Easy Homemade Cashew Milk (very quick, no strain)
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Homemade Cashew Milk can be made in under 15 minutes, using just two ingredients (one of which is water) and no straining needed. This makes it the quickest and easiest of the plant-based milks to pull together. And don’t tell the others but it’s also my favourite!
Honestly, this is the recipe I make the most out of the 600+ on this website and that’s because I have made it 2-3 times a week for the past.. ten years maybe.
Ultra quick story time (not to be a food blogger cliché but hey it’s my corner of the internet here): I hated milk as a child – it made my ears pop. My very earliest memory is when I was three years old at nursery crying as they were forcing me to drink the milk at milk and story time.
Fast forward to me being an adult and realising the reason I hated milk time and cereal for breakfast is because I am intolerant to dairy. I do have a fickle relationship with dairy and although I do indulge occasionally (see the hundreds of dairy rich recipes on this website – I am my own worst enemy) there are a couple of instances where dairy doesn’t get a look in. And that is my 2-3 daily cups of tea. If plant milk is not available then I will happily enjoy herbal but I will never pour dairy milk in my tea.
As such I have become a bit of a plant milk obsessive and for me homemade is the only way to go. If I am out then I will tend to have herbal as shop bought plant based milk tends to be watery or far too sweet.
At home I gravitated toward making my own almond milk for a few years, but when I discovered that cashew milk was quicker to make: 15 minutes compared to 24 hours. Plus didn’t require straining, so no annoying clean up of the milk bag or making use of the almond pulp, I was convinced to make the change. Now my twice weekly blending of cashew milk is a non-negotiable ritual.
I find Homemade Cashew Milk is the closest consistency to whole milk and has a neutral(ish) flavour so it doesn’t interfere (as much) with the delicacy of the tea. I’m not a coffee drinker but Luke is also more than happy to partake in cashew milk if he’s run out of his dairy milk.
Story time over but it’s important you see how this cashew milk recipe has made itself part of the fabric of my life. I waited a long time before posting this recipe as I don’t particularly think I’m adding anything to the plethora of versions of this incredibly easy recipe which is already out in the world. I just felt that, my website, which is a reflection of my favourite things to make and eat, seems incomplete without it.
I have tried shop bought cashew milk once as it’s not easily available in the UK and they had blended it with rice milk so it’s not a true comparison but safe to say this homemade cashew milk was far superior. It’s creamy, luscious and the subtle flavour blends well with any usage: coffee, tea, pasta sauces or custards. It’s versatile, delicious and indispensable in any plant-based kitchen.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Cashew Milk
- The best for English Breakfast tea. I have to put that right at the top as that's why I make it all the time (I'm drinking a cup as I'm typing this).
- Economical. It’s the cost of the cashews which is always cheaper than shop bought.
- Quick. You can make it in under 15 minutes.
- Easy. Low effort as 10 minutes out of the 15 is soaking time.
- No straining so no nut milk bag needed.
- Creamy texture. The creamiest – the beauty of cashews.
- Versatile. It has a subtle flavour so won’t overpower your hot drink or savoury recipes.
- Unsweetened. We don’t add any sugar here.
Ingredients Needed
Cashews. You need raw unsalted cashews for this recipe. This will produce a deliciously versatile cashew milk that’s mild in flavour and can be used in sweet or savoury dishes, as a drink or an accompaniment to tea of coffee.
Filtered water. It is necessary to use filtered water in this recipe as this will prolong the life of your cashew milk and produce a milk that doesn’t include any naturally present ‘tap water’ flavours.
Best Ratio of Cashews to Water
I have experimented with using all different quantities of water for producing nut milk over the years and this is how the different ratios of water to cashews work out.
500g water (2 cups) : 150g cashews (1 cup). This is the very least amount of water I recommend, any less and you start to veer into cashew cream territory. (have you tried my recipe for sweetened cashew cream?) This produces a thick and rich milk which is nice for drinking straight – almost like a delicious cashew smoothie- and is best directly after blending as it does settle and thicken more as it is stored.
