It wasn’t until I first ventured into the world of raw foods, that I learned about the benefits of soaking nuts and seeds.
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, soaking nuts and seeds is thought to remove their enzyme inhibitors and reduce their phytic acid content–> making them easier to digest and their nutrients more easily absorbed. Soaking may also help remove potential irritants, such as mold and pesticides.
Sounds good, right?
The only problem is that I’m often too impatient to dry them after soaking… and soggy nuts don’t exactly make for an appealing snack.
Luckily, we don’t have to spend any extra time drying our soaked cashews. They are perfect for creating light and creamy, nutrient-dense recipes!
Like this creamy cashew pudding.
Loaded with nutrient-rich raw cashews, it’s a great source of manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and vitamin K. With the addition of coconut oil and a touch of raw honey, it’s also bursting with anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, along with plenty of enzymes and antioxidants!
Heck, it’s almost a necessity that you make this pudding.
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Creamy Cashew Pudding
serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut oil
2 teaspoons raw honey
1/4 cup filtered water, or almond milk
pinch of sea salt
*To soak cashews: Soak 1 cup raw cashews in 2 cups of filtered water, so that they are completely covered in liquid. Lightly cover the bowl with a towel, and allow to sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Drain completely and rinse the cashews well before using. (Keep refrigerated if not using them right away.)
Creamy Cashew Pudding (Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- 1/4 cup filtered water , or almond milk
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until very smooth and creamy.
- Be sure to taste the results and adjust the sweetness, if necessary, then transfer to the fridge (or freezer, if you're impatient!) to chill before serving.
- Serve chilled and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 400, Fat: 30g, Carbohydrates: 25g, Fiber: 2g, Protein: 11g
Hope you enjoy this cold and creamy treat!
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Reader Feedback: Do you soak your nuts or seeds before eating them? Is it something you’d consider doing now? I’ve been fortunate enough to find already “sprouted” almonds available at my local Whole Foods, and they are so much lighter and crunchier!
This treat looks absolutely amazing..so rich and creamy! I typically soak nuts, but once in awhile I reach for a few that haven’t been soaked. I haven’t started soaking my seeds yet but that is something I will definitely start dong within the week! Thanks for sharing!
This looks amazing! Do you think I could use Stevia instead of honey? I’m trying to stay as sugar free as possible. However, your peanut butter cups with almond butter are my favorite treat. I try not to make them all the time…
You could definitely use stevia instead of the honey– it’ll just have a slightly different flavor.
Can a Person. Use. A food processor instead of a blender?
I did when I made this last night.
Help me understand, how does either a food processor or blender work with this little amount of ingredients? I have a standard Vitamix, and once it processed for a minute, the mixture was too thick no matter how much I stirred, to respond to the blade accurately. It’s not even close to an even processing, its very gritty still. My food processor is an 11 cup and there is no way the blade would process this, the majority of it would be below the blade. I feel like I run up against this issue in many recipes, can someone please explain, because I’m starting to feel like a complete failure. Is everyone using miniature blenders like the Bullet???
Suzy, I make this pudding in a standard Vitamix. With the tamper, this amount should blend well, but you might need to add a splash more water if it’s getting gritty. Just add a little bit at a time so it doesn’t get too thin. You would definitely need to make a bigger batch to make it in a large food processor.
Thanks Megan, I bought the Vitamix used and it didn’t come with a tamper. I just thought that stopping and mixing it several times would help, but apparently the tamper is a deal breaker- lol. Thanks for reassuring me that I’m not crazy.
Wow this looks so creamy, good…can’t wait to try 🙂
Looks delicious! I’ve never gotten into soaking nuts and seeds but I do see the benefits. I love that your whole foods now carries sprouted almonds! I would definitely buy them if the option was available!
I found it hilarious that, as I read this, I am snacking on an apple with some still damp almonds that I tossed into my bag on my way out the door this morning. I had forgotten I left them soaking in the fridge last night and didn’t have time to dry them before I left. Semi-crunchy!
Ha ha! I’ve definitely found myself snacking on semi-damp almonds, too! Not ideal, but you do what you have to do… 😉
Funny!
This looks great! I’ll definitely be making this soon.
Tried this tonight…delicious, but I couldn’t get it to the consistency you have 🙁 Mine is more like a cashew meal..not creamy..more gritty. I processed the heck out of it too. What blender did you use? Maybe it’s time for an upgrade. Also, I didn’t have coconut milk so I used water…could that have been the difference?
Sorry to hear the texture came out wrong! I used water for mine, and it didn’t seem to affect the texture– but I do use a Vitamix for blending, which always yields amazing results. In a traditional blender, perhaps you could add a little extra water to facilitate smoother blending?
