31 Cashew Recipes That Go Beyond the Snack Bowl
Everyone loves a sweet-and-savory nut mix, but there are far more cashew recipes beyond the classic cocktail-party snack. Soaked and blended, cashews become a stand-in for heavy cream, keeping stuffed shells, soups, pasta sauces, and desserts luxuriously dairy-free. Toasted and roughly chopped, they add crunch to salads, curries, stir-fries, and more.
There are so many reasons to love cooking with these seeds—that’s right, “cashew nut” is technically a misnomer, since they grow outside the fruit rather than inside a hard shell like true nuts. Below, find our favorite cashew recipes to get you started.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne2/31Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese
Yes, you can make macaroni and cheese without actual cheese. After testing many iterations, this version, with unsalted cashews, nutritional yeast, miso paste, mustard, and spices, was the velvety, flavorful favorite.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone3/3122-Minute Coconut Chicken Curry
This flavorful curry combines chicken, ginger, garlic, spinach, curry powder, coconut milk, and a mustard-flecked cashew topping.
Photo by Ed Anderson4/31Cashew and Coconut Shrimp
Blitz raw, whole cashews with breadcrumbs and shredded coconut in a food processor to create an extra-crunchy coating for plump shrimp. All that’s missing is a mai tai and a sunset.
Photo by Erin Scott5/31Vegan Stuffed Shells
We’ve made our fair share of vegan-friendly pasta dishes, like our take on dairy-free Alfredo. Here, jumbo shells skip the usual ricotta filling for one comprised of cashews, artichoke hearts, and nutritional yeast (which gives the mix a cheesy flavor).
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman6/31Creamy Cashew Udon With Crispy Mushrooms
Use cashew cream and a bit of pasta cooking water to deglaze a pan of seared mushrooms, forming the sauce for this chewy noodle dish.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich7/31Dinner Salad With Radicchio and Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton8/31Sri Lankan Cashew Curry
Raw cashews and creamy coconut milk provide a cool contrast to paprika, turmeric, and the warm spices in Sri Lankan curry powder. This cashew curry is delicious when first made, but dare we say it tastes even better as leftovers?
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton9/31Fusilli in Creamy Vegan Asparagus Pesto
This simple, feel-good vegan cashew recipe features a pesto-like sauce made with whole cashews, garlic, basil, and fresh asparagus.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou11/31Fried Cashews With Lime Zest and Chile
This easy cashew recipe comes together in just 10 minutes, but if you want something even simpler (i.e. you don’t want to deal with hot oil and pan-frying), try these roasted cashews instead.
Photograph by Clay Williams, food styling by Taneka Morris, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon13/31Deviled Cashews
If you’ve only ever deviled eggs, it’s time to get to know these cashews. To “devil” a food is to wake it up with zesty seasonings like mustard, cayenne pepper, or paprika; here, that means curry, chile powder, and caramelized onions.
Photo by Peden & Munk14/31Cashew Caesar Dressing
Combine soaked cashews with classic Caesar dressing ingredients to make an egg-free version that’s great served with roasted vegetables, spread on sandwiches, or tossed with salads.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Pearl Jones15/31Carrot and Fennel Soup With Miso Mushrooms and Cashew Cream
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime16/31Aromatic Shrimp and Noodle Medicine Soup
Alex Lau24/31Coffee Cashew Vegan Ice Cream
Blending soaked cashews makes an exceptionally creamy vegan vanilla ice cream. Adding instant espresso to that mix makes it even better.
