Learn How to Make Homemade Cashew Butter with just 1 ingredient, cashews! It’s easy, creamy, smooth, not stiff, but delicious and oil-free and takes just a few minutes to make! Use it in baking cookies or in savory sauces or soups. It gives the best flavor and creamy texture.
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I love making my own nut butters for recipes, especially Homemade Roasted Almond Butter and Roasted Pecan Butter.
Homemade cashew butter is a favorite to use in my recipes because it mimics dairy beautifully. Instead of butter or oil in soup recipes, like this Lazy Day Vegan Tomato Bisque, I use cashew butter. It is better than any dairy version, I assure you. Instead of butter or cheese in this 20 Minute Vegan Alfredo, I use the cashew butter. Just check out how much readers love that recipe. It is so popular, that it is also in my Cookbook! I love using it in place of oils since it is a whole food fat. It is healthier and less fat per tablespoon, when compared to oil. Additionally, it contains all the nutrients, as opposed to oil, which is 100% liquid fat.
If you are interested in learning about oil-free, I wrote a detailed post on How to Cook and Bake Without Oil.
HOW TO MAKE CASHEW BUTTER Step by Step Photos
First, you will need 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews and a food processor. Nut butters do not work as well to get super creamy and smooth in a blender, not even a Vitamix. This is especially true with cashew butter, as the oil content is very low. Cashew are much drier than other nuts.
Add the cashews to a food processor and process for about 2 minutes. It will look like this. Pasty and bit of cashews still.
NOTE: I have an 11 cup food processor and this is how mine looks after two minutes. If you have a smaller processor (like a 7 cup) or a less powerful one, you will likely have balls forming and have to break up the clumps many, many times in the beginning before it reaches this stage. It will take several more minutes, but just keep going until it gets to the paste stage.
Scrape down the sides and process another 3 minutes or more. Then it should be looking smoother like this.
Scrape down the sides again and process another 3 minutes.
Scrape and process another 3 minutes. It will then get to this stage where it’s smooth, but still stiff. It won’t drip off of a spoon, but rather, stay stuck like this. Like a paste, basically. You are not done yet.
Finally, process another 3-5 minutes until the cashew butter is soft and flowy, almost like a frosting. It should drip off of a spoon like this. This is the final stage. Before using in my dessert recipes, make sure it has cooled off to room temperature, as it will be quite warm.
Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 2 weeks or in the fridge for up to 2 months.
VEGAN DESSERTS THAT USE CASHEW BUTTER
Cashew butter has a naturally sweet flavor with vanilla undertones. It makes it the perfect nut butter to use in many desserts where a strong nut flavor, like peanuts or almonds, are not desired.
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese
Vegan Old-Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies
Vegan Gluten-free Sugar Cookies
Cashew Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grain-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cake Frosting for this Funfetti Cake!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
How To Make Cashew Butter (Creamy and Smooth)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) raw, unsalted cashews (do NOT soak them!)
- I use this food processor.
Instructions
- Add the raw cashews to a food processor (not a blender!). Cashews are very dry, with a low oil content, so they do not blend up well in a blender, even a Vitamix. You will want to keep going until the cashew butter is soft and flowy, almost like a frosting.
- Process for 10 minutes or so, stopping every 3 minutes to scrape down the sides. The cashew butter will go through stages of thickness, and you will need to stop and push the cashews down the sides and break up the clumps a few times. NOTE: I have an 11 cup food processor. But if you have a smaller processor (like a 7 cup) or a less powerful one, you will likely have large chunks forming and have to break up the clumps many, many more times in the beginning than I did. Be patient and do not add any liquid! It will take several more minutes, but just keep going until it gets to the paste stage.
- Please refer to the actual post for step-by-step visual photos, it will help. Keep processing until it has a thick, creamy consistency, and then process even further until it is no longer stiff. Even when you think you are done, go more. It should drip off of a spoon. Again, if you have a small food processor, this could take several more minutes than mine did.
- Before using in my dessert recipes, make sure it has cooled off to room temperature, as it will be quite warm. Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 2 weeks or in the fridge for up to 2 months.
I am curious – What kind of food processor do you use? I have a smaller (7 cup) KitchenAid one and I blended and scraped for literally 40 mins and never got to the runny creamy consistency 😩 I did get to the smooth and stiff stage and it’s still tasty but not really spreadable.
Hi Jody, yes, it sounds like your processor is too small! Here is the one I use: https://thevegan8.com/product/food-processor/
It’s funny I had a question but as I was scrolling down to this comment area I kept getting distracted by your beautiful deserts!
I am just curious if you know why walnuts are not commonly used for butters and as a creamy addition to recipes. They are higher in fat and seem like they would be as rich as cashews. As a recipe creator do you know why? Do they change color, or get grainy/watery and split? Just curious if there is a reason from cooking science perspective or if it just hasn’t been tested much. Thanks for any info ☺️
Oops! I didn’t mean to say ‘higher’ in fat… meant to say high in fat (in a good way)
Hi Rebecca! People just don’t think of it. I first posted a chocolate chip cookie recipe like 11 years ago I think using homemade pecan butter and people were in shock because it’s so unheard of. Most people simply rely on butter or oil, but since I like to make my desserts healthier most of the time, I try to get creative in how to add fat and moisture without relying on the processed oils or butter. Additionally, each nut has a different flavor profile and oil content, so some recipes simply will not work for cashews where a more buttery taste is desired or in sauces like alfredo walnuts or pecans won’t work because they are too strong in nut flavor and the color as well. I am very particular in why I use a certain nut butter depending on the result I want. Like, my cinnamnon rolls I use walnut butter because it becomes wayyy more oily and buttery than cashews, so it works excellent in the cinnamon rolls as “butter” and the flavor is fantastic even though you can’t tell it is from walnuts. Pecans and walnuts are the most oily and when made into a nut butter, they have the consistency closest to oil, whereas cashew, peanut and sunbutter are much thicker…so it really depends on the recipe and the result that is desired.