy milk does.
Regards,
Barry
Hey Barry, I’ve experienced the same problem. I wish I had a solution for you. I suspect that the cashew milk separates because the cashew particles are still heavy enough to sink, whereas milk particles are totally emulsified. I’d love to find a natural non-dairy creamer with a neutral flavor. Sorry!
Vixen’s Kitchen makes ice cream from cashews. It is local in Humboldt,CA and is amazing! She makes all kinds of flavors but the vanilla is my favorite. My kids love it! It may be available by web.
Help,
Love the cashew milk, cashew white sauce, cashew hummus and will try cashew cheese again (later can share my big oopppss)..
I strained my cashew milk.. Lots of extra fiber left.. what can I do with this.. right now. (as I write) added a bit of honey and eating with a spoon.. can I dry it into a granola bar, sweet candy or dried flakes.. ?? any suggestions would be great..
Your recipe is the best for the mild…
supposed to say Your recipe is the best for the Milk…
Kendall, I’m sorry your cashews didn’t blend smoothly into the milk. Either your cashews are old/hard, you didn’t blend long enough, or you might just need a better blender. I’m not sure what to do with the cashew pulp, but here are some ideas that might work: http://themamasgirls.com/8-ideas-for-the-leftover-almond-pulp-from-making-almond-milk/
I use any pulp of nuts in fruit and nut bread I make regularly for my husband’s breakfast. It could go in cookies or muffins as well.
We tried making cashew milk but ours came out tasting exactly like carmex. Any idea why? The texture was brilliant and the thickness too but I am not sure what went wrong. Do you have any suggestion as to why this happened or how to fix it? Thanks
Well, that’s weird! There are only a few ingredients here, so I can only assume that one had gone bad. Did the cashews taste good before you blended them up? I’m not sure how the cashew milk would taste if it got overheated during blending, but I’m guessing that the overheated milk wouldn’t taste like Carmex. I’m stumped, I’m sorry!
The cashews didn’t taste like anything at all really. I will give it another go with a new batch of Cashews. Thanks though. :D
Hope the milk turns out better next time!
LOVE this recipe! I can not thank you enough. The nasty chemicals and additives in commercial nut milks are horrible! Even the packaging of commercial nut milk is not settling to my body, stomach, or mind.
Thanks, Ela! Glad you’re loving the cashew milk!
Can you recommend a good place to buy cashews? I want to make this, but cashews are not cheap.
Hey Zach, you’re right, they aren’t cheap. I buy nuts at Trader Joe’s and Natural Grocer’s. Another reader recommended nuts.com but I haven’t investigated their pricing.
Kate, thanks for posting this recipe. I’ve used it several times now and will continue to! A quick question: any particular reason why we rinse the soaked cashews until the water runs clear before adding more water to blend. I’m curious if we could just blend with the water they’ve been soaking in and what effect this might have. I’m wondering if we’re tossing some nutrients out with the rinse water?
Hey Mark, that’s a good question and I wish I had a solid answer for you. Someone else asked the same question a while back. All the nut milk recipes I’ve seen emphasize the importance of draining and rinsing the nuts before blending. I’m guessing it’s because the stagnant water might harbor some bacteria or off flavors.
Not to sound dramatic but this is life changing! I have the vitamix and that thing whips this up SO fast. And it’s so good! No more stocking up on nut milks from the store with who knows what inside! :) Thank you!
Glad to hear it, Kahli! Thank you!
Hi Kate!
Thanks so much for the recipe, I’ve been wanting to make my own cashew milk for a while now! Do you happen to know if one cup of cashews would equate to 8oz on a scale? I know one cup is 8oz but when I measured the cashews with just a measuring cup, on the scale they turned out to be 5oz, and I didn’t know if adding more would mess up the recipe!
Thanks!
Hey Leah! One cup is 8 fluid ounces, and cashews aren’t liquid, so 5 ounces in a cup sounds about right. I’d go with 1 cup/5 ounces of cashews! I measured mine out with a measuring cup, too.
Wow! This is the best alternative milk for coffee! Creamy, no annoying nut-bag straining sessions, easy to make in smaller batches…Glooooriouuuus!
Thanks, Brittany! Glad you’re enjoying it!
How can i make the recipe for cream to ise in savory dishes?
