Raw Vegan Cashew Whipped Cream
4.73 from 11 votes

Raw Cashew Whipped Cream | The Full Helping

Of all of the many ways to create creamy textures without dairy in vegan cooking, I’ll always be partial to cashews. Blended up, they add decadent, creamy mouthfeel to dishes along with healthful, mostly unsaturated fats. I love how their mild, slightly sweet flavor can work in both savory and sweet recipes. This raw, vegan cashew whipped cream is one of my all time favorite ways to show off what cashews can do.

Before I get into the details of the recipe, I should disclaim that this whipped cream is a particular type of whipped cream. The consistency is thick, similar to yogurt or Crème Fraîche rather than light, fluffy (Cool Whip style) whipped cream. This means that a small amount of it goes a long way if you only need some garnish. But it also means that the whipped cream can be almost a treat unto itself. As you can see, I think that spooning some of it over sweet, ripe berries is a perfectly satisfying, wholesome dessert.

For those of you who are fans of my all-purpose cashew cream, you’ll see that this recipe is very similar. And it, too, is a template. Feel free to add a pinch of cocoa powder, cinnamon, lemon zest, espresso powder, or any of your other favorite mix-ins to make it shine!

Cashew whipped cream ingredients

Cashews

As with my all-purpose cashew cream and my go-to cashew cheese, I like to use raw, unseasoned cashews for this recipe. I’ve used roasted and unsalted cashews in a pinch, though I think that the whipped cream tastes sweeter and lighter with raw nuts. I don’t recommended salted or seasoned cashews, as they’ll make the whipped cream too salty!

The cashews should be soaked before blending. If you use room temperature water, you can soak them for a minimum of two hours or up to overnight. If soaking for a long time, you can put the cashews in the fridge; otherwise, you can leave them at room temperature. If you need to speed the process up, you can soak the cashews in boiling water for only an hour. No matter what, be sure to drain your cashews before proceeding with the recipe.

Maple Syrup

I tend to use maple syrup as a liquid sweetener here, but agave syrup, brown rice syrup, and date syrup all work well.

Vanilla

For wonderfully intense vanilla flavor, the seeds of half of a vanilla bean are a wonderful addition to the recipe. A teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or powder will also work. Most of the time, I use vanilla bean extract. All of these products tend to be on the pricey side, but extract is usually the least expensive.

How to make raw, vegan cashew whipped cream

The process of making the whipped cream is simple! Ddd all ingredients to a high-speed blender (like a VitaMix or BlendTec) and blend till absolutely smooth, about 3 minutes. If you don’t have a high speed blender, a food processor will also work, though the resulting whipped cream will be a bit grainier and less silky than the blended version.

Storing cashew whipped cream

I’ve been asked a few times if this whipped cream can be frozen, and the answer is yes! I often freeze cashew whipped cream, cashew cheese, and cashew cream. You can do this in plastic or silicone bags. You can also use mason jars, though it’s important to remember that liquids expand as they freeze, so glass can break in the freezer if it’s been filled too much. I always leave a full inch at the top of a mason jar when I freeze sauces or liquids in them in order to prevent any accidents.

If you don’t plan to freeze the whipped cream, it’s fine to store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Raw Cashew Whipped Cream | The Full Helping
4.73 from 11 votes

Raw Vegan Cashew Whipped Cream

Author - Gena Hamshaw
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Yields: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 1/3 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained/rinsed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons maple or raw agave syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (substitute vanilla powder or paste)
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until absolutely smooth. Serve.

Notes

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be frozen for up to 6 weeks.

You can use the whipped cream in so many ways. Some of the recipes that I’ve enjoyed it with are my super summery blueberry buckle, my plum and blackberry crisp, peach and blackberry skillet cake, plum galette, and even my stone fruit baked oatmeal! It’s pretty fun to fold it into banana soft serve, too 🙂

No matter how you serve it, I hope you can enjoy this simple, adaptable, dairy-free treat often!

xo

Photos and recipe instructions updated in June of 2020.

 

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Categories: Recipes, Desserts, Raw Desserts, Smoothies
Method: No-Bake
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, No Oil, Raw, Soy Free, Vegan

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    63 Comments
  1. After putting this in a vitamix and you transfer it to a stand mixer and add cream of tartar and whip this up even more?

    • You could definitely try! I haven’t experimented with that, so I can’t say for certain how it’ll work out. But it’s a fun idea 🙂

    • I think it will work for ganache! Not 100% sure about heavy cream for buttercream, but definitely worth a shot. If you try it, curious to hear how it goes.

  2. Hello! I stumbled across your blog some time ago and enjoy all the recipes! The Spaghetti Squash Bake looks yummy! Several in our family are on the GAPS diet right now and we are always looking for new recipe ideas! Thanks for sharing!

  3. If you want a raw whipped cream that is lower in the rich oils of pure cashews try mixing the cashews with really ripe peeled pear and vanilla!

