Give your toast, waffles, and sweets an upgrade with this easy, 2-step Sweet Cashew Cream. Made crunchy or smooth, this cashew nut spread only requires 5 ingredients!

A white bowl filled with sweet cashew cream on top of a white plate surrounded by apple slices, dates, and cashews

This sweet cashew cream was born in my attempt to make a smooth vegan caramel. A few ingredient mishaps, and I wound up with what I thought was a fail of a recipe. Turns out, what I had created wasn’t a recipe fail or waste of ingredients, but was actually a spreadable nut butter!

As soon as I realized this, I headed straight for some toast and popped this accidental nut butter on top. Perfect!

So now, I’m sharing this easy cashew and date combo because you are going to need to try this atop your toast. It’s also delicious when paired with waffles, French toast, fruit, or even dessert. Basically wherever you would use peanut butter, you can use sweet cashew cream!

Ingredients in crunchy cashew spread

This crunchy cashew spread came together with an accidental blend of only five ingredients. We start off with the cashews and then add flavorings and sweeteners to achieve a delicious nutty spread.

Raw Cashews: First, start with 1 cup of cashews. They need to soak for at least 1 hour before processing to make this spread smooth and creamy.
Medjool Dates: As a sweetener and thickening agent, Medjool dates are the way to go. They should be seeded and halved prior before mixing.
Vanilla Extract: Next, vanilla extract adds that rich flavor that you need in a nut butter.
Salt: Add a pinch of salt for that sought after salty and sweet combo!
Water: Finally, a bit of water will help us achieve that buttery consistency. Add as needed.

How to make sweet cashew cream

This cashew cream recipe comes together in only two easy steps! We’ll start by processing everything, and then we’ll add water to creamify it. Ta-da! Cashew spread.

Step 1: Puree the ingredients
In a food processor, puree the soaked cashews and seeded dates until it’s as smooth as possible. Add the vanilla and salt, and then pulse to combine.

A food processor filled with cashews and pitted, halved dates

Step 2: Creamify it
With the food processor running, slowly add water until the mixture reaches a thick but creamy consistency.

A food processor filled with freshly blended sweet cashew cream ingredients

Are you more of a smooth nut butter person? Well, you can totally achieve that with this same exact recipe!

All you have to do is soak the cashews overnight (as opposed to just 1 hour), and let the dates soak in hot water for 20 minutes.

With just two small extra steps, you have a smooth, sweet cashew spread.

A bowl of creamy cashew spread sits on a plate, surrounded by apple slices, dates, and cashews for dipping.

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