There are lots of reasons to make your own cashew milk. Maybe You’re trying to cut back on dairy. Or perhaps you just like the creaminess of cashew milk. Or maybe you like the adventure of making your own milk but don’t have room for a new pet cow! Whatever your reason is for wanting to make your own cashew milk, now is a great time to start!.
There are my favorite reasons for making my own milk. First, it just makes me feel good to go back to basics. And nothing gets more basic that making food from scratch. Making your own milk gives you back control to choose your ingredients. You can stay away from unnatural preservatives. You can choose not to have any added sugar. And you can choose healthier sugars when desired.
Another benefit of making your own cashew milk is that each batch can be relatively low cost. After you make your milk, you’ll have lots of leftover nuts which can be used in another recipe. So your milk is almost free!
You can also control quality. Soaking nuts will increase their health value and will decrease enzyme inhibitors and other nutrient depleting ingredients. It is unlikely that this step is taken with commercially made cashew milk. But it is something that you can do easily at home. Soak the nuts overnight for about 8 hours with a little bit of salt and they should be ready for use.
As I already mentioned, one of the great advantages of homemade milk is that you get to choose your own sweetener. Have you ever looked at the labels on many of these non-dairy milk products? The sugar content is crazy! Personally, I just love unsweetened milk, but it’s OK if unsweetened isn’t for you. Here’s your chance to make a smarter choice. A couple of healthier sweeteners you can use are Medjool dates or whole leaf stevia.
There are a couple of tools you’ll need before you get started. The first is a funnel to transfer the milk into a jar or bottle when finished. The second is a nut bag. (OK, stop laughing. What, are we 12?) You can purchase one pretty economically at a health food store or from an array of online stores.
Or check out this one from amazon:
*Please note: if you purchase this product, I will receive a small commission at no further expense to you.
Now we get to the fun part. Let’s make our own homemade cashew milk!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for 8 hours and drained
- 3 ¼ cups filtered water
- (optional) ½ tsp vanilla extract
- (optional) 3 pitted Medjool dates or ½ tsp whole leave stevia.
Place the cashews, filtered water, and optional Medjool dates in a blender and blend for about a minute. Hey, that was quick and easy! (Please note: Your mixture will not look thoroughly mixed. Don’t be alarmed.) Now take your nut bag and place it above a large bowl. Pour the contents of your blender into the bag to let the milk drain through into your bowl. It should take a few minutes for all the milk to make it through the mesh bag. Be patient.
And your cashew milk is almost done! Now all you need to do is stir in the optional stevia and vanilla extract. Pour the milk through your funnel into a container with a tight lid for storage. Make sure to refrigerate and consume within a few days.
You can, of course, discard the leftover cashews from your nut bag. But where’s the fun in that? Set them aside and use them for another recipe. Think cashew crusted chicken, cashew Asian stir-fry, cashew cheese or a cashew crust pie. If you added dates to your milk, you’ll want to use your leftover cashews for a recipe that can use a little sweetness. If you aren’t going to use them the same day, make sure to dry them before storing them in the refrigerator. Place the cashews on a baking sheet and bake at as low a temperature as possible (preferably about 150 degrees) until dry. Use within one or two days.
So there you have your homemade cashew milk. Use it with cereal, in smoothies, in dessert recipes or any other place you are looking for a creamy substitute for dairy milk.
I love this and am for sure going to make it. I have been buying Organic Almond Milk and I’m going to see if this will work with almonds too.
I use the nut milk for my morning oatmeal for health reasons. As you say, when you make it yourself you know what’s in it. Perfect.
Lenie, this will definitely work for Almonds so give it a try!
This is great, Erica. I love cashews. It is my favorite nut. I have to try making cashew milk myself. I tend to buy it because I stay away from cow’s milk. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Sabrina, cashews are great, aren’t they? And I love that you’re left with most of the cashews afterwards that can be used for another recipe!
Have to admit I never though of making my own milk. Interesting recipe. I primarily use milk to put in coffee. Inspired in part by your blog I have stopped putting sugar in my coffee but maybe not ready to cut the milk.
Ken, there is no need to cut the milk unless you feel you are intolerant of dairy. So don’t worry!
My daughter has an issue with lactose and I may too, but I don’t consume enough milk for it to be an issue. I like the idea of making one’s own cashew (or almond) milk and controlling the ingredients. I also like sweetening with Medjool dates – that is pretty cool. Nuts are expensive. Does this work out any cheaper than buying the milk?
Donna, it is cheaper if you reuse the leftover nuts. The best deal is to get a cup of nuts in the bulk foods section so you’re not buying more than you need. Having said that, store-bought non-dairy milk isn’t such a bad value. So it’s really up to the individual whether they like making something like this from scratch.
I had never heard of cashew milk until now!
I have used almond milk with cereal and this was purchased from the supermarket.
Good on you for taking the time to make your own milk. You then know exactly what ingredients you are consuming.
I think cashew milk and almond milk taste pretty similar. Having said that, I use it mostly in smoothies so perhaps they taste more distinctive when drinking them plain.
I love nuts but for some reason I don’t find cashews that exciting. They seem a little bland to me. I know I’m in the minority. Maybe this recipe would stimulate my taste buds for cashews!
Jeannette, you can just substitute almonds for cashews in the recipe!
Very interesting Erica, although I can’t imagine investing the time to make my own milk since about the only thing I use milk for is a splash in my oatmeal. At least I finally switched to almond milk for that. 🙂 I can, however, think of a few friends who would love trying this so I’m happy to share!
Marquita, yest that would be a lot of work for just a splash!
What a great post, Erica! I’ve not yet tasted cashew milk, but I have seen it in the stores. My husband is dairy sensitive, so have been drinking almond and coconut milk, but I’d not thought of buying him the cashew milk. It’s a great idea to make you own and use the nuts for another recipe after the milk has been made. Thx!
Doreen, they are just starting to carry cashew milk in the stores where I live. I personally don’t have a preference as far as milk taste goes, but I love having leftover cashews for other recipes.
I will have to try this recipe. I have not had whole milk in some time, since my sugar level and cholesterol was through the roof. Like many others who have commented I have tried Almond Milk, I will give this a try.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
William , hope you like this recipe. It is great that there are now so many non-dairy options for those who can’t drink milk.
I’ve made almond milk, though not for a while now, but never cashew. May try this too now! I don’t usually bother with sweetener myself, or I may add a wee bit of honey. And, thank you for reminding me about the soaking factor. 🙂
Yes, soaking is such a great thing to do! It’s of course not possible when you are doing things lest second, but really easy to do when you can wait a few hours.
Love cashews, vanilla and dates! So your cashew milk is something I definitely have to try. What a good idea!
I hope you like this Catarina since you like all the ingredients!
This is fabulous as I’ve started to get away from using milk as often as I’d used too. I’ve tried almond milk more often than cashew milk. Now that I have a good food processor, I can see myself trying this recipe sooner than later.
Jeri, it really is so easy to make. And if you already like nut milks, I think you’ll like the convenience of just being able to make it at home.