There are many reasons to make your own nut and seed milks at home – but health, taste and budget are my top three “why’s.” On the health and budget side, many of the cheaper brands of nut and seed milks are watered down and mixed with added gums and emulsifiers to “create” the creamy texture. Many of the added gums, such as carrageenan, have been associated with poor digestion. Some emulsifiers, like sunflower oil, may have pro-inflammatory effects. Aren’t we trying to lower inflammation, people? And if you’re lucky enough to find a brand that is just nuts and water, your wallet is probably not as lucky.
This recipe creates a creamier, healthier and, in my opinion, tastier cashew milk. And because I’m all about less waste in the kitchen, we’ll take the leftover pulp and ferment it with probiotic capsules to create a cashew cream cheese or spread that has the added benefits for your gut and brain health! At the time of creating this recipe, store bought cashew milk sells for about $5-7 dollars per 2L and a ½ cup of cashew cream cheese for $10+. Making it at home cost less than ⅔ of the price - now there’s some serious food for thought!
No-Waste Cashew Milk & Fermented Cashew Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 150g raw cashews (about 1½ cups), soaked for 4-6 hours or overnight
- 8 cups filtered water
- 4 probiotic capsules
- 1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, to taste
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ⅛-¼ tsp salt
- Optional add-ins: herbs & spices, dried or fresh fruit, citrus, hot peppers
Instructions
- Turnip the Beet. Put on your favourite playlist & have a 2-minute kitchen dance party.
- If you have a big enough high-speed blender (10 or more cups), add the cashews and water to your blender and blend on high for 2 minutes. (My 10+ year old blender is not big enough so I have to do this in two batches.)
- Pour your cashew milk into a nut milk bag (Don’t worry, you CAN safely google this!) over a glass mixing bowl. Twist and squeeze as much liquid out of the nut milk bag as possible. Set the bag aside until you start prepping your cashew cream cheese.
- Pour the nut milk into a 2 litre glass carafe.* Keeps for 5-7 days in the fridge. Over time, the cashew milk tends to separate – seeing as it’s 100% clean, real ingredients. Just give it a good shake before each use.
- Take the cashew pulp from the nut milk bag and add it to a glass mixing bowl. Open your probiotic capsules and mix the powder into the cashew pulp.
- Transfer the cashew pulp into a clean nut milk bag or cheesecloth and let sit on your counter for 24-36 hours.** Adding the cashew pulp back into a nut milk bag or cheese cloth with allow it to dry out slightly more. If you were able to squeeze a fair amount of the liquid out and like the consistency of your cashew cheese, you can also let it ferment on your counter in a glass jar covered with a clean cloth and a rubber band.
- Once the cashew pulp is at your desired tangy-ness, transfer to a glass mixing bowl. If keeping your cashew cream cheese plain, or with savoury add-ins, mix in the nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. If going with a sweet or fruity cream cheese you can exclude the garlic and onion powder. You now have a delicious cashew cream cheese on its own, or you can mix in the optional add-ins now.***
- Depending how much liquid you were able to squeeze out of your cashew pulp, you can now store your fermented cashew cream cheese in a glass container, or shape it into a log with a crumpled piece of unbleached parchment (crumpled parchment is easier to shape) and refrigerate. Will keep for an additional 5 days.
Notes
* If your household won’t go through 2 L before it starts to go bad, freeze half for later use! Will keep for 3-4 months in the freezer, if you can ever wait that long.
** I like to take a sniff of mine after 24 hours as I find that if our kitchen is really warm it ferments faster. The stronger the smell, the more tangy your cream cheese will taste.
*** Optional Combo’s to try: Lemon juice/zest + dill, herbs & garlic, jalapeño + lime juice, garlic + chive, truffle, cinnamon + coconut sugar, dried cranberries, orange zest + cinnamon. I’ll be honest, I just ‘eyeball’ the amount of add-in’s I’m putting in. I suggest you start with smaller amounts - ¼ tsp at a time, especially with the stronger tasting seasonings like garlic, truffle, cinnamon and dill, and taste-test till you get the flavour you’re looking for!
Tuning in: brain nourishing ingredients
Activated Cashews:
Cashews are high in tryptophan – an amino acid that is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin helps regulate mood, cognition and memory.
More information on nuts and seeds, and how to properly store them here.
Probiotics & Ferments:
Probiotics increase the good bacteria in the gut. Studies have shown that increasing dietary sources of probiotics can lead to brains that are less stressed and less depressed.
Adding in fermented foods has been associated with less social anxiety.