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    Home » Vegan recipes » Sauces and salad dressings

    Garlic cashew cream sauce for tacos, dips and more!

    Last Modified: Apr 16, 2021 by Becky Striepe

    Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Privacy Policy for more details.

    Recipe Video Print
    hand dips a carrot into a bowl of cashew cream sauce

    Flavorful garlic cashew cream sauce is a lovely on its own or as a topping for tacos or chili. You can also use it as the base for creamy dips and sauces, like Spinach Artichoke Dip!

    hand dips a carrot into a bowl of cashew cream sauce

    Cashew cream sauce is super versatile, and it's also incredibly easy to make. You only need a handful of ingredients and a blender to do it.

    Let's do this.

    Jump To:
    • Choosing and soaking your cashews
    • Blending tips
    • How to store and use it
    • Garlic cashew cream sauce

    Choosing and soaking your cashews

    Most cashew cream sauce recipes call for raw cashews, but I have a secret to tell you. You really don't have to splash out for raw cashews, if you don't want to.

    blue bowl of cashews on a wooden table with lemons, water, and lemon juice around it

    Yes, raw cashews will blend up more easily, but you can absolutely use roasted cashews. Trust me. If you use roasted cashews, just add 5 minutes to the soaking time to soften them a bit more. You also may need to do a bit more blending. But it will totally work!

    Soaking your cashews softens them, so that they blend more easily. I don't recommend skipping the soaking step in this or any other cashew cream recipe.

    Many recipes will tell you that you need to soak your cashews overnight, and this isn't true, either. I don't recommend making cashew sauce without soaking, but you don't need to soak for 8+ hours to get a smooth, creamy sauce.

    The trick to cutting the soaking time down from hours to minutes, though, is to use hot water.

    cashews soaking in a blue bowl of hot water

    To soak your cashews, cover them in enough hot water so that they are totally submerged. Then, figure out your soaking time.

    • If you're using a high speed blender, you only need to soak for 10 minutes.
    • For a regular blender, soak for 15 minutes.
    • If you are using roasted cashews, add 5 minutes to your soaking time.

    When the soaking time is up, drain your cashews and discard the soaking water. The soaking water gets kind of slimy and funky, so I do not recommend using it for anything other than watering a plant.

    Blending tips

    Once you finish soaking and draining, it's time to blend! This step will vary depending on your blender. Here are the deets.

    In a high speed blender, you should be able to get a nice, smooth cashew cream in just 1-2 minutes of blending. Make sure that you stop every 30-60 seconds to scrape down the sides of your blender, so all of the cashews hit that blade!

    In a regular blender, this process will take longer, but it will work. Just don't quit! Keep blending in 1-minute increments, until you have a velvety-smooth cashew cream sauce. When you take those blending breaks, make sure to scrape down the sides of your blender, so you'll end up with an even texture.

    How to store and use it

    Your finished Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce will keep for around 3 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

    You can also freeze it for up to 6 months. Just thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then give it a whisk before adding to your recipe of choice.

    Dutch oven full of spinach artichoke pasta

    Speaking of recipes! Here are some stellar ways to use my Garlic Cashew Cream Sauce!

    • to make the sauce base for Spinach-Artichoke Pasta (pictured above)
    • straight up as a sauce for pasta -- It's almost like a garlicky alfredo!
    • for making Spinach Artichoke Dip rich and creamy
    • as a topping for your favorite Vegan Chili
    • drizzled over tacos
    • as the sauce for a Burrito Bowl

    It works well as a replacement for heavy cream in savory recipes, like soups and sauces.

    You can also use it anywhere you'd use vegan mayo or vegan sour cream. It's seriously versatile and a staple in my own kitchen.

    overhead photo of garlic cashew cream in a blue bowl surrounded by baby carrots

    Garlic cashew cream sauce

    Flavorful garlic cashew cream sauce is a lovely on its own or as a vegan sour cream. You can also use it as the base for creamy dips and sauces!
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    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Keyword: cashew cream, cashew cream sauce
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 90kcal
    Author: Becky Striepe

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup cashews - soaked in hot water for 10-15 minutes, then drained (see note)
    • ½ cup water - NOT the soaking water
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • salt and pepper - to taste

    Instructions

    • Combine all of the cashew cream ingredients in your blender, and puree until smooth (see note).
    • Season to taste with salt and pepper.

    Equipment

    • Blender

    Video

    Notes

    About the Cashews: I've discovered that you don't really need raw cashews to get a smooth cashew cream, so if you can't find raw, roasted is fine. Soak raw cashews for 10 minutes or soak roasted ones for 15 minutes. If you are not using a high speed blender, add 5 more minutes to the soaking time.
    About the Blending Process: If you have to blend for more than 1 minute to get a totally smooth mix, be sure to give your blender's motor a minute or two to rest before blending more. Don't stop blending until you have a completely smooth cashew cream, and don't give up! Just keep on blending, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed, until you achieve the creamy texture you're going for.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 90kcal
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    About Becky Striepe

    Headshot of Becky Striepe in front of a teal wall

    Hi there! I'm Becky Striepe (rhymes with sleepy), and I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here.

    Learn more about me >>>

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    About Me

    Glue and Glitter
    Hi! My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”). I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here. → READ MORE

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