This past week there was a coffee creamer shortage across Canada. I have no idea why, but I sure know that I didn't like it. My sweet creamy coffee is a daily joy for me. Black coffee is not my thing (I don't know how you people do it). Regular non-dairy milks are too thin and sometimes even curdle when you add them to coffee... ew.
This was a problem I had to resolve immediately, and so I hit the kitchen and set to making my own coffee creamer. And then it happened. Somehow, a magical combination of morning pre-coffee haze and a toss-things-into-the-blender approach resulted in the best cashew coffee creamer ever!! No seriously, no more store-bought for me, homemade cashew coffee creamer from now on. Yassssss!!
This is legit. This cashew coffee creamer is incredibly rich and creamy, so easy to make, totally customizable to your own taste preferences, and if you are lucky enough to have a high-powered blender (such as a Blendtec, Vitamix, or Breville) you can whip this up in the time it takes to boil the kettle. So as long as you have raw cashews on hand, you will never run out of delicious coffee creamer again!
Don't worry, if you have a regular blender that isn't quite as strong, you can still make cashew coffee creamer too, you will just need to set some time aside for soaking cashews.
If you do own a high-powered blender, this step isn't necessary as the blender will be powerful to make a very smooth cream without soaking. If you do not own a high-powered blender, I recommend starting by softening the cashews for the creamiest coffee creamer.
To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for a minimum of 6 hours and up to 48 hours until very tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
The key is to blend way more than you think you need to. I blend mine for 3 - 5 minutes in my very high-powered blender to ensure maximum creaminess and no pulpiness is left. By the time I'm done the cashew cream is actually a little warm from the friction.
Pour into a bottle and store in the fridge until ready to use. That's it! No straining needed. The cashews are a soft enough nut that they should turn into smooth creaminess and blend right in. Just give the creamer a shake before using, and stir into your coffee for dreamy perfection.
The Best Cashew Coffee Creamer
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, softened if needed (see instructions)
- 1 ¼ - 2 cups water *see notes
- 1 - 6 tablespoons sweetener of choice- agave, maple syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, low calorie sweetener (optional) *see notes
- ½ - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
To soften the cashews (optional):
- If you do own a high-powered blender, this step isn't necessary as the blender will be powerful to make a very smooth cream without soaking. If you do not own a high-powered blender, I recommend starting by softening the cashews for the creamiest coffee creamer.To soak the cashews: add the cashews to a bowl, and cover with water. Let soak for a minimum of 6 hours and up to 48 hours until very tender. Drain and rinse cashews before using.
To make the cashew coffee creamer:
- To make the best cashew coffee creamer: Add the cashews, water, sweetener (if using), vanilla extract (if using), and salt to a blender. Blend until completely smooth and super creamy with no graininess. The key is to blend way more than you think you need to. I blend mine for 3 - 5 minutes in my very high-powered blender to ensure maximum creaminess and no pulpiness is left. By the time I'm done the cashew cream is actually a little warm from the friction.
- Pour into a bottle and store in the fridge until ready to use, it should keep for about 1 week in the fridge. Always give the creamer a shake before using.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Lynn says
BEST alternative to creamer without affecting the flavor of your coffee like all the other plant based store bought creamers. I soaked the cashews in boiling water for 8 hours first to eliminate any graininess. I made plain, unsweetened cashew creamer & unsweetened hazelnut, both options turned out great! The blend is smooth, thick and creamy. Surprisingly it did not separate overnight. My coffee was darker than with traditional creamers but still had that creamy taste, it's healthy and DEEELICIOUS! I can now give up half & half and still enjoy my morning coffee. THANK YOU!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you love it Lynn, 🙂
Tina says
Wow. I am stunned and in awe of this recipe. Sam, you are a genius!!! I forgot to grab some DF creamer at the shop last night and had found this recipe last week, curious to see if I could save some money week to week. You NAILED it!!! Will def be putting this on my regular meal prep rotation! Thanks so so much!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you love it so much, Tina 🙂
Gail says
Giving up half-and-half in my coffee was my last non-vegan hold-out. I've tried a few substitutions, like coconut cream powder, which were ok but didn't really knock my socks off. THIS knocks my socks off! This recipe will be my forever go-to coffee creamer. So delicious and it mixes with coffee wonderfully!
Sam Turnbull says
Aww that's wonderful!! So happy you love it, Gail!
Andrea says
Just made this - it is SO good!!!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Glad you like it Andrea 🙂
Kat says
Super easy and worked like a charm! Hate to say it, but blender makes all the difference. I’ve tried making creamer in my Ninja for years! Soaking, blending, straining, trying just about everything, and something was always off. Just upgraded to a Vitamix and 5 mins later, voila! Added a bit of oat milk for extra creaminess. I did this is fit of desperation when I ran out of my Silk soy creamer, and that’s still my fav but good to know I have this in my back pocket if I need it. Thanks!
