Kräuter-Cashew-Brotaufstrich (herb cashew spread)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Spread
- 250 g cashews, soaked in cold water at least 8 hours, drained rounded
- 90 ml water, fresh, not the soaking water rounded
- 30 ml lemon juice rounded
- 20 ml olive oil rounded
- 1 garlic clove rounded
- 20 g nutritional yeast, adds a savoury, slightly cheesy note (optional) rounded
- 30 g mixed fresh herbs, chives, dill and parsley work well together rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Method
Method
- Drain the soaked cashews well and combine with the fresh water, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and nutritional yeast if using in a blender.
- Blend on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until completely smooth with no graininess left; this takes longer than it looks like it should, keep going past the point it first appears smooth.
- Add the herbs and pulse briefly, just until flecked through, not fully puréed; you want visible green flecks, not a uniform green paste.
- Season with salt to taste. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving, which firms it up to a proper spreadable consistency.
Method in the Thermomix
Written for a TM5 or TM6, 2.2 litre bowl.
- Drained cashews, water, lemon juice, oil, garlic and nutritional yeast into the bowl. Blend 1 min / speed 9, scraping down once, until completely smooth; this machine reaches full smoothness far faster than a standard blender.
- Add the herbs. Pulse 3 sec / speed 4, just until flecked through.
- Season with salt, mix 5 sec / speed 3, then chill as in the hand method.
Notes
- Soak the cashews the full 8 hours, or overnight. Under-soaked cashews never blend fully smooth no matter how powerful the machine, leaving a gritty texture no amount of extra blending time fixes.
- Use fresh water, not the soaking water, which carries a slightly bitter, starchy taste that fresh water avoids.
- Chilling after blending is what gives it a spreadable, rather than pourable, texture; it firms up noticeably as the fat in the cashews sets.
- It keeps for 5 days in the fridge, covered, and the flavour deepens slightly by the second day.
Ingredient substitutions
- Nutritional yeast is optional but adds a savoury depth close to a mild cheese; without it the spread is cleaner and more purely herby.
- Herbs can be any soft-leaf combination; basil works well but changes the character toward a pesto-like spread.
- Sunflower seeds, soaked the same way, are a reasonable nut-free alternative to cashews, though the result is less rich.