Cashew Milk
INGREDIENTS
Cashew Milk
Makes approx. 4.5. cups
1 c raw cashews, soaked*
4 c filtered water (more for soaking)
1 date, pitted
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
You can use less water to make this a creamer, and then just dilute for smoothies. I use 1-1/2 cups water to 1 cup cashews.
METHOD
Soak the cashews in hot water for 20 minutes (or 2 hours at room temp.)
Once the nuts are done soaking, strain them and discard the water.
Add all the ingredients to a blender and whirl on high until smooth, about 2 minutes. Some blenders may need another minute or two if they’re not high speed / powdered blenders.
Store in a jar in the fridge and just give it a shake before using since it separates a bit while it sits. Fresh milk should last 3-4 - but don’t skip the salt in the recipe, not only does it taste SO much better with salt, but it helps preserve the milk.
TIPS + NOTES
Buy in bulk: If you make cashew milk on the regular, you’re going to want to buy the ingredients in bulk because it really saves on the cost (my favorite sources below).
Properly Store Ingredients: When buying it’s even more important to store ingredients properly. Nuts and seeds can go rancid easily, so I store cashews in the freezer in an air tight glass jar. Dates can dry out which makes them hard to blend, and who wants anything less than a plump date anyways? I store dates in a mason jar in the fridge. If yours has dried out however, you can soak them in warm water before blending into cashew milk. Cinnamon I also store in a jar, with a spoon in the jar because I use it that much. This one lives in the pantry.
Choose Ceylon Cinnamon: traditional cinnamon is called cassia cinnamon and contains high levels of a compound called coumarins (not the same as the beneficial compound in turmeric curcumin ), which can be toxic if you consume too much. Ceylon cinnamon on the other hand has far lower levels so it doesn’t have the same concern. I like to add cinnamon as much as I can to my diet, in smoothies, matcha, hot chocolate, etc. it has so many healing benefits and is especially good for increasing insulin sensitivity (blood sugar balance). The cinnamon I purchase is non iradiated organic ceylon cinnamon on amazon: Anthony’s Cinnamon
Choose Non Irradiated Spices: All spices we consume should be non-irradiated. Spices are irradiated to preserve shelf life and kill off any bacteria, which sounds good but it’s actually not necessary, and destroys many of the beneficial qualities.
Cashews: I get my cashews from the bulk section at health food stores or if I can’t get them in the bulk section (like right now during covid-19), I order them here: organic raw cashews
Dates: Medjool dates I typically get at costco because theirs are so plump. You can also order them here: organic dates.