Perfectly tangy and creamy cashew cream that is naturally fermented!
This recipe comes from our free eBook “The Art of Vegan Cheese Making”. Since it’s a recipe I am making regularly and that can be used in a many different dishes, I thought it needed its own post. Let’s make fermented cashew cream!
HOW TO MAKE FERMENTED CASHEW CREAM
Cashew cream requires just 2 ingredients: Cashews and probiotics!
First we start by soaking raw cashews overnight. This step softens the cashews and helps get a super creamy texture.
Once cashews are soaked, drain them and transfer to a high-speed blender. Add water and blend until smooth.
FERMENTATION
Next, comes the fermentation. Transfer the cashew cream to a clean jar or bowl and stir in two capsules of probiotics. Simply open the capsules and add the powder to the cashew cream. If you have probiotics in powdered form, use about 1/8 of a teaspoon.
For information: the probiotics capsules I use here are the Advanced Acidophilus Plus and contain 500M microorganisms. You don’t have to use this specific strain, but if your probiotics are stronger than that, use less.
Finally, cover the jar or bowl with plastic film to touch (the plastic film should be in contact of the cashew cream to prevent it from drying on top) and let ferment at room temperature for 12-48H.
During summer, 12 hours is enough for the cream to get a tangy flavor. During winter, it might take up to 48 hours. You know the cashew cream is done when it has a light texture with small air bubbles and a tangy flavor.
CONSISTENCY
You can easily adjust the consistency of your cashew cream by increasing or decreasing the amount of water.
- For a thick and spreadable cream cheese: use the recommended amount in the recipe. This yields a cream cheese that can be used in sandwiches, on toast, as a dip, in baked goods, etc.
- For a more liquid, pourable cream: add about 1 and 1/2 cup of water to the fermented cream and blend again. This will give you a cashew cream that is perfect to add to soups, curries, pasta, etc.
HOW TO USE FERMENTED CASHEW CREAM
This fermented cashew cream is so versatile! The thick version can be used in:
- Sandwiches, toasts, bagels, or even in burgers. It can also be incorporated into mashed potatoes for extra creaminess. You can flavor it with fresh herbs, black pepper, pesto, or even cumin for a delicious cream cheese spread!
The liquid version is best:
- Stirred into curries, soups, or to make delicious pasta sauces. You can also use it in hot chocolate to add creaminess, to make chocolate ganache, or to thicken a smoothie!
Looking for more fermented recipes? Check out this Fermented Tofu, Vegan Aged Camembert, or this Cashew & Almond Greek Yogurt!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
Vegan Fermented Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 capsules probiotics I used Solgar's Advanced Acidophilus Plus
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Drain the cashews and transfer to a high-speed blender. Add the water and blend on high-speed for about 30 seconds, or until the cashew cream is very smooth.
- Next, transfer the cashew cream to a clean jar or glass bowl. Open the probiotics capsules and add the powder to the cashew cream. Use a wooden spoon to stir.
- Cover the cashew cream with plastic film to touch and let ferment in a dark place, at room temperature, for 12-48 hours. During warm months, the cashew cream just needs about 12 hours to ferment, while in the winter it can take up to 48 hours. You know the cashew cream is ready when you see small air bubbles have formed. It should have a tangy flavor but should not taste sour.
- Once fermented, refrigerate the cashew cream for at least 2 hours before using as it tastes better chilled. Add salt to taste and use in sandwiches, toasts, bagels, etc.
- Note: If you want to make a liquid cashew cream, blend the cream with about 1 and 1/2 cup of water after the fermentation process.
- This fermented cashew cream will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
I made this yesterday from the same recipe, different blogger. It is really good. I was surprised.
Thanks for the recipe. Your recipes are my favourite from the internet. Your vegan fish was sensational.
I wanted to share my tofu fresh cheese with you. It starts with me buying the Chinese 4 litre soy milk. In Vancouver we have a very large Chinese population so that part is easy to find. I buy it because it is much cheaper than buying the two quart SILK or other brand alternative milks. I like soy milk (NON-GMO) best. I also like Almond, but the politics behind Almond milk …. oh never mind. Anyway, I buy 4 litres at a time and often (especially since my son moved out) some of it goes sour. I put the sour milk in a jar, in a hot water bath. within a few hours it has separated. I pour off the whey which I use for many other things… bread liquid, pickling vegetables, etc… the list goes on.
I take the curds and depending on what I want it to taste like, I add lemon juice and nutritional yeast and spread it on crackers, bread, use as dips etc. I almost always have some in the fridge.
You are great!
Jeannie
Thanks so much for your kind words Jeannie!
Natural soy milk is definitely the best, it’s much better than those tasteless commercial brands! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Fantásticas tus recetas.
Sugerencia:somos muchísimas las personas que te seguimos de habla ESPAÑOLA.
¿Podrías traducir los vídeos de YouTube al
Español? Muchísimas gracias.
Un saludo desde Las Islas Canarias en España.
Hi Valentina,
Thanks for your kind words! Unfortunately I don’t speak Spanish and translating recipes is not planned at the moment.
Thus looks interesting. Could I use a little milk kefir instead of probiotic capsule?
Thanks, Elaine
Hi Elaine,
I believe that should work, but I haven’t personally tried.
Just curious if stirring in the probiotics has to be done with a wooden spoon? Would silicon or metal induce a bad reaction from the bacteria?
I recommend using a wooden spoon just as a precaution, but a few times I stirred using a metal spoon and never had any issue.
Same here, i add probiotics while blending, metal blades but never any issues.
Made this and love it. I used a liquid coconut kefir probiotic made in Nova Scotia and there were bubbles within 12 hours. It is tasty as it but I plan to add some herbs to part of the batch for variety.
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback Terri!
I have been making fermented cashew cream for years. Sometimes I add coconut milk instead of water. Always wonderful result, perfect for soups or replacing cottage cheese
Thanks for your rating Evva!
Awesome The Crazy Vegan luv it thanks for sharing
I was wondering if this recipe is the updated version of the cultured cream cheese recipe found in your ebook or simply a different version? I made the cultured cream cheese the other day with mesophilic culture and it turned out amazing! I was totally blown away by how similar to non-vegan cream cheese it was with its tanginess.
Going forward, would you recommend the acidophilus over the mesophilic culture?
It’s not an updated version. Mesophilic culture is not resonating with many people, so to make it simpler I went with probiotics for this recipe.
If you have mesophilic and can find it easily, I definitely recommend it over the probiotics. The flavor is slightly better and more complex in my opinion.
Do you think this would work using tofu instead of cashews? Trying to get more soy in my diet. Thank you.
Hi Rebecca,
I haven’t tried but I think using tofu will not yield the same rich and creamy texture. I’m also not sure how it would ferment.
Hello!
I love your recipes, thank you so much for all the work that is behind them.
Regarding the translation into Spanish, I’m from Spain, I speak English and I can do it for free, it would be my pleasure if more people can access this amazing blog.
Cheers;
Erica
Hello Erica,
Thanks for your kind words! We are not looking to translate recipes for now, but thanks for your offer!
I love this recipe
Can I use this fermented cream to make cheesecakes?
Thank you
Thanks Andrea!
I haven’t tried yet, but I doubt you will get a texture very similar to an authentic cheesecake.