This vegan heavy cream is an easy and delicious plant-based heavy cream alternative. Made in minutes with blended cashews, this dairy-free heavy cream can be swapped out for heavy cream in your favorite recipes.

A glass jar filled with vegan heavy cream with cashews around it and a spoon over it.

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Why make this recipe

This quick and easy cashew cream is easy to make with just 2 ingredients. This plant-based cream can be used in most recipes that call for heavy cream. It makes rich and creamy pasta sauces, soups, and vegan dips.

You can adjust the thickness of the cream to easily make cashew sour cream as well.

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Cashews – you want raw, unsalted, whole cashews. Don’t use roasted cashews or salted cashews.
  • Water – to achieve the correct smooth consistency.
  • Lemon Juice – (optional) for a little tang if you want your cream to taste more like vegan sour cream.

Helpful tools

  • A high-speed blender or immersion blender.
vegan heavy cream pouring off a colorful wooden spoon.

How to make vegan heavy cream

A full, printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

Step 1 – Soak raw cashews overnight in water covered on the countertop. Quick method – soak raw cashews in very hot water (but not boiling) for 15 minutes to 1 hour before blending. (The longer they soak, the smoother the consistency.)

Raw cashews soaking in water in a mason jar.
Raw cashews soaking

Step 2 – Drain the soaking water off the cashews and add them to a blender with filtered water and blend on high for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Cashews in a blender before blending.
Cashews in a blender
Cashews in a blender after blending.
After blending for 2 minutes

You can add some sea salt, nutritional yeast, or lemon juice to add more flavor to your cashew cream if desired. I also like to blend it with some red bell peppers and green onions, like in my cashew cheese dip.

How to use vegan heavy cream

Use this cashew cream as you would heavy cream in your favorite recipes. You can also use this in place of a can of full-fat coconut milk or sour cream in many recipes.

Use the vegan heavy cream in the following recipes…

Creamy vegan sundried tomato sauce before the pasta is added.
Vegan heavy cream in sundried tomato sauce.

You can use it to replace the coconut milk in these recipes…

Reduce the water by 1/4 cup and add a teaspoon of lemon juice to use in place of sour cream in the following recipes…

Pro Tips

  • There is no vegan heavy cream alternative that will whip up into whipped cream or churn into butter. To make vegan whipped cream, use my aquafaba whipped cream recipe; for butter, use my vegan butter recipe.
  • If you are looking for heavy cream to use in coffee, make my vegan coffee creamer recipe.
  • For cashew sour cream, reduce the blending water to 1/2 cup and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.

You can even use this vegan heavy cream in place of plant-based milk in soups like vegan cream of broccoli, vegan cream of chicken, and vegan cream of mushroom.

Storage

Refrigerate: This plant-based heavy cream will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container.

Freeze: Cashew cream freezes well and can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

A jar of cashew cream with a spoon over it and cashews around it.

More homemade vegan basics

Vegan heavy cream recipe

A glass container with a lid filled with vegan heavy cream made from cashews with a spoonful dripping cream into the jar.
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5 from 4 rating

Vegan Heavy Cream

Yield: 8
Prep: 1 hour
blending time: 2 minutes
Total: 1 hour 2 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
Plant-based heavy cream made with blended cashews.
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1 1/2 cups water , (for soaking – Use very hot water for less soaking time)
  • 1 cup filtered water, (for blending with the soaked cashews)

For sour cream

  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Soak raw cashews overnight in water covered on the countertop for about 8-12 hours. Quick method – soak raw cashews in very hot water for 15 minutes to 1 hour before blending. (the longer they soak the smoother the consistency.)
  • Drain the soaking water off of the cashews and add them to a blender with 1 cup of filtered water and blend on high for 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Notes

  • Add a little more water for a thinner cream.
  • Add a little less water for a thicker cream.
  • For cashew sour cream reduce the blending water to 1/2 cup and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.
This recipe yields about 2 cups of vegan heavy cream.
Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 89kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 6mg, Potassium: 106mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 1mg
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