⭐️750g water (3 ½ cups) : 150g cashews (1 cup). This is the sweet spot and is my favourite blend if you specifically want to make milk for use in hot drinks.
1000g water (4 cups) : 150g cashews (1 cup). This produces a thinner and blander milk which I like for sauces or cooking.
How To Make Homemade Cashew Milk
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Soak the cashews in freshly boiled water for ten minutes then strain and rinse under running water.
Transfer the cashews into a high speed blender with filtered water and blend for 90 seconds until smooth and creamy.
Pour into an airtight bottle or jug to store immediately in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips & Troubleshooting
You do need a stand blender for the cashew milk to blend effectively. Hand-held immersion blenders are not up to the task and food processors don’t produce a smooth result.
Use unfiltered water only if filtered water is unavailable or you are drinking it straightaway, as it may affect the taste of the cashew milk.
Store nut milk in an airtight container to keep it fresher for longer and prevent it from absorbing any fridge smells.
Try not to let the milk sit at room temperature, as it can spoil quickly.
If you are using the milk in a hot beverage I usually whisk it in rather than stirring in with a teaspoon which just helps it to blend into the drink better rather than settling at the bottom of the mug.
Shake the milk every time before you serve it as it tends to settle and thicken near the bottom.
If the cashew milk has thickened more (usually on day 3) then as long as it still smells and tastes good you can whisk in a little more filtered water to eek out the last drops or you can use it in lieu of cream in a recipe (which is what I usually do), adding this thickened milk to the end of a tomato pasta sauce or white sauce.
This milk does not travel well. I have tried several times to take it on holiday. I don't know if it's the jostling, the being out of the fridge for too long (even in iced cooling bags) but it spoils every time, even if we're only going an hour away by car.
Cashew Milk Uses
- This is an ideal milk to use for any hot beverage, it works really well in tea, coffee or hot chocolate. It’s my absolute favourite in my daily cups of English Breakfast tea. It blends very well and gives a natural just creamy enough texture to mimic whole dairy milk.
- It’s lovely in smoothies and gives a rich flavour and lots of protein.
- You can also use it in cooking in lieu of adding milk to sauces, soups or in mashed potatoes.
- It gives a deep rich flavour to porridge or in this creamy chocolate porridge.
- It’s also my go-to serving over this family favourite granola or this bircher muesli.
Flavour Variations To Try
Any of these ingredients can be added to the cashews and filtered water as you are blending them.
Sweetened. You can add either honey, maple syrup, dates, xylitol or sugar to the blender if you prefer your milk sweetened. I would suggest starting with 2 teaspoons and taste to sweeten.
Vanilla. 2 teaspoons of good quality vanilla extract makes for a very delicious vanilla milk.
Chocolate. Start with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder in the blender along with the cashews and water. I would also recommend sweetening it a little too with the above recommendations and adding a pinch of sea salt. Also you could try using your cashew milk in my excellent recipe for this ultra quick and easy Homemade Chocolate Milk.
Berry Milk. You can use either fresh berries or freeze dried berry powder to make Berry Milk. Try 1 cup of fresh berries per 250g cashew milk or 2 tablespoons freeze-dried berry powder per 250g cashew milk.
Banana. 1 banana is perfect to make Banana Cashew Milk, it will thicken up the milk so you could enjoy as a lovely thick milkshake or you could add a little extra filtered water to thin it out.
Spiced. You can add 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg or even 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin spice to the cashew milk. Make it even more delicious by adding the vanilla extract and one of the sweetening options above.
FAQs
Yes, if you are using freshly boiled water then I recommend soaking for 10 minutes. If you are using room temperature tap water then soak for at least four hours. Soaking the cashews makes then easier to blend and produces a smoother milk.
I don’t recommend it as these two options will alter the taste and texture of the finished milk.
