Cashew Basil Cream

I am excited about this simple cashew creamy sauce that not only can be made using a variety of ingredients, it also can be used on a variety of different dishes! I'm sharing my favorite way to prepare it which is the basic cashew basil cream. 

The recipe calls for only 3 ingredients (raw cashews, water, and fresh basil) and can be made in minutes seconds in the food processor or strong blender such as a Bullet. 

The result is a thick creamy cream sauce that I use as a base instead of dairy cream in cooking recipes. It is dairy-free, gluten-free, and parve. 

After you make the basic cream, you can mix the cream into any spaghetti sauce. 

I was going to make my own tomato based sauce until I realized how much time and effort it would take! and then I thought why would I spend hours shopping, chopping, cooking, and cleaning up when I could just buy a jar of delicious organic tomato basil spaghetti sauce from the supermarket. (The key for me is organic)

Left side: Tomato-Basil Spaghetti Sauce      Right Side: Cashew Basil Cream 

Left: Tomato-basil spaghetti sauce with cream sauce mixed in it

I mixed the cream sauce into the organic tomato-basil spaghetti sauce

I've seen jarred organic tomato-basil spaghetti sauce  in two different supermarkets. In my area Giant has there own organic brand and Shop-Rite has their own organic brand. Both are excellent tasting products that are made with organic onions, organic tomatoes, organic spices, etc. I decided to skip all the work and use a jarred organic sauce.  

The results of mixing the store bought organic tomato-basil spaghetti sauce with my cashew basil cream sauce was nothing short of heavenly. 

I ate some over sauteed zucchini noodles and onions. It can also be eaten over gluten free pasta or any pasta of your choice. 

Turn This Cream Sauce Sweet

You could also use the basic cashew basil cream recipe and add a tablespoon of maple syrup and mix well. I love to eat the sweet version over fruit salad or my peach caprese salad.

Author of Blog : Judee Algazi

Prep Time: 6 hours to soak the cashews + 2 minutes to make the sauce

Cook Time: none

Serving size: 2 tablespoons

Servings: 6

 Ingredients: 

1 cup of raw cashews, soaked in 2 cups of water at least 6 hours

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves

Ingredients :

1/2 cup per person of tomato-basil organic spaghetti sauce (Any brand)

Directions: 

Discard water from the cashews that were soaking and place soaked in the food processor or strong blender. Add 1/2 cup of water and the fresh basil leaves. Process on and off until it is nice and creamy. Refrigerate for about at least 4 hours or more to allow the flavors to intensify.

Ratio: 
1/2 cup tomato-basil sauce  
2 tablespoons cashew cream sauce

Notes: 

1. If you can't find tomato-basil spaghetti sauce, use marinara sauce. 

2. This sauce will keep in the refrigerator about 3 days. 

3. Add less water to make a creamy paste instead of a creamy sauce.

4. REDUCE CASHEWS IN RECIPE: If you want to cut back on the raw cashews, try adding 3/4 cup of cashews and 3/4 cup of fresh basil.

How else could I use this cream sauce? I've seen recipes where they add garlic powder and nutritional yeast to give it a cheesy taste. Personally, I like it best with spaghetti sauce! 

How about you? Have you ever made this type of recipe?