20 Tasty Cashew Recipes

Here's the basic cashew recipe that started it all: cashew cream! Blend together soaked cashews, water, and salt, and it's rich and creamy, perfect for adding body to soups, pasta sauces, and dolloping chili. It’s basically non-dairy sour cream, mayo, heavy cream, and yogurt all in one!

Here's a perfect spread for breakfast, lunch and snacks: cashew butter! This protein-packed plant based nut butter is creamy and lightly sweet, and tasty smeared on just about anything. There’s a unique sweetness about it that’s almost, dare we say it, better than peanut butter? (Sorry, PB.) Making it homemade results in all natural butter with no added sugars, oils or preservatives.

Craving that glorious comfort food, without the dairy? Try this vegan mac and cheese recipe! Our rendition explodes with creamy decadence using only whole food ingredients like cashews, sweet potato, and canned artichokes to make a cheesy sauce that is just as satisfying as the real thing! 

Try this spiced cashews recipe! This simple idea gives a crunchy, candy-like coating to the exterior of nuts. And the spices make the cashews irresistible: cinnamon, chili powder, and bit of cayenne make an intriguing mix of sweet, savory and spicy!

These delicious and healthy cashew lettuce wraps are full of plant based protein that will keep you full for hours! The filling features this nutritious nut and tofu, sauteed with soy sauce, chili powder and a little Sriracha to maximize the zesty flavor. Add brown rice and it's an easy dinner that you'll want to make again and again.

Another great cashew recipe? Use it in energy bars! These cashew no bake energy bars are a lightly sweet healthy snack, loaded with protein-packed nuts and flavored with cinnamon and vanilla. The main idea is to blend the nuts with Medjool dates until they form a sticky dough, then roll them out into homemade Larabars. They're perfect for quick and easy breakfasts and snacks!

You'll never believe this one's a cashew recipe! Your noodles are destined for greatness with this cashew fettuccine alfredo. It’s impossibly creamy and luscious, made with protein-packed cashews and nutrient-rich cauliflower. One reader said: "YUM! I love it! It’s super easy to make. I made it again 2 days later!”

Meet our favorite sauce: this bright green cilantro sauce. And guess what? It’s 100% plant-based too, so it works for all sorts of eaters! This sauce is made of soaked cashews blended with a bit of water, and it magically turns into a creamy sauce. Add cilantro and lime, and it's irresistibly tangy. It's perfect for dolloping baked sweet potatoes or tacos.

Here’s a plant-based cashew recipe everyone around the table will love: vegan broccoli soup! This cozy bowl is lusciously creamy and bursting with flavor. But there is no cheddar cheese or vegan dairy substitutes: just simple ingredients like cashews and vegetables! The entire soup can be made in just over 30 minutes, 

Did you know you can use cashews in pesto in place of pinenuts? This substitute makes it so much more affordable: and it's just as delicious. This recipe is savory, garlicky, creamy, peppery, and you can slather a smear on anything. Use it for pesto pasta or throw it on a pesto pizza for maximum flavor.

Meet vegan spinach artichoke dip, the snack that no one will believe is plant-based! It’s easy to whip up and requires no special dairy substitutes, just a few regular ingredients like cashews to form a cheesy base. Creamy and bursting with flavor, it will make a splash at your next gathering (it has at many of ours).

Here's another one of those creamy cashew recipes: this one makes them into ranch dressing! Most ranch dressings are made with a lot of mayonnaise, but this one uses cashew cream to stay dairy-free. You'll soak the cashews, then blend them with water and salt to create the creamy base.

Did you know you can make crackers out of cashews? These crackers are made all of whole foods, with no refined flour at all. But most importantly, they're simply delicious! The homemade crackers recipe requires only whole cashews, almonds, egg, and salt: just four ingredients! They make for the perfect crispy crackers for snacking.

Our readers go crazy over this soup: and you'd never know it's made with cashews! Cashews make a creamy sauce for tender wild rice, cozy carrots and onions, and white beans. It's vegan and gluten-free, but we've found eaters of all kinds love it!

Yes, it’s possible to mimic the flavor and texture of nacho cheese without dairy. This cashew queso sauce tastes so creamy and delicious, no one will believe it’s got no actual cheese. It will have you swearing off processed nacho cheese forever. (Try it on our Vegan Nachos.)

Potato salad with no mayo? This spin tastes just like the classic, with mustard, dill pickles, and a creamy sauce. What makes it creamy? You guessed it: cashew cream! Here is replaces may in the best classic American style potato salad: a tangy mix with celery, green onion, and dill pickles.

This corn chowder has set a new bar for vegan soup recipes. It’s so seriously creamy, with a savory undertone that seems undeniably meaty. Contrast that with the sweetness of the corn and, well, it’s pretty darn perfect. The secret to the rich creamy body: cashews!

Also try Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup.

This easy vegan spaghetti has a superb marinara sauce of garlic, shallots, and capers , which turns out tangy and savory. To make it creamy without dairy? Add a bit of cashew cream. It comes out as a creamy tomato sauce that's a bit like vodka sauce.

Another great cashew recipe? Throw a handful into a smoothie This glowing green smoothie has the best flavor. It’s perfectly sweet tart, starring green apples, lots of spinach, and protein-packed cashews.

Ice cream made with cashews? Yes this vegan ice cream is creamy, delicious, and made with all whole foods: no additives or preservatives. It has a luscious creamy texture and it tastes like real vanilla ice cream (no weird aftertastes, either!). In fact, it’s the best vegan ice cream we’ve tried.