How to Make Cashew Milk

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Cashew milk is my favorite dairy-free nut milk. Not only is it super creamy, it’s easy to make at home. And bonus, you don’t have to strain it like almond milk. Just soak your cashews overnight, drain, then blend with water. Voila, homemade cashew milk!

Cashew milk being poured into a glass

CASHEW MILK

Up until a few years ago I drank dairy milk like it was going out of style. So much so, that my family historically referred to me as “the cow” because I was always drinking milk (which, I should clarify was said all in good family jesting and not in a derogatory way). I’m not joking when I say I drank a lot of milk…as in a gallon or so a week.

Fast forward 4 years, 4 autoimmune diagnoses, a health coaching certification and a healthy living blog and I’m happy to report that I’m far more educated on nutrition and what I put into my body.

Now to be clear, I’m not anti high-quality dairy (you guys know I like my goat cheese and homemade yogurt). And I sure try hard not to demonize foods.

But the simple fact is that 65% of the worlds population has a problem digesting lactose. And for others, particularly those with digestive autoimmune conditions, dairy can flare and exacerbate symptoms.

So what’s a dairy-free peep to do? Well, you could turn to coconut milk, oat milkalmond milkhemp milkbanana milk or my favorite of the nut milks – cashew milk!

YOU DON’T HAVE TO STRAIN CASHEW MILK

Almond milk is the perennial favorite of nut milks, but I find cashew milk to be much creamier and more mild in flavor. I also love that you don’t have to strain it, like you do almond milk. There’s no pulp left when blended on high with a powerful blender.

Girl standing and drinking cashew milk

HOW TO MAKE CASHEW MILK

You’ll see in the video below how quickly the cashew milk comes together. So really there’s no need to pay a premium and buy it at the store. The hardest part is just remembering to soak the cashews the night before. Here’s how you make it:

  • Soak 1 cup of cashews overnight, then drain and rinse
  • Add the cashews and 4 cups of water (plus any sweeteners) to a high-powered blender
  • Blend on high for a minute
  • Pour into a storage container and refrigerate

Drink the cashew milk straight up or use it in a recipe as you would any dairy milk.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?

Homemade cashew milk lasts 3-4 days in the fridge. Though I think it’s best consumed within the first 2-3 days. You can halve this recipe if you don’t think you’ll use it all up.

You can also make a full batch and pour any extra into a silicone ice cube tray and freeze for future use. I show how to do this with herbs on my Kitchen Gadgets video. Then, it’s as easy as popping a cube into your next mango smoothie or thawing for a cup of coffee. Brilliant, eh?

More Recipes Using This Cashew Milk

Cashew milk is a delicious and creamy dairy-free vegan nut milk. And unlike almond milk, it doesn't have to be strained, which makes it even easier!

How to Make Cashew Milk

5 from 75 votes
Prep: 3 minutes
Total: 3 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Homemade cashew milk is my favorite dairy-free nut milk. It’s also super easy to make and unlike almond milk, you don’t have to strain it. Watch the video below to see how quickly it comes together!

Video

Ingredients 
 

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight, drained and rinsed
  • 4 cups water

Optional

Instructions 

  • After the cashews have soaked overnight, drain and rinse them. 
  • Place the cashews into a high-powered blender and add the remaining ingredients. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until the milk is smooth and creamy.
  • Place the cashew milk in a storage container and refrigerate.

Lisa’s Tips

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 106mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cashew milk, cashew milk recipe, how to make cashew milk
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

Recipe originally posted October 2016, but updated to include new information.

About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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Recipe Rating




289 Comments

  1. Do you soak nuts at room temperature or in the refrigerator?
    I also sterilize my jar before pouring my milk into it. Otherwise it goes bad before 5 days

  2. I made this for the first time today and LOVE it! What I love the most is it doesn’t have to be strained through cheese cloth. What a nice alternative to cows milk! I also discovered how delicious the cashews were after soaking! I’m going to start soaking them and other nuts as, I’m sure, they are more easily digested!! Thank you so much for sharing this great find!!5 stars

  3. I made both cashew milk and cashew cream! Love them both! I sweetened them with pure maple syrup and flavoured with Madagascar vanilla. For the cream I added some coconut cream. We are well on our way to becoming more self sufficient and health conscience. My kids even like helping to the degree that I was kicked out of the kitchen so my daughter could take over! haha5 stars

  4. I did this because I was out of almond milk and getting a good almond milk on the grocery store it’s getting really expensive. I have never try cashew milk before and when I did I love it!! My coffee was really delicious better than with almond milk!!! Thank you!!5 stars

  5. I love this recipe so much! My daughter who hates milk tried this and thought that it was delicious. Obviously same with me! Thank you!

