Super Simple Homemade Cashew Milk

As a smoothie fanatic, there are a few staples I always keep in my kitchen: frozen fruit (berries, bananas, etc), greens and, most importantly, a solid collection of liquids other than water to use as a base for my smoothies. There are a few tried and true favorite store-bought milks that I go to when I don’t have time to make them myself, but for the most part, I am a firm believer in making nut milks at home as much as possible.

I think there is a huge misconception that nut milks are hard to make at home, and I am here to prove to you that they are not! As long as you have some sort of high-speed blender (the best investment for your kitchen, in my opinion) you have no excuses!

There are two primary reasons why I prefer to make cashew milk over other types of nut milks:

1. You don’t have to strain them (i.e. removes the messy step of straining) so it is E A S Y
2. They have the creamiest texture and taste.

Nutritionally, cashews have a lower fat content and higher protein and carbohydrate content than most other nuts. Additionally, they are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, which are all minerals required to keep the body functioning at it’s best.

I make this milk usually twice a week as it’s shelf life is around 3-5 days and put it in smoothies, coffee, cereal, etc.

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw, organic cashew pieces
(I buy these in bulk at my local market or you can also buy them online)
4 cups water (more or less depending on how creamy you’d like it)
pinch of sea salt

optional add ons:
1/2 tsp. vanilla bean powder or paste
 3 pitted dates, 1 tbsp. honey or maple syrup, etc (for sweetness)
1 tbsp. cacao powder (for chocolate milk)

Method

*soak your cashews in water and keep refrigerated for a minimum of 4 hours*

1. drain and rinse cashews, add to blender
2. add water and pinch of sea salt
3. blend on high for 1 minute!

That’s it. The creamy texture of the cashews makes this milk the perfect compliment to just about anything, plus you get your daily dose of minerals and good fats with cashews…what more could you ask for?