The health food store near me sells this absolutely delicious fermented cashew dip. I quickly became addicted to what I affectionately referred to as “crack”. However, made with organic raw cashews and herbs… this cashew “crack” habit I developed was putting a dent in the ole pocket book.
Instead of giving up my habit I decided to tackle making this myself. And I must say, it turned out really well. I even had taste testers and the consensus is that it’s worthy to share.
What makes this recipe a “ferment” is the addition of water kefir. If you don’t make your own water kefir, you can experiment with miso, milk kefir (if lactose isn’t an issue for you) or juice/brine from homemade sauerkraut. You can also skip the fermentation step all together and just use spring water. That’s okay too.
Why Raw Cashews
While roasting nuts does not results in the loss their healthy monounsaturated fat content. However when you buy roasted nuts, they are often roasted with low quality, genetically modified or most certainly not organic oils. This is something you need to be aware of when you purchase roasted nuts. However roasting nuts could alter (or damage) their polyunsaturated fat content resulting in oxidation. This means they will most definitely go rancid a lot faster than raw cashews.
If you plan on making this extremely healthy fermented dip, you may want to get the best quality nuts you can. If you prefer roasted cashews, check what kind of oil they have been roasted with first.
Cheese Alternative
For folks who have been vegan (or dairy sensitive), you may be familiar with cashews being used as a cheese alternative. This particular recipe is meant to be a dip for veggies or crackers, a spread for sandwiches or wraps or even a base for a salad dressing. If you are looking for a cheese alternative this base recipe is a good place to start. You can thin the recipe more to make it more sauce-like or add nutritional yeast to give it a “cheesy” flavour.
On the flip side, raw “cheesecakes” can be made with a base like this (minus the savory herbs of course). So many awesome ideas!
Fermented Raw Cashew Dip
- 2 cups soaked raw cashews
- 1/2 - 3/4 cups water kefir alternatively you can use brine from fermented veggies, milk kefir or water
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs I used basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano and sage
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt
- fresh pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 garlic scapes a garlic clove can be substituted (or omitted)
- Soak your cashews in fresh spring water overnight (minimum 8 hours). Ensure they are well covered because they will expand a bit while soaking.
- In a high powered blender or food processor, blend the cashews until they are very small pieces. If you are using a garlic clove or scape you will want to add it in at this point, ensuring it gets well blended with the cashews.
- Starting with 1/4 cup of water kefir (or alternatives) and blend until smooth. Add more water kefir as you prefer it - depending on the consistency or texture you desire.
- Chop your herbs finely and add them, along with your salt and garlic powder to the food processor. I used equal portions or the five herbs I harvested (basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary and sage). Choose herbs you have access to or love. Use one tbsp if you are substituting dried herbs.
- Gently pulse the herbs until they are well blended with the cashew mix.
- If you want a harder "cheese" you can strain out the liquid using cheesecloth. But note this will remove the water kefir (which is the fermented part of this recipe).
- Store in the fridge and eat within a month.
We love to enjoy this dip with raw veggies from the garden or beet crackers.
Enjoy!
P.S. Pin for future reference and to share in the fermented food love 😉
