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Kitchen Essentials: Dairy-free Cashew Cream Sauce

Name: Kitchen Essentials: Dairy-free Cashew Cream Sauce
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cashews, soaked and drained (soak for 2+ hours in cool water or 10 minutes in hot water); 1/2-3/4 cup water; 1-2 tbsp lemon juice; 1/4 cup nutritional yeast; 1/4 tsp sea salt; 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional); 1/4 tsp onion powder (optional)

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Dairy-free, only a few simple ingredients (that won’t break the bank) and easy to make in 5 minutes?! It’s no wonder this is one of my all-time most popular recipes- it’s about time this cashew cream sauce got it’s own post!

I developed this recipe several years ago, looking for easy and delicious dairy-free options for cream sauces, cashews being one of my go-tos to make anything creamy without dairy- from soup to smoothies. I’ve used this cheese-like sauce to mimic alfredo, macaroni and cheese, in casseroles, as a queso replacement and more. The base recipe is delicious as-is, or easily modifiable to your favorite flavor combinations by switching up the spices and/or citrus.

The best part about this recipe, though? It’s EASY! Be sure to use a high-speed blender (immersion won’t work as well for this one, unfortunately- a food processor will work in a pinch but it likely won’t be as smooth) and soak those cashews- this will help them break down easily into a velvety sauce- no cheese or cream needed!