  4. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll be back to do it right. I didn’t sweeten it today and used it to replace cream in a saltimbocca recipe. Worked great. Dairy free is still new to me.

  5. OH MY! I must get a Vitamix asap and make that smoothie 🙂 The berries and cream sound delicious too, but that smoothie had me smiling and my eyes widening! ….Bookmarked, again… Thanks for sharing Gena!

  6. raw whipped cream!!! looks amazing- you’re so creative 🙂

    i know a few other people asked if you could use diff nuts but could i specifically use almonds? or is it just cashews, pine nuts & macadamias that work?

    thanks for the recipe!!

    ps i tired the banana ice cream for the first time today.. all i have are three words.
    oh. my. god.
    😀

  7. I tried the raw whipped cream today – awesome! I love it! Mine didn’t come out super fluffy, but I think that’s cause I used dates instead of agave. I added a bit more water too since my Vitamix just kind of stopped mid process 🙂

    Hubby wasn’t a fan – just means more for me! Thanks for the great recipe!

  8. Hi Gina,

    I am itching to try both your banana soft serve AND this new lovely cashew whipped cream…but not at the same time. Surely, it would be so heavenly I’d never come back to earth…

    Check out my blog sometime!

    Take care,
    Alex

  9. Oh Gena, you’ve done it again! 🙂 🙂 I am loving the banana soft serve (even had it for breakfast one morning). I’ve told my whole fam about it and they are on board as well!! Now you are tempting me with whipped cream..OH YUMMMMM! 🙂 T and I use to eat cool whip out of the container when we first moved into our apartment together (4 years ago)..this will bring back some memories!!

  10. I can’t believe nuts could produce something so foamy and creamy.
    Ha! I didn’t even mean for that to sound like that! But I’m so glad it did.

  11. Yummy – Tried the whipped cream last night. I used a smaller amount of nuts to make a single serving and it wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked, but its a start. I’ll have to keep working on it – but it was heaven, even with a few lumps in the whipped cream.

  12. This. looks. so. good. (Drooling.) Where have I been living the last several years to have never known the wonderous things one can do with nuts?? frozen fruit?? Your creations are so inspiring and beautiful! How did you learn all of this fabulosity?? You should totally have live cooking classes online!!

  13. Delicious Gena! You know how I used to love my condom lube (aka cool whip). I can’t wait to try this on a little chocolate almond milk.

    Thanks for the additional info in the comments too about the food combining. I didn’t know that bananas and nuts were okay (hello almond butter and bananas!!!), nor did I know that ‘cados combined with fruits. Maybe that little chart I have bookmarked in RFDD isn’t the gospel 😉

  14. ahhhh megan makes that whipped cream and it is SO FREAKING DELICIOUS.
    i’ve gotta try that smoothie!
    hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend <3

  15. Ohh la la! Those berries and cream sound divine!!! Wish we were in NY so I could share with you 🙂 (rather, you could share it with me – LOL).

    Cheers and Hugs,
    Kristen

  16. I do admit, cool whip is my weakness! I know that this stuff is basically “crack” in the edible form, but I can’t seem to break myself away. I did, however, just pick up some “True Whip” which is organic and natural but also a small fortune.

    This variation of whipped cream sounds so luscious and creamy. I never would image that cashews could be turned into something like whipped cream. You are brilliant! 🙂

    Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Take care Gena!

  17. I am literally salivating as I type this. I don’t even know where to begin! Your recipes look mouth-watering and after making a few already I know that they are! So far I’m hooked on your marinara, guacamole, cashew sundried tomato nut cheese, and zucchini pasta alfredo.. I can’t wait to make more! These sound SO good!

    Quick question in response to the last reader’s post – is the nut and berry combo not a great food combo because you’re supposed to eat fruit on its own? Thanks! You’re the best Gena!

    P.S. – I loved your interview with Melissa yesterday. I didn’t know about her blog beforehand…I’m glad you let us know about it! 🙂

    • Hayley —

      If you honor food combining (not all raw foodies do), you eat fruit on its own or with avocado (which is a starch, but combines with fruit).

      Thanks for the sweet remarks!

      Gena

    • They’re the same as for any meal, GC. What in particular was the question?

      (If you were prompted to ask because of the nut and berry combo here, it is in fact a bad combo, and I do this sauce with bananas (which combine with nuts), but it’s totally fine for a raw newcomer.)

        • Nuts AND dried fruit combine with banana 🙂

          And avocado combines with fruit.

          Don’t get too stressed about the combos, dear. A little miscombining in a smoothie won’t kill you! Just don’t eat steak with a roll 😉

  18. YUM YUM YUM YUM!!! Gobble gobble mm mm that sounds so good! I feel silly posting this comment, but this is how I feel! Berries are beautiful 🙂

  19. Hi,
    I also wanted to know if you could make this with another nut? How do you store and keep it?
    Love your blog and wonderful recipes.
    B

  20. Both recipes look delicious- yum! Just wondering why the smoothie is called Lime-in the-Coconut Smoothie if coconut isn’t listed as an ingredient? BTW- I am really enjoying your blog.