Jo says
I don't have a high power blender, so a few adaptations were needed. Cashews soaked for 48 hours blended great in an old travel sized nutri-bullet. Less water was needed than even the 1 1/4 cup, I'll do equal parts cashews and water in the future. Great base recipe, thanks so much!
Greg says
Very good, I use it all the time.
Skylar says
This creamer is so good! To be honest, coffee creamer was my stumbling block when it comes to being a vegan. Commercial coffee creamer is full of palm oil and pea-protein, neither of which I can or will eat. Thank-you so much for this recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Skylar!! So happy this recipe helped you 🙂
Sarah says
This creamer is very good! Thank you for the recipe!!
Noel says
This recipe is amazing. The only thing I want to request is if you can fix the conversion issue from US to metric because I've noticed that the amount of water in metric is way too high when you convert it with the metric option in the recipe. There may be issues with some of the other items as well, but I think the conversion for the cashews is correct.
Also, can this unsweetened vegan cream, the thicker option, be used in cooking? To make cream sauces like vegan Alfredo etc?
Thanks so much!
Ann Marshall says
This creamer is sooo good! I was tempted to drink a glass of it straight out of my Vitamix while it was still warm! My hubby who’s not a vegan or vegetarian even thought it tasted good. Next time I may add more agave, but the minimum water and vanilla ratios were spot on!
KB says
Delicious. No modifications made to the recipe. I used white sugar, and the 1 1/4 water ratio. Usually have a number of sweetens in my pantry and may experiment with agave or maple syrup in a subsequent batch. It’s creamy and whitens my coffee with a standard amount added. I was using coconut cream and was using half the can to get it to the colour I prefer. Will be using thus recipe in my future morning coffees. Thanks!
Allan says
This recipe is fantastic, I can now ditch my artificial creamers. Thanks a lot!
Question: how long does it take before it spoils? (In the refrigerator)
Peggy Koteen says
Sam, THANKS so much for this. I do love my Trader Joe's Soy Creamer but my local says they're out until January, so it was time for me to find a cashew recipe. Yours works great. So creamy. BTW, I have used your egg yolk recipe at many vegan events and everyone gets so excited. I find non-dairy English Muffins, toast them, spread cream cheese (Violife is my fav), and pour warm egg yolk over. What a hit!
Miesha says
This creamer is absolutely the best!!!!! It’s super creamy and smooth. I’ve made it about three times and experiment with the flavors each time. I have added more water some times but think I’m going to stick with your suggested ratio. It is soooo amazingly delicious. Buying store bought always left some type of after taste or it just wasn’t thick enough. Making my own is what it will be going forward! Thank you!
Holly says
Would this work with raw almonds?
Laura says
Well, I soaked raw organic cashews for 24 hours in boiled water. Blended 5 minutes with 1 1/4 cups water In my Ninja 1500watt (big container). Still gritty. Poured it into a single serve blender container and blended for 30 seconds. This made it creamy. But as I drank my coffee, it seemed to settle and my coffee got thicker and thicker. By the end it was pretty gross. I’m going to try it again with unsweetened cashew milk. The flavor was nice.
Tiffany Owens says
Absolutely love this recipe!! I've Made my own coffee creamer before but this way is way better. To make it creamier, I made a substitution of almond milk for water.
Jenna says
what a great idea. Why didn't I think of that. Def. going to do that now.
Elisabeth says
I’ve noticed settling too. I guess that’s because it doesn’t contain the chemicals to keep it mixed. My solution is to stir as I drink. I happen to drink out of a clear glass mug so I can tell when to stir it. It ends up being 3-4 times per mug.
LORI SHIPPY says
I make this all the time- so easy! I drizzle it over fresh blueberries... its AMAZING
Mary Ellen says
Before this recipe, I had tried every single non-dairy creamer out there and couldn’t stand any of them so would always revert guiltily to half and half. This was a game changer. It is the only substitute for half and half that I truly enjoy and, dare I say it, actually prefer to half and half. I noticed that some people have mentioned separation or grit with both this and your cashew milk recipes. I never have that problem, even though I don’t soak my cashews. I blend the nuts and water about 4 minutes in my Vitamix and then after adding to my coffee, use a little battery operated Zyliss hand held milk frother, which I bought on Amazon for less than $10. I am wondering if this is what makes the difference since that is the only thing I do differently and even though my coffee often sits on a mug warmer for up to an hour, it never settles in the cup or leaves any grit at the bottom. Thanks for this and all your delicious recipes. I use at least one of your creations every day and am never disappointed. Can’t wait to see your next cookbook which, I hope, is in the works.
Leah says
The best!!
Donna Bartos says
How would I modify if I have cashew butter? Any thoughts?