It’s been over four years of making cashew-based recipes and I think we soaked the cashews overnight a whole ONE time. I mean, we’re really impatient.
A whole 24-hours of soaking? C’mon – ain’t nobody got time for that. So that’s where we learned to quickly soak cashews!
So to quickly soak cashews just the same – we have an alternative method. All you need to do is place your cashews into a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, squirt some lemon juice in there (totally optional), remove from heat, and cover. Let that sit for about 15 minutes.
Why lemon juice? I don’t really know. For some reason, it seems to make them softer and a cute little sprout comes out the end of some of them. Apparently, sprouting cashews are better for digestion and provides more nutrients.
We use this method for all our recipes that need softened cashews, like our creamy white wine lemon alfredo sauce, and the results are just the same as soaking them overnight – but better because it takes a fraction of the time 🙂
Other recipes to utilize these quickly soaked cashews!
Vegan Mozzarella: A quick and easy way to make vegan mozzarella that will substitute perfectly!
Vegan Penne alla Vodka: This creamy sauce uses soaked cashews and tempeh “pancetta” that will blow your mind with flavor!
Creamy Cashew Sauce: This one is PERFECT for tofu scramble. Add this sauce to your browned tofu scramble in the pan and thank us later. Or you can also put them on your breakfast potatoes 🙂
Vegan Sun-dried Tomato Cream Cheese: This cream cheese is perfect for that morning bagel. We know breakfast can be a tough meal when starting out vegan, so give this a shot and you will not be disappointed!
Soak cashews for 24 hours? Ain’t nobody got time for that! This is the quick and easy method for the all the impatient people out there (like us!)
- cashews
- water
- squirt lemon juice optional
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Place cashews in a small pot and cover with water. Bring water to boil.
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Cover and remove from heat.
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Soak cashews for 15 minutes. Drain.
Amy Stafford
Thank you so much for this! I always seem to find recipes that call for soaked cashews at 5:00 on the afternoon, when it’s too late to use them for a dinner recipe.
Jessica
Thank you going to use this’
Katrina Gifford
I’m so glad I found this. I tend to snack a lot, fairly healthy things but my new craving is veggie fried rice. I like to add extra egg for the protein and I remember once I tried the rice at some place and they had cashews in theirs it was delicious. I’ve tried but hard cashews just aren’t the same so going in now to make up a big batch. I can’t believe how quickly they can be softened!!! Thanks so much!
pasta-based
That’s awesome you found this recipe useful! Thanks for your comment! Yaknow…. you might also like roasted cashews, they are my favorite for veggie fried rice. Just roast the cashews at 450F in the oven for 5-8 minutes, until they start to brown. They will still be a little hard but not as bad as raw cashews and they have a delicious roasted flavor.
Ken
Hi, I’ve done that a few times now and it’s great! Such a time saver and the results are excellent. Thank you for sharing.
Amanda
Can you use the same method for almonds?
Chantal
This worked perfectly for a vegan/gluten free cashew cheesecake I recently made (https://lovingitvegan.com/raw-strawberry-cheesecake/)! Thanks for the time saving tip, it meant I had time to actually make the dessert I wanted for a birthday celebration a few hours later (last minute planner) – very much appreciated and enjoyed 🙂 I can’t wait to try out some of your other recipes, they look amazing!
Meredith Etheridge
This was amazing – thank you! How long will this “keep” to use in another recipe?
pasta-based
A couple days. They tend to get a little slimy if kept too long.
pasta-based
Also, store them in the fridge.
Natalie Vidales
Can I substitute lime juice for the lemon juice?
pasta-based
I’m not sure. You can leave it out if you don’t have lemon.
Nicole Allard
Hi, can I use this method with almonds? Have you ever tried that? I need to make an almond cheese for tomorrow morning but I forgot to soak my almonds this morning and it is now 5:15 pm! I’m going to try your method and see how it works and report back tomorrow. Wish me luck!
Cindy
Such a timesaver thank you! I just used this evening to make some vegan sour cream for my falafel : )
Susan Chilcote
Always order shrimp with cashews and always eat all the cashews first, then the shrimp. I’m gonna try this recipe if for no other reason than to stop wasting the rest of the dish.
Manon
Wow, I was considering what to do when I forgot to soak the cashews, and I have to say, this made excellent cashew creme. Could tell no difference from soaking 24 hours to using this method. Thanks!
pasta-based
It really is so helpful! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Andrew Beveridge
Did this – so easy, so nice!
Stephen Barkulis
Hi just a quick nutrition tip, though you might get the same soft results from the quick boil , you also loose the enzymes and leach nutrients into the water when you boil. This isn’t as problematic for cashew creams and sauces that will cook later but if your going to make a raw cashew ricotta or the like it’s more beneficial to soak them! Thx for sharing this time saving method though!
pasta-based
Ahh very good to know – thank you for the insight!
Dayna Barret
This was so helpful! I do have an answer about the lemon juice. Unless you are using filtered water, the cashews tend to take on a grayish look after soaking or boiling. The lemon juice stops the gray, leaving a very pleasant creamy cashew sauce.
pasta-based
I’m so glad you found this helpful!!
camillle
hi, do you need to fully dry the cashews after draining before using them in an Alfredo recipe?
thanks.
pasta-based
You can if you want to, but it’s not necessary. Feel free to drain and use right away!