  6. Hi Lisa! I love how simple and easy this recipe is. I’m counting calories right now and just so I’m clear, one serving is 1/2 a cup, which would be 85 calories? Thanks!

  7. Ok, so in my eagerness to try this recipe, I soaked the cashews overnight, then dumped everything in the blender and made the milk. I just looked at the recipe again and noticed I should have discarded that water and rinsed them. Can I still use it or should I start over? I just made a half batch to see if it would work in my blender. 

      1. Ok thank you! I have recently come across your website and YouTube videos and am enjoying several of your recipes and tips. :)

  8. I make this just about every week since I can’t find nut milks where I live. I have a nut milk bag that I strain the cashew milk through since my blender isn’t high powered and it works great for me! I blend it up for about 5 minutes (again, not a high-powered blender) and it creates such a delicious cashew milk for me. I love it!5 stars

  9. Great! I love cashew milk, but the one you buy form the supermarket might not be the best quality one. Homemade is great!5 stars

  10. I’ve made my first batch of cashew milk last night! I was amazed how well it worked even with my little blender! No more overpriced, store-bought cashew milk for me! The commercially available stuff often only contains 5% nuts – the rest is just water and additives!5 stars

  11. I used dates instead of maple syrup or honey and it came out amazing! I will never have to buy store bought dairy-free milk again. Thanks for always creating great recipes Lisa!5 stars

  12. I have seen a few videos on people making milk from nut butters. Would love to see you do this!! I really love how reliable your recipes are. 

  13. Hey Lisa! 

    Great recipe and congrats on your cookbook! 😊 Can’t wait to get it! Quick q- how many dates would you recommend for this recipe as a sweetener (I don’t like it too sweet)! I was thinking of soaking the dates overnight in a separate container next to the cashews so they blend easily. Thanks in advance! 

  14. Dear Ms. Bryan,
    The photo of the cashew milk that you have on your cashew milk recipe article appears very cow’s milk white. Other online cashew milk recipes depict the beverage as a more natural off-white/ecru which is the true color.5 stars

  15. What happens if you have your cashew milk in the fridge for 5-7 days? Is it rotten by then? Harmful? Or just not very tasty? My question – can you still use it in soups?

  16. Hi Lisa,

    I made this today, and it is so delicious. I used 3/4 cup raw cashews and 1&3/4 cup water win my Vitamix, it was ready in about 45 seconds. So creamy and delicious, will definitely make again and going to also try the oat milk.5 stars

  17. Every recipe of yours is so great!
    I have tried cashew milk twice but on 2nd day, the cashew pulp and water get separated in the glass bottle. Does that mean it has gone bad?
    With your exact measurements, I get 3 bottles of 12oz cashew milk which I plan to use for 3 days.
    Thanks again.

      1. I have everyone addicted to this. It is amazing and I don’t understand how I went so long without knowing about it!  As for the separation, oddly enough I left the milk in my Vitamix container on the counter for a few hours. Then I put it in my Weck jar and put it in the fridge. It doesn’t separate hardly at all when I do that. Not sure why. It has not altered anything about it, so I continue to do that when I can. 

  18. Love all your recipes. Is there a certain honey that you use? I’ve never used honey in anything and don’t know if one is better than the next.

  19. Hi Lisa!  I have question about your cashew milk serving size & nutrition info.  How many cups do you consider as a single serving of the milk & is the nutrition info you have in the recipe good for a single serving or the whole batch?  I’m doing a weight loss program & need to make sure I’m staying on plan.  I’ve been making your cashew milk for months & love it!  It’s the only “milk” I drink now!!  I also really enjoy your videos & content!  I’m so grateful I discovered you on YouTube!!

    1. Each serving is about 3/4 cup. Also, the nutritional information for all my recipes is for one serving.

  20. Where has this recipe been all my life?!?!  This is so delicious and it is now the only milk we drink. It really could not be any easier.  It’s also quite a treat to drink some as soon as you make it, while it is still warm from the Vitamix.5 stars

  21. Hi Lisa, as I am italian, I am not used to using cups. I see you use a different kind of cup, a glass one, for the cashew. The metal one doesn’t fit? Thanks.

    1. Hi Laura – I always have metric measurements listed in the recipe card :) There is a toggle button where you can choose metrics!

  22. Hi Lisa:
    Love your website! Question – can you use unsalted cashews instead of raw and if you can, do they need to be soaked as well?