Hi, I’m sorry, I haven’t quite figured that one out. I think you basically just reduce the amount of liquid and add seasonings like citrus juice and garlic. Here’s a recipe: http://ahouseinthehills.com/2014/04/21/spicy-potato-wedges-with-lime-dipping-sauce/
Made a half batch this morning and I’m loving it! I used 1/2c soaked nuts + 2.5c filtered water and it’s the perfect consistency for me. I sweetened with a medjool date and a few English toffee stevia drops. Also added half a scraped vanilla bean. It seriously made the PERFECT base for my iced latte this morning! Added 2 shots of cold brew to 1c milk and I was in sweet, caffeinated cashew heaven. Thanks!
Awesome! Thanks, Robin! Your iced latte sounds amazing.
Hello!
I just made this recipe, the flavor came out wonderful! The only problem was it was pretty grainy.. is it suppose to be that way at all? I just have a ninja blender, i blended it over and over to see if it wouldn’t be as grainy and i have a strainer not a nut strainer and it did help, but i hate straining stuff because of it losing nutrition. Any ideas?
Thanks love!
Hey Olive, no, it shouldn’t be grainy. Maybe your cashews are old and particularly tough, or the Ninja just can’t do the job. I’m sorry! I wish I had a better solution to offer you.
I don’t know if you would consider this an alternative to soaking, but I had a recipe I wanted the cashew milk for and I wanted the milk in an hour, not four hours, so I brought them to a boil in just enough water to cover them plus an inch, then turned off the heat and let them soak for thirty minutes. Then I blended. It actually turned out terrific! My blender is an inexpensive Oster 2-speed, so I figure in your more expensive models it would work just as well. I don’t guess I’d do it with almond milk, since I like that to be legitimately raw. Thoughts?
That’s a great idea, Holly! Thanks for sharing! I’ve heard that in high-powered blenders, you can just pulse the cashews until they are flour, then add water and blend again. Heating the water probably effects the nutrition, but I bet it’s still plenty good for you!
I’d be willing to bet that it affects the nutrition just a tiny, since (as you mentioned before) raw cashews aren’t actually raw due to their processing. And I wouldn’t do it if I was thinking ahead–I still think soaking is best because it doesn’t require the power involved in heating, minimal though it may be. But I did want to mention my recipe tweak because you just never know when someone might be impatient and need a quicker route to cashew milk! Great site, btw :)
Just a heads up, Kate: I buy my raw cashews at Al Habashi at the City Market, and I do believe they are quite a bit cheaper there than at Trader Joes. Have you been in that store? They have amazing bulk dried fruit and nut options. :)
Thanks for the recipe, btw. Just made it and it’s truly lovely.
Thanks, Kelly! I think that I have, but it sounds like I should go back for some cashews! Glad you enjoyed the cashew milk!
Hi, Just a quick question, and hopefully not a repeat :) How long will this last in the fridge?
Hey Ashley! The milk is best fresh. It should keep well for up to 3 or 4 days.
Hey Kate! I just found your blog while I was googling for “cashew milk recipe” and tried by halving the recipe. I should say that it was a wrong decision because the cashew milk is so creamy and addictive that I had to control myself from drinking the entire batch :D I did not use vanilla extract because I did not have any and the vanilla extract available are heavily processed, but it was delicious regardless. Being a vegetarian transitioning to vegan, this recipe is certainly a keeper. Thank you again Kate!
Awesome! Thanks, Sharon! Welcome to my blog. :)
Thank you for your teaching, but my problem is how to pill out the cashew (caju) nut from the thick cover.
And how long it will stay before its expire?
I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about shelling cashews! The cashew milk will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.
There was an inquiry earlier in the comments about using roasted vs. raw cashews. Well, I used the roasted (unsalted) cashews I had on hand, and took care to add the water slowly while blending. It turned out beautifully in my 15-year old cuisinart blender. I strained through a mesh sieve, and very few solids remained. Thanks for the recipe. The milk is wonderful!
Glad to hear it!
I’ve made ice cream with coconut milk and coconut cream. I’m sure it would be fantastic with cashew milk!
I just recently discovered cashew milk. Silk. It is very good plain unsweetened. My only problem with these milk substitutes is (with the exception of soy) where is the protein? I figured that most people don’t only drink milk for calcium, but for protein too. It agitates me that these substitutes are advertised and they do not measure up to milk. I have become lactose intolerant in my later life. I can’t do regular milk and have to really limit ice cream. Bad grumbly tummy…
Hey i was wondering… This sounds gross
It’s not gross. It’s creamy and delicious, like I said in the post.