No, this is the benefit of making cashew milk as opposed to almond milk. Cashews blend beautifully and create a smooth and creamy milk without any straining after blending.
If your cashew milk is grainy it just means it needed more soaking or blending time. It needs a good 10 minutes to soak in just boiled water and at least 90 seconds to blend in a high speed blender. If you are still getting grainy results then your blender isn’t powerful enough, you can counteract this by a longer soaking time – try up to 24 hours.
I have experimented with using all different quantities of water for producing nut milk. The very least milk I recommend is 500g per 150g cashew - this produces a thick and rich milk which is nice for drinking straight. Using 1000g per 150g cashews produces a thinner and blander milk which I like for sauces or cooking. But 750g water per 150g cashews is the best for making milk which works very well in tea or coffee.
I recommend using a high-speed stand blender for the best results. An immersion blender or food processor won’t produce a milk that’s as smooth. And a nut milk maker is not necessary at all for this milk.
Yes, you can produce a smooth cashew milk without a blender but for this instance I then recommend you use cashew butter as a starting base for your nut milk rather than cashews (see below).
Yes you can and in a pinch I have. It is useful if you have run out of raw cashews or need to skip the soaking step for whatever reason. However, I do find this version more fully flavoured somehow. I recommend starting with 1 tablespoon cashew butter per 250g water. You can adjust the amount of nut butter during the blending making it just the thickness you like it.
Store your cashew milk immediately after blending in the fridge in an airtight container or jug for up to 3 days.
As long as you use filtered water and only take the milk out briefly to use it and keep it in an airtight container then it will store very well for up to 3 days.
When you heat homemade cashew milk the consistency changes so it doesn’t behave in the same way. It thickens up more so I recommend adding a splash of water if you are using it to make a sauce. As a baker, I prefer not to use it as a baking ingredient as I find you garner more reliable results from shop bought plant milks. Baking can be tricky and an unevenly thickened cashew milk can throw things off.
After three days, even if well stored, the cashew milk will start to omit a little smell and will taste a little sour. If it’s really gone then it will have started to separate.
More Dairy-Free Recipes You’ll Love
Homemade Almond Milk is a deliciously creamy alternative to dairy milk. It is easy to make and so much better than shop bought, but do build in that day’s worth of soaking time.
This Homemade Cashew Nut Butter couldn't be easier. It's a kitchen staple which you need to have in your larder and will take you mere minutes to make. Creamy delicious and all natural, made with 100% cashews and that's it! No extra oil needed.
This Sweet Cashew Cream recipe is an absolutely heavenly vegan alternative to whipped cream or yoghurt and is so versatile that you can serve it with dessert or even breakfast.
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Homemade Cashew Milk
Ingredients
- 150 g raw cashews
- 300 g freshly boiled water - approx.
- 750 g filtered water
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a heat-resistant bowl and pour the freshly boiled water over to cover by an inch or so. Allow them to soak for 10 minutes.
- Strain the cashews and rinse them briefly under running water to remove any residue.
- Transfer the rinsed cashews to a high-speed blender. Add 750g (3½ cups) filtered water.
- Start blending on low speed to allow the water to catch the cashews, then quickly increase to high speed. Blend for 90 seconds until the mixture is smooth and creamy. The cashew is ready now to use immediately.
- Pour the cashew milk into an airtight container or jug and store immediately in the refrigerator and consume within three days.
Notes
- This is my favourite milk for my daily cups of English Breakfast tea.
- A high-speed blender is essential for this recipe.
- You can use unfiltered water but the cashew milk flavour may taste slightly different and it won’t last as long.
- The cashew milk will tend to thicken and settle near the bottom as it’s stored so shake the milk every time before you serve it.
- If it thickens too much after a couple of days you can add a splash more filtered water to loosen and shake to combine.
- Cashew milk will last for up to three days chilled in an airtight container.
I don’t recommend freezing cashew milk.
