This delicious and healthy whipped cashew cream is made with 3 ingredients, fresh cashews, milk and maple syrup, and whipped so it has a stiffer texture suitable for piping onto a dessert, cocoa or smoothie.
Whipped cashew cream is a delicious and dairy free with a velvety texture that can be dolloped on pies, puddings and fruits just as you would any whipped cream, but unlike most whipped creams it is sturdy enough to be piped onto cakes and cupcakes.
The whipped texture of this vegan whipped cashew cream is helped by arrowroot or corn starch, the same ingredient that thickens gravy, and by using a high-speed blender. Dollop it on desserts like my cinnamon apple crisp without flour or my homemade pumpkin spice latte. Regarding piping, this whipped cashew cream doesn't pipe as crisply as my fluffy white frosting but it comes close if you chill the cream in a piping bag after whipping it. And if you are looking for a vegan vanilla cake or a dairy free chocolate cake to pipe, I've got you covered.
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Why You'll Love It
Thick & creamy. If you love the taste of cashews, you'll love this cream. This cashew whipped cream has a smooth, sweet flavor, and a vanilla flavor thanks to cashews and vanilla.
Nutritious. This whipped cream is surprisingly beneficial to your health primarily from the cashews which are full of protein and healthy fats as well as a myriad of micronutrients, and none of the additives you'll find in commercial whips.
Plant-based dairy substitute. This cream is easily made with just four ingredients, and is free of dairy and refined sugar, making it the perfect vegan whipped cream.
Ingredients
cashews: You'll need unsalted and unroasted cashews for this recipe. Buy them fresh and keep refrigerated. Cashews go bad quickly and since they are the primary ingredient in this recipe it is important you use them fresh.
dairy-free milk: Ordinary cashew cream requires water, but I used milk here to make the cream thicker. The higher the fat the better, so almond is my choice here.
maple syrup: Any liquid sweetener works here. Date paste also works if you have any on hand. Here is my date paste tutorial.
arrowroot: Arrowroot powder is my choice because it tends to trigger fewer allergies, but tapioca starch or corn starch also work. Arrowroot is made from a root, leaves no flavor, and is one of the thickeners that allow for piping. The other is the chilling.
vanilla: Use a quality brand of vanilla if possible as this really brings out the vanilla flavor of cashews. If you can, use vanilla paste with fresh vanilla specs for more flavor.
blueberries or other berries to add color if needed.
See the recipe card at the bottom for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
For more detail, visit the complete and printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but here are general steps.
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step 1: Soak your cashews. Place unroasted, unsalted cashews in a bowl, cover them with water, and place in the refrigerator to soak overnight, drain and rinse.
step 2: Add the ingredients. In a high speed blender, blend up the soaked cashews, milk, maple syrup, arrowroot and vanilla.
step 3: Blend and to ensure a smooth texture, blend 3+ minutes.
step 4: To color, add a few blueberries, frozen and thawed work best, and blend again, adding berries to get the color you want.
step 5: Add cashew cream to a frosting bag with tip and set in the freezer to become solid enough to pipe. This could be a few hours or more.
Recipe Tips
For piping, whipped cashew cream must be frozen a few hours or even up to 4 hours before piping. It depends on the fat content of your milk choice. To freeze, add the cream to a piping bag with tip in place and then place it in the freezer to chill.
For spooning on the whipped cream, chill in the refrigerator for an hour for flavor.
To add color. Toss in a few frozen berries to add a rippled color. This only works for blueberries and raspberries. Strawberries are too dry and won't break down, and other fruits have too high a water content. Also the berries must be frozen and thawed to be able to breakdown quickly enough.
How to Store
Refrigerated. The whipped cashew cream lasts refrigerated for about 3 days. It may separate in a container, so just stir or even give it a quick blend.
Frozen. Freeze it in ice cube trays, and then bag the cubes so you can take out what you need. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and re-blend. Frozen this cream lasts about three months.
Substitutions
Arrowroot. Substitute arrowroot with cornstarch or cream of tartar.
Must use a blender. A food processor or immersion blender won't get the mixture smooth enough.
FAQS
Cashews need to be soaked to remove the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that can mess with your digestion.
Yes! Cashews are high in vitamins E, K, and B6, and essentials minerals, and protein - 40 grams per cup! They are considered full of healthy fats, and a natural source of energy.
Whipped cashew cream can be used just as you would any whipped cream, although this one is stiff enough to pipe. In addition to piping it on to cupcakes and cookies, you can use this airy creamy mixture as a spooned topping for slices of pie or gingerbread or pound cake, or puddings.
More Dessert Toppings
- Coconut Butter (vanilla and chocolate)
- Date Paste
- Homemade Marzipan Recipe
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Whipped Cashew Cream
Equipment
- Measuring cups & spoons
- frosting bags, tips
Ingredients
cashew cream
- 1 cup cashews soaked
- ¼ cup dairy free milk
- 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
optional color streaks
- 3-4 berries frozen blueberries or frozen raspberries
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Instructions
Prep
- Submerge the cashew in a pot of water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, drain and rinse. Alternativly, submerge the cashews in a water and refrigerate overnight. Then strain, discard the water, and rinse the cashews off. The latter way will create a smoother cashew cream if you have the time.
Blend the cream
- Add the ingredients to a blender. Start with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup and add more after you've blended it and tasted it.Use a smaller blender such as a Blendtec twister jar, or a smaller jar for your Vitamix or a Nutribullet. If you only have a larger blender, just scrap down the mixture throughout the process to achieve a smooth texture. Process for 1-3 minutes to be sure the cashews are broken down and the cream is smooth. You can blend longer, if needed be. It depends on how strong your blender is and how soft the cashews are.1 cup cashews, ¼ cup dairy free milk, 2-3 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon arrowroot, 1 teaspoon vanilla
Adding color
- If you are adding color, toss in 3-4 berries and process briefly until they are incorporated. Or divide the cream into a smaller portion and add berries only to that.3-4 berries frozen blueberries or frozen raspberries
Chill the cream
- The cream tastes better cold and you'll want it chilled to pipe it. So to prepare to pipe, spoon the mixture into a piping bag with desired tip, or a ziplock bag (later you can snip the corner to pipe), and refrigerate the bag for at least 4 hours. If you intend to just spoon it on a dessert, 1 hour of chilling is sufficient.
Shaina Beil says
This looks amazing! I'm really excited to try it. How long does it hold?
Dee Dine says
Thank you Shaina! As a cupcake icing, it droops pretty fast so I would keep it refrigerated until ready to eat. To stiffen the frosting, you might add a 1/2 tsp of arrowroot or tapioca powder. Hope that helps! Dee