Creamy Cashew Dressing

Name: Creamy Cashew Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup cashew butter; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 teaspoons honey; 2 teaspoons sriracha; 2 cloves garlic (pressed, grated, or minced); Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; Cold water

If you want to make crave-worthy salads, start with this creamy cashew dressing. It's super simple to make with cashew butter instead of raw cashews, and gets a little spice from adding sriracha! Ready in just 10 minutes with 6 simple ingredients.

Creamy cashew dressing in a small pouring cup.

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As a food blogger, my job is to tell you how good my recipes are so you'll try them. It makes it difficult to really express when something is so over the top good that I actually NEED you to try it, because it's good on literally everything and if you haven't tried it yet you aren't really living.

This cashew dressing is super creamy, a little spicy, and so easy to make. I've seen many other cashew dressings that call for soaking cashews, but who has time for that? Not me.

This whisks together in minutes (no food processor or blender!) and it actually got my kids excited about eating their salads. I've been experimenting with putting it on all sorts of things, and so far it's a winner all around.

Ingredients

Cashew butter
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Honey
Sriracha
Garlic
Salt & pepper
Water

How to make cashew dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the water until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, and add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it is the consistency you prefer. Transfer to a mason jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Top tips

What kind of cashew butter to buy

Look for a cashew butter that has only one ingredient (cashews). I like the East Wind raw, no salt cashew butter because it is super creamy and easy to blend.

How to prepare garlic for homemade dressing

Raw garlic can be pretty spicy, so you'll want to make sure you prepare your garlic well instead of throwing in big chopped chunks. I like to use a garlic press (affiliate link), but grating it on a microplane would also be great. If you don't have a press or grater, you can finely mince the garlic.

Ways to use cashew dressing

Mix with a cashew rice bowl and other salads
As a spread on sandwiches
Drizzle over grain bowls
Mix with rice
Cook ramen noodles without the seasoning, drain the water, and toss with the dressing
As a dip with chips or veggies
In place of sour cream on tacos
Drizzle over roasted or grilled vegetables

How to store

Keep this dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Creamy cashew dressing in a small pouring cup next to a salad.

Tips for customizing spicy cashew butter dressing

Adjust the spice by adding more or less sriracha, or swapping it for crushed red pepper flakes
Add more garlic to taste
If you prefer a thinner dressing, add more cold water until the desired consistency is reached
Make it vegan by swapping maple syrup for the honey

FAQ

Is this a spicy cashew butter dressing?

This dressing is lightly spicy, but shouldn't bother sensitive palates. Two teaspoons of sriracha might seem like a lot, but it really gets balanced out with all the other flavors and the creamy cashew butter.

Can I make this with raw cashews?

Yes, if you prefer to make your own cashew butter you can toast 3 cups of raw cashews on a baking sheet at 350ºF for 10 minutes, then let them cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Measure out ¼ cup to use for this recipe and save the rest in a mason jar in the refrigerator for another use.

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