One word! DELICIOUS!!!
Thanks, Jessica!
Just whipped up a batch of the Cashew Milk and it is delicious! It was a breeze to make. I did soak the cashews overnight and made sure to leave the blender running for quite a bit. Perfect. It is great!
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
Thanks, Pat! Glad it turned out great for you!
Homemade cashew milk is amazing!! I make ice cream with cashew milk and full fat coconut milk. It is incredible! I recommend it :)
Cashew milk ice cream is unbelievably good!!!
Looking forward to trying this. Has anyone made it without the sweetener? If so, I’d be interested in their feedback!
Hey Charlene, I sampled my cashew milk before adding the sweetener. It’s a little blah without it and a small amount of sweetener made it taste pretty fantastic. Up to you, though!
Thanks! Appreciate the feedback! Will be sampling soon!
This sounds fantastic! I stumbled across your page while trying to find an alternative to cashews in a juice cleanse. I’ve been dying to try to make a similar milk to cashew milk, but without nuts and I haven’t had any luck. I was wondering if you had any ideas for nut alternatives? I have allergies to all tree nuts and peanuts, but I’m so eager to try a recipe like this one.
Hi Olivia, what about oat milk? Or maybe rice milk? I don’t have tutorials for those, but I know they exist!
How did it turn out? Freaking delicious! I could drink this whole blender full right now. THANK YOU!!! Best milk I’ve had since giving up dairy.
Hooray! Thanks, Sarah!
Since you like the creaminess and non-straining, you may also like hemp milk. I do 1/4 of a cup of raw shelled hemp seeds to 2 cups of water plus a small pinch of sea salt and about a tsp. Of pure maple syrup. Delicious!
I’ll have to try that! Thanks, Cait!
Hands down it’s cashew milk for me! I have tried the Silk almond milk flavors and Silk coconut milk as well (the coconut milk had too strong a flavor for me) Too bad the hardest to find in my area is the cashew milk (it’s available in most stores around me but seems to be VERY popular)so when I do manage to find it I buy three or 4 to last me awhile. I might try making ice cream with it-sounds yummy!
I haven’t tried store-bought cashew milk or cashew ice cream! I think it’s about time I do.
It was delish! Thanks!
Dairy and almond milk, step aside! My family is totally hooked on this now. So simple and perfect–thank you!
Hooray! Thanks, Eric!
Hi Kate, I recently came across your blog about two weeks ago when I was in search for the best, yes, the best cashew milk recipe, and I found yours. What a joy! While I was eager to make it upon sight (15 minutes later from finishing up the sunflower butter) -I had to wait (the blender burnt out; the horror, the horror.) so after a weeks wait, I took the plunge and purchased a fancy blender, because after all, a recipe of this nature sure require a much better blender than the Black & Decker. As the cashews swam in the jar of water for more than 24 hours, I couldn’t help to bask in this goodness my tastes buds would soon taste. So after much wait, I am happy to say, it’s a keeper. I made the milk yesterday; absolutely rich, creamy and delicious. Thank you, thank you :)
P.S. Did I mention this is my first time attempting any type of nut milk?
Hi Zu! I’m so glad you found my recipe. I hope you are loving your new blender! Delighted to hear that you enjoyed the cashew milk. I still maintain that it is the most delicious of the nut milks!
I’ve been making this receipe regularly, and really enjoying it.
Thank you, Susan!
I have to say that having experienced soy milk (and almond milk which was just awful) I was not expecting much. I bought a big bag of cashews thinking that if it didn’t work out at least I could munch my way through them in front of the TV.
This recipe is brilliant. I might try watering down a little as suggested because it is quite a creamy texture, but it tastes great. I tried it in my tea and I think I’m ready to eliminate goats milk from my diet – another step towards cutting out all dairy.
Kate – thank you for posting this.
Thank you, David! Delighted to hear that you’re enjoying the cashew milk so much. It is so much better than the rest, if you ask me!
Yes! Cashew ice cream is fantastic! I even go so far as to say it is the best non dairy ice cream I’ve ever had. Weird huh? I was total skeptical too but now I’m sold! Thanks! I’m making it this morning for my warn apple cinnamon oatmeal
I still need to give cashew ice cream a shot! Your oatmeal sounds delicious!
