Ingredients
| Indredient | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Raw cashews soaked for at least 2 hours (up to 10, or overnight, is fine), drained, and rinsed | 1 cup /
2⅓ dl / 143g |
£1.43 |
| Nutritional Yeast | 2 tbs /
22 g |
£0.88 |
| Freshly squeezed lemon juice | 2 tbs | |
| Garlic powder for stronger garlicky flavor, use 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 crushed garlic clove instead | 1/4 tsp | |
| Salt | ½ tsp | |
| Freshly ground black pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Water | 1/4 cup |
Instructions
Place the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse repeatedly to break the cashews down, until they form a coarse, wet meal. Scrape the sides of the food processor down with a spatula.
Turn the motor of the processor on. With the motor running, drizzle in the water and let the cashews process for about 10 seconds. Stop and scrape the machine down again. Continue processing for a full 1-2 minutes, or until the cashew cheese is smooth and thick, adding a tablespoon of extra water if needed. The consistency should be a little bit like hummus (see photos of finished cashew cheese as a cue).
Taste the cashew cheese and add lemon, salt, and pepper to taste. If you like, pulse in fresh herbs or other flavorings. Serve. Cashew cheese will keep for up to 6 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
There are different approaches to making cashew cheese. Some folks like to use a high speed blender; I find that you have to add a lot of liquid to make the cheese blend properly, which results in something that’s closer to cashew cheese sauce than cashew cheese (not that there’s anything wrong with a cashew sauce).
So, I like to use my food processor, which creates a texture that falls someplace in between ricotta cheese and hummus.
What is the perfect texture / consistency for cashew cheese?
To some extent, this is a matter of preference–you might want to create a loose, creamy cashew cheese for folding into pasta, or you might prefer a really thick batch to crumble onto salads. But for the most part, what you want to whip up in the food processor should resemble a thick batch of hummus: smooth, but with a bit of coarse texture.
Once you prepare the basic recipe I’m sharing today, you can start to modify it by adding your favorite herbs (I like to pulse in dill, chives, thyme, and herbes de Provence), spices (extra garlic powder and even a pinch of curry add tons of flavor), or dried fruit (cranberries make a great addition, especially for a holiday appetizer). The cashew cheese will keep for about 5-6 days in an airtight container in the fridge, so you can savor it in meals all week long.