How to Soak Cashews (2024)

Soaked cashews deliver creamy sauces and desserts to your plant-based diet. Pressed for time? Learn how to soak cashews three ways, all of them simple, and some of them fast!

In this blog post, we’ll explore three simple and effective methods for soaking cashews, each offering unique benefits.

Whether you’re a seasoned health enthusiast or a curious food lover, soaking cashews is an easy practice that can elevate your culinary experiences and boost your overall health.

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Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

• Cashews — The goal of soaking cashews is to create a thick creamy sauce. The best way to do that is by using raw cashews for the creamiest texture and neutral flavor. You can buy raw cashews in bulk at health food stores like Natural Grocers and Sprouts. Some major grocery store chains sell raw cashews too.
• Water — If your water has flavor (in some hard-water regions, delivers water with a strong chemical flavor), I recommend using filtered water.
• Salt — Although optional, salt helps activate enzymes that aid in breaking down phytic acid, which inhibits nutrient absorption.

1. How to Soak Cashews Slowly

This is the basic soaking method for soaking cashews. It’s the one I use most often, but it does require some time. However, it is also pretty straightforward and requires minimal effort. If you’re on a raw diet, this will be your preferred method. Here’s how to do it:

1. Measure the cashews you need for your recipe or desired serving size.
2. Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with clean, filtered water. Ensure enough water to submerge the nuts entirely, as they will expand during soaking.
3. Add a pinch of salt to the water.
4. Let the cashews soak for 2 to 4 hours, or ideally overnight for about 8 hours. An overnigght soak creates softer cashews, resulting in a creamier sauce.
5. After soaking, drain and rinse the cashews thoroughly under running water before using them in your recipes.

Boiling Cashews

This is by far the fastest method to achieve soft, plump cashews that are ready to be blitzed in the blender to create a creamy sauce. Here’s how you do it:

1. Add cashews to a small saucepan. Cover with water until it’s around 1 inch above the cashews.
2. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the water to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat.
5. If your cashews are not entirely plump, cover and let them sit for 5 minutes or so.
6. When the cashews are ready, drain the water, rinse, cover, and refrigerate.

Soaking Cashews in Hot Water

You can use the stovetop to heat water for soaking cashews. Here’s how I do that:

1. Add cashews to a small saucepan. Cover with water until it’s around 1/2 inch above the cashews.
2. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the water to a boil.
3. Remove from heat and cover. Let the cashews sit in the hot water for at least 20 minutes until they’re plump.
4. When the cashews are ready, drain the water, rinse, cover, and refrigerate.

3. Soaking Cashews in the Microwave

When you’re learning how to soak cashews, it’s nice to have some convenient options. Soaking your cashews in the microwave is a great way to do this. Here’s how:

1. Add cashews to a microwave-safe bowl. I prefer to use a pyrex dish with a handle.
2. Cover with water until it’s about 1/2 to 1 inch above the cashews.
3. Microwave on full strength for 2 minutes.
4. Use kitchen mitts to remove the dish from the microwave, cover, and set aside for 20 minutes.
5. The cashews should be plump. Drain the soaking liquid, rinse the cashews, cover, and refrigerate.

What to do after Soaking Cashews

Now that you’ve got a big bowl of plump cashews, what do you do with them?

Well, there are so many things you can do after cashews are soaked in water, but my favorite is to make a cream sauce. Here’s how to make a simple cashew sauce:

• Drain the plump cashews and add them to a high-speed blender.
• Add water and some other flavorings, such as nutritional yeast flakes, to create the perfect cream-sauce flavor.
• Blend until it’s smooth and creamy.
• Serve it just like sour cream on your favorite recipes.

Read my guide on cashew cream sauce with lots of ideas for flavorings and how to use it.

I like to add creamy cashew sauce to make my vegan blue cheese salad dressing. It also transforms nicely into vegan cheese sauce. You can also use it to make desserts, such as my raw cheesecake recipe.

Storage Tips

Store raw cashews soaked in water in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You’ll want to use it in a recipe soon, such as making a cream sauce. Once it’s made into a sauce and is combined with other ingredients, it can keep for a few more days in the fridge. The sauce can also be frozen, up to 2 months.

Recipes with Cashews

If you love this recipe for soaking cashews, here are more cashew recipes to try:

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