Name: Maple Vanilla Cashew Cream
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: vegan
Ingredients: 1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours (135g); 1/3-1/2 cup water (80-120ml); 2-3 tbsp maple syrup (40-60g); 1 tbsp lemon juice (15g); 1 vanilla bean pod, scrapped or 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1-2 tsp miso paste, optional

sweet cashew cream in a white bowl with a wooden spoon in it and cashews in a bowl on the left top corner

This maple vanilla cashew cream is creamy, smooth and naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. Learn how to make this incredible versatile sauce in minutes with just 4 ingredients! (Vegan)

vegan pumpkin chocolate chip bread with cashew cream drizzled on top

I rarely ever meal prep anything for breakfast, but something I’ve been prepping weekly this summer is this sweet maple cashew cream.

Cashews are one of the most versatile nuts and a staple in my kitchen. They can be turned into all sorts of condiments and sauces like cashew butter cream frosting, vegan mayo, aioli, cream cheese and vegan cheese sauce.

While cashew cream is not my original concept (whoever came up with this idea, you’re a genius!!) the inspiration for this delicious cream came from the lack of non-dairy vanilla ice cream in my grocery stores. This summer, vegan vanilla ice cream was pretty hard to come by so I thought I’d make an alternative to dress my oats, crisps and cobblers. I took my cashew butter cream frosting and slightly adapted it so it was drizzle-able.

I literally drizzle this on everything now. Honestly, I sometimes even just scoop it out with a spoon, it’s so dang delicious!

ingredients for maple cashew cream on a plate showing cashews, lemon, vanilla beans and maple syrup

How to Make Maple Vanilla Cashew Cream

This sweet cashew cream is made with the simplest of ingredients:

Cashews: Raw or roasted works here. Just be sure to soak them for at least 2 hours or boil them for 5 minutes to let them soften.
Maple Syrup
Lemon Juice
Vanilla: I like to use whole vanilla bean when possible.
Miso Paste: optional, but highly recommended!

Simply blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender, scraping down the sides as needed. Then adjust the taste by adding in more maple syrup or lemon juice and adjust the consistency by adding more water. Depending on what I’m making, I’ll usually use about 1/3-1/2 cup of water.

If you don’t have a high speed blender, you can still make it but it just might not come out as smooth. You can opt to strain it with a cheese cloth if you don’t like the little gritty bits of the cashews.

vanilla maple cashew cream in a white bowl with a wooden spoon inside and cashews on the top right corner

Ways to use sweet cashew cream

I’ve been using this sweet cashew cream on everything! Here are just some ideas:

over oatmeal
over baked oats
drizzled over toast with nut butter and fruit
poured over ice cream
drizzled over muffins
for pancakes and waffles
dip for fruits
ANNND dip your cookies in them (10/10 would recommend)

This sweet cashew cream will last in the fridge for about 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

baked steel cut oatmeal with apples and cashew cream drizzled on top

More dairy-free sauces to try:

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

vegan sweet maple cream n a white bowl on a green plate

If you recreate this Maple Vanilla Cashew Cream recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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