Every once in a while, I get these genius food ideas. It’s as if the perfect recipe just appears in my mind.
Most recently, I was standing at the kitchen counter savoring a fresh batch of crispy cashews, still warm from being dehydrated in the oven overnight (they’re like good crack, btw), when I realized I could do something fantastic with these!
Normally, I just pack them away in a Mason jar and munch on them for snacks, but what if I turned them into homemade cashew butter!?
Better yet, what if I added some spice to it?
I thought about cinnamon, or maybe nutmeg, or even cloves! After opening and smelling a bunch of spices in my collection (it’s pretty out of control, might I add), I took a whiff of cardamom and knew immediately it would be a match made in heaven.
Cardamom is an oft-forgotten spice in the West, but it’s used widely throughout India. I actually first fell in love with cardamom at a young age, when sipping on mango lassi, a delicious Indian sweetened yogurt drink made with mango puree, plain yogurt, and cardamom. I figured since cashews are also common in Indian cooking, they’d be a perfect compliment to cardamom.
Only 5 minutes after dreaming of this creation, I was contentedly licking Cardamom Cashew Butter off the spoon. (Seriously, making homemade cashew butter is not complex!)
The flavor was almost reminiscent of cardamom-spiced cake batter (not that I would know…).
If you’re a fan of all things peanut butter and almond butter, you’ll die for this! The only thing I’d do differently is double the recipe!
Cardamom Cashew Butter
- 1 cup Crispy Cashews
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)
Instructions
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Place cashews in food processor. Pusle until chopped. At first, it’ll sound like you’re breaking the poor machine, so brace yourself (and don hearing protection if you’re sensitive).
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After a minute or so, the cashews will be finely ground and begin pulling together into pea-sized clumps.
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Add cardamom and honey. Continue running your food processor until the cashews turn into a paste. This will take a few minutes. Eventually, the cashew butter will form into big lumps.
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Transfer to a jar, sample this heavenly creation, and if there’s any left, store it in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Cashews are naturally a bit sweet compared to other nuts, so you don’t have to add honey. It’s just a little extra delicious!
If you’re not familiar with Crispy Cashews (or wondering why in the world I’d spend the time to soak, then dehydrate, nuts before eating), you’ll want to read this article: Why Eating Nuts Upsets Your Stomach.
You could use dry roasted or raw cashews to make cardamom cashew butter, but don’t come crying to me when your tummy hurts! I promise you, it’s worth the effort.
Don’t like cashews? Try another nut!
Personally, since I have a food sensitivity to almonds, I can’t test that out, but I imagine that combination would be tasty!
Now I’d like to hear from you:
Have you ever tried making homemade nut butter? How did it turn out?
Until next week,
Lily
PS – Making “crispy nuts” is only one example of many dietary tweaks you can make to keep your digestive system happy. If you want more tips like this, and a systematized plan to get to the root of your tummy troubles, be sure to download my FREE ebook, 30 Days to a Happy Tummy, and see for yourself what a difference a month can make!
That sounds so delicious Lily, I must try it.
It’s also perfect timing for me as I’m looking for more nice ways to up my protein intake and I just got a lovely new juicer that will make nut butters.
I had also just started putting cardamom in my chamomile tea, as it’s really good for my digestion right now.
I also love your explanation of why it’s good to make crispy nuts. It makes such sense. I had shied away from eating nuts for a while because I found them hard to digest, but no more 🙂
I’m REALLY looking forward to trying this. Thanks Lily.
I had no idea making nut butters was that easy! Does using the crispy cashews make it taste differently or is it just for stomach benefits? Can you buy Cardamom at a regular grocery store or is it more specialty? I’m not sure I’ve heard of it before. My husband loves peanut butter, I’m thinking this might be something fun to try. (He’s totally picky about nuts though, which was why I thought I’d just try the regular cashews to see if he even liked the taste first before I made a big batch 🙂
Hi Megan,
Crispy Cashews taste like roasted, salted cashews – only better! I make them for the digestive benefits, to increase mineral absorption, and because they taste great. Here’s the recipe. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t like them, even really picky eaters.
Most major grocery stores carry cardamom. Or, you can try an Indian or international grocer (or online).
Enjoy!
You can get cardamom from the Penzeys website! Their spices are awesome! 🙂
Lily, I love all kinds of nut butters. I’ve never had cardamom cashew butter but will definitely have to give it a try, sounds delicious, maybe smothered on apples – yum!
Great pairing, Brenda!
Lily,
This looks so incredible. (I’m also allergic to almonds.) You have the best ideas and know exactly which flavors work well together. I made your chocolate cashew pie a while back, and I’m thinking about adding it to my holiday list! Thanks, Lily~ xo
Thanks Elise! You’ve reminded me to make that dark chocolate cashew tart for the holidays. So decadent and perfect for those of us who eat few or no grains. 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! Cardamom is one of my all time loves. This is an awesome way to take it somewhere different that just rice 🙂
I have never made homemade nut butter of any kind, but this sounds amazing! I love cashews and this sounds so yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Holy crap, this is amazing. I love cashew butter, have a few jars in my cup board right now but this one looks mind blowingly delish!
Then brace yourself for homemade, especially with crispy cashews. It’s so much more flavorful than store-bought. Mildly addictive, but in a good way!
Ok, I’m making this this weekend. Yum! I can only imagine how delish cardamom is with the cashews. Thanks for the recipe, Lily!
I made this! Yum!
Would this recipe still be tasty if