I just tried this recipe exactly as you listed it here!!! DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! I love that I don’t even need to strain it! PERFECT!!!
The most exciting part for me is that, IT’S SO HEALTHY!!!!!
Also, I used it to make myself a strawberry, banana, blueberry smoothie! SO YUMMY!!!!
Yay, thanks Joliette!
I’ve tried a lot of “milk” recipes and this is by far the easiest and tastiest. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Thanks for this great & easy recipe! I have one question: what is the reason for discading the water in which the cashews have been soaked? Does that not eliminate some of the nut t ients? Would it be bad to keep the sosking liquid as part of the milk?
Sorry for all the typos. I meant to say
“…what is the reason for discarding the soaking water?”
Wondering what would be the down-side of leaving it in the milk, so that more of the nutrients would be retained.
Hi, I love cashew milk. How important do you think it is to eat organic nuts?
Thank you,
Cindy
Hi Cindy, that’s a good question, and I’m afraid I’m not an expert on organic nuts. I’m sure they vary in pesticide levels like fruits do. Some nuts are entirely protected by an outer shell (which I presume would help limit the amount of pesticides that actually reach the inside), where as some aren’t, so that’s probably a factor. Some plants are more hardy and aren’t sprayed as much as others. I wish I could offer more specifics!
THIS IS AMAZING!! I was in a hurry for some milk for cornbread and didn’t have enough almond milk. I didn’t soak the cashews (in a hurry remember) but did a half recipe without vanilla and cinnamon in my nutribullet. Super easy. Super fast. So creamy and delicious and perfect for the cornbread!! My go to for when we’re out of “milk” from now on. Thank you.
I am into the Homemade Almond Milk right now and came across one of your blog(s). You are right about the Almond Milk it is work ….. so if I made the Cashew Milk how long is it good for in the refrigerator? YAY for Cashew Milk!
I just found the answer – so cancel my question – 3 to 4 days about week! Looking forward to trying that!!!!!
I tried finding a recipe for cashew ice cream and all the ones I found were ones where you put the mix into your freezer. I didn’t want that so: I made 2 quarts of raw cashew milk using 1 cup of cashew pieces [Trader Joe’s] per quart. [I usually use 1/2 cup of nuts to a quart for drinking] I made a French Vanilla Ice Cream recipe using the cashew milk instead of cream. I also have a fancy pants Blendtec that I run on 10 for two cycles and the nuts are so finely ground I don’t need to strain them out. I put everything into the ice cream maker and waited until it ground to a halt. Ice Cream!! Everyone who tried it said it was some of the best ice cream they had every eaten. That included several people who didn’t know it was dairy free. I also make yoghurt with it.
I am going to make this or cashew milk for smoothies, but first I need to know the nutritionals on this: The calories per cup, the protein, sugars, etc…thanks. By the way, to make cashew cream, just use less water, then drizzle it on top of soups instead of heavy cream.
I’m sorry, Joanne, I don’t have or offer nutrition details for my recipes, since home cooking is so variable. Feel free to run this recipe through a nutrition calculator like myfitnesspal.com.
For those who have had their cashew milk separate when adding it to coffee, I’ve found that adding a little acacia fiber (I buy “Heather’s Tummy Fiber”, by the way) when blending the milk prevents this separation – I use about a teaspoon in a full 4-cup batch. It turns out acacia fiber (also known as Gum Arabic) is a very commonly used emulsifier in the beverage industry, and emulsifiers help prevent product separation. Acacia fiber has no taste and does not thicken, so it does not change the character of the cashew milk at all but it has prevented it from separating in my morning coffee.
Delicious ! I just started making my own nut milks. Far superior to anything store bought in a carton. I only added about a teaspoonful of maple syrup to the entire recipe, and a dash of Himalayan sea salt. I recently purchased a nut bag, so poured this through the bag, just to see ….. and, yes, only had a teaspoonful of pulp left in the bag. Now, curious how to figure any nutritional value. I am assuming that it would be the same as a little less than the values in a little less than 1/4 cup of cashews.
Summer means iced cold-brew with your cashew milk! Best way to start my day. I got your recipe from a friend a while ago and have shared it with many others over the years. I thought I should pop in and finally let you know how much I LOVE this stuff!
Thank you, Beth! That’s great to hear. I’ve been making some fun tea versions of cashew milk lately!
Way less milk=delicious yogurt!