We have had the pleasure of our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter staying with us the past couple of nights. I affectionately call her Sweet Pea. She loves to cook with me just as she does with her ma -ma at home. Yesterday we made pancakes and muffins. This morning we made cashew milk together. It turned out so good! If you need some nut milk for cooking or for your children or grandchildren this is a super easy way to make it in a high powered blender. No straining required! I love how simple and easy it is. You can make it sweetened or unsweetened.
I didn’t have vanilla extract so I used Vanilla Powder and it doesn’t dissolve like the vanilla extract would but we don’t mind the little specks. It gives it that homemade – artisan look. No artificial ingredients, no stabilizers, no added salt, no chemicals or unknown ingredients. Just pure deliciousness.
This inspiration for this cashew milk recipe comes from this cookbook by Miyoko Schinner. This cookbook gives you some basic recipes for pantry items that are not overly processed or filled with preservatives. I don’t use a lot of the recipes for myself because I am gluten free, oil free, sugar free and low sodium but the recipes are good for other family members. I used the ingredients I had on hand to make the cashew milk and it turned out fabulous. Our little Sweet Pea enjoyed it with her pancakes this morning.
Organic cashew, filtered water, vanilla powder and date syrup. I told you it was easy.
We counted the cashews as we put them in the blender one at a time. Great opportunity for learning.
Just a quick one minute in the Vitamix Blender is all it takes. No straining required! It is so easy peasy – you are going to love it.
It comes out all creamy – looks and tastes amazing! Leave out the vanilla and date syrup for an unsweetened version.
We poured it into jars to store in the fridge. It should stay fresh 4-7 days in the refrigerator. Just give it a shake in the jar before pouring. It’s good to drink as is or use in cooking.
We bought this step stool for Sweet Pea so she could safely help me cook at the Island. She loves it – and sometimes I use it to reach things in the cupboards up high.
Vanilla Cashew Milk
Ingredients
- 4 cups filtered water
- 3/4 cup organic cashews
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon date syrup
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in a high powered blender. No need to soak the dates if you are using a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec. Process for one minute. Pour into glass jars and refrigerate. Should last 4-7 days in the refrigerator.
- *Leave out the vanilla and date syrup for a plain unsweetened cashew milk.
- *For a great substitute for coconut milk in recipes make plain cashew milk and add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon coconut extract to one cup of cashew milk. Sub for coconut milk in recipes.
Why did you choose an untreated salad bowl?
I didn’t want any kind of stain on the bowl I am going to be chopping in. We do treat the bowl with mineral oil to keep it from drying out. If you purchase it from Holland Bowl Mill they can treat the bowl with a bees wax and oil mixture before shipping it to you. If you are vegan and don’t want them to use the bees wax they can send it to you untreated and you can oil it yourself with mineral oil.
My first bowl was untreated as I bought it from a secondary source as I didn’t know I could buy directly from the company. My second one was finished and came directly from the company.
Thanks for this recipe. Does using date syrup make a difference in taste or consistency vs using whole dates?
I have never made it with whole dates but you could try it – you might need to blend it longer to completely incorporate the whole date.