If you’re looking to upgrade, though, I do highly recommend the Vitamix! It’s a life-changer. 🙂
Ya, sooo…it IS good!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Hello – love your blog!! I’m just curious which Vitamix model you have and if you’re totally happy with it, or if you could do it over would you like to have a different one? I think my blender is about to kick the bucket so I’m in the market!
I have this model: http://amzn.to/HGGgG8
And I would buy it again in a heartbeat!!!
I’ve actually tried the more expensive Vitamix models, and I like mine much more. It seems more durable than the versions with the 10-speed dial, and still comes with a 5-year warranty. (And free shipping on Amazon, which is where I bought mine)
Hope that helps! 🙂
Thank you!!
I love my cashews! This looks awesome, so incredibly creamy!
I bet its pretty similar to cashew butter.
OMG! That si soooo good…
We also tried a slight variation : Added some fresh dates in there. 😀
I just used your recipe, but tweaked it a bit. I used 1 cup soaked raw cashews, 7 or 8 large Medjool dates, a heaping tablespoon of coconut oil, about 1/4 cup coconut milk, a tblsp vanilla extract, 1.4 tsp cardamon, and a pinch of salt. Blended all in my Vitamix on high speed, using the black plastic tool to push the cashews evenly into the blades. The amazing pudding was served in small dishes, topped with sliced bananas, raw sprouted pumpkin seeds and chocolate nibs. Absolutely an amazing dessert. My husband was astounded <3
Thank you
I am just beginning my blog, so my website is not even working yet. For the time being you can find me on FaceBook as: Renee Machado Berry, and Thehandcartwoman <3
sorry that’s 1/4 tsp cardamon 😉
Vega nixed this delicious recipe by using maple syrup instead of honey and added half a frozen banana to really get it creamy. So yummy!
Hi,
I’m wondering what speed or setting you used on your Vitamix? I made this and, while delicious, it definitely did not have the texture pictured. It was much thicker and retained more meal, closer to a nut butter than cream even with additional liquid.
My Vitamix only has two speeds– I usually use low for everything. I would imagine more liquid would help, but I’d just add a tablespoon at a time. And did you make sure to soak the cashews first? That would definitely make a difference in this recipe.
Thanks for your response! I did soak my cashews for about 3 hours at room temp. Maybe they needed to soak overnight? I’ll try again and play around with my Vitamix settings and report back when I figure out what works for me in case anyone else has this problem. In reading your comment above regarding which Vitamix you use, I suspect that the issue is that I am using too low a speed/setting. My V. is the one with different settings and 10 speeds.
Thanks for this great Receipe. I used coconut oil water instead of water and coconut oil and my husband loved it.
Hmm, good! I used a Cuisinart and needed a bit more liquid (perhaps 1/3 cup or tad more)… I added half a ripe banana, wow.
I want to make instant pudding using unsweetened Cashew milk….will it set up properly if I ust 2cups of milk or do I need to cut back on the milk??
Great! I had cashews soaked for a vegan alfredo sauce, but no nutritional brewers yeast :(. I found this recipe, blended in vitamix–very creamy and tasty, but also rich think I will use for apple dip.
I would suggest soaking the cashews over night. I made the pudding yesterday with only a six hour soak and struggled with it in the Vita Mix. It did finally blend nd and was very good. Today I used a cup of cashews soaked for 24 hours. To that I added a half cup of crushed pineapple plus the additional 1/4th cup of liquid. I increased the coconut oil to one tablespoon and used the two tablespoons of honey plus only a half teaspoon of vanilla. It processed much better and is yummy. I think the recipe is great, just needs more soaking and somewhat more liquid. It still held its shape with the additional liquid.
This turned out a little grainy with my blender but I added a scoop of cocoa powder and it was delicious. Your recipes look delicious and I intend to try more, thanks so much.
Really good. Was too impatient to soak cashew before but the taste of the pudding was excellent. Didn’t care about the slightly grainy texture in fact liked it very much.Thank you for the recipe:)
Made a double batch of this tonight. First time making this recipe. I did have to add a splash more water so that my Vitamix could blend properly. I actually put it ramekins and placed them in the freezer. Will sprinkle with sugar tomorrow and brûlée them for a creme brûlée style desert. I love that I can taste and adjust accordingly. As always, I’m super happy with your recipes💕 Thank you!
Since this is dairy free is it shelf stable? (I can leave it out for 2-3 days?) or does it need to be refrigerated for storing
Since there is water added, it needs to be refrigerated for storage. Hope you enjoy it!