    • Ha, I’m not sure, Holly. Random mis-naming? I think I had it in mind to put coconut meat in this at first, then didn’t — let’s call it the Key Lime Pie Smoothie.

  21. mmm im going to be doing this with banana softserve.
    I dont have cashews on hand, could you make this with any other nut?

  22. Gena,
    Your smoothie sounds delicious. I’m so making it this week, but mine will be about 3 x’s the size of your’s. I’m a bit of smoothie piggie. 🙂

    Cashew cream – been a staple in our house for years. LOOOOOVE it!

    Hope you had a Happy 4th!

  23. Gena, I just copied and pasted both of those recipes onto a word doc so that I can access them easily as soon as I am able to get back to Chicago to make them!!!!! They look fabulous.

    I am on a mini-vacay out of state for a few days and have been feeling a bit of guilt because, while I ate super high-raw yesterday, today I basically through that out the window, haha. It’s tough to eat raw at a Waffle House in southern Indiana since even their “fresh fruit plate” involved canned, nursing home fruit….. but I hope to get back on track once I’m home, and I love that I can rely on your blog and awesome recipes to do so! Hope you had a good holiday weekend!

    • Don’t get discouraged, dear Val! Tomorrow is always a new day and a clean slate. My question of the week has to do with “falling off the wagon,” so please stay tuned.

  24. Mmmm that smoothie looks absolutely thick and delicious–the color is beautiful too. Whoa, that whipped cream looks fantastic over those colorful berries! Didn’t know a raw vegan whipped cream was possible, but I guess you can create anything raw and vegan, Gena ;). Happy 4th weekend to you too!

  25. Both of those recipes look awesome Gena and I love your photos. I’m definitely bookmarking this post. One question though, where do you get the vanilla bean paste/what part of the store is it usually in?

    Happy belated 4th of July.. I hope you were able to see fireworks!

    • You can find whole vanilla beans at any health food store, Brittany, or most gourmet markets. I actually found Tahitian vanilla beans, which are incredible.

  26. that smoothie looks awesome and sounds so simple and easy! i definitely will have to make that soon. i don’t have a vita-mix, and I don’t think my blend could turn cashews into raw whipped cream, but it looks delicious, too!

      • My question is almost the same – just tried to make the cashew cream in a regular blender. It’s delicious but not fluffy at all. I then tried to fluff it up with an electric whisk but no go. Will still enjoy it with our breakfast fruit salad, but wondering if you have any tips for next time (maybe we should just get a vita-mix!!?!).

  27. I CANNOT wait to make both of these recipes!! They sound so decadent and creamy…mmm. I’m putting the ingredients on my grocery list asap!

  28. yum the vanilla bean looks incredible. have fun with all your work, blog and social endeavors this month, I’ll see you before you know it. And I might make you bring me some berries and cream!

  29. Looks to me like cashews are kind of a gateway raw food – they are sneaky enough to recreate the darndest things you wouldn’t think could be made raw!

    Hope you’re enjoying your 4th, m’dear. 🙂

  30. Ok, Gena. You have to stop creating these mouth-watering recipes and stop posting beautiful pictures of food on your site. Because I can’t take it anymore! Frozen Banana Soft Serve! Berries with Raw Whipped Cream! And Avocado-Lime-Pineapple Smoothies! I am simply overwhelmed with the shear deliciousness of these recipes. They all look so good that I don’t know where to start!

    Ok, I take it back. Keep all the awesome food coming! And the interviews! And the Q & A! And the giveaways! And your great personality! And all the other awesome stuff that makes this one of my favorite sites! 🙂

    Happy 4th!

    • And you, my dear, must stop leaving me such preposterously kind remarks! Thank you so much. I’m behind on blog reading but plan on heading over soon…in the meantime, happy holiday!

  31. Looks amazing. I am so excited to be waiting on my vita-mix, I think I’ll try the whipped cream as one of it’s first uses.

    Does your friend in NOLA share your healthy preferences? If so, you should totally consider her for an interview on how to keep healthy where organics are scarce and everything is salted and fried.

    • Hey Manda! Chloe’s not vegan or raw, but she IS a new pescatarian, and I have been totally inspired by her capacity to stay away from meat and poultry down there. And I totally want her to do a guest post!

  32. Do you happen to know if the leftovers of the “whipped cream” would keep in the fridge? I’m not sure I could eat it all at once, but it looks great. Thanks!

  33. Happy 4th of July to you Gena!! So glad that you posted this recipe because whipped cream hurts my tummy… 🙂 Hope you get to see the fireworks later!!

  34. Fresh berries, tomatoes, avocados, and coconuts, raw whipped cream…. here’s to summer’s most delightful eats!! 🙂

    Happy 4th of July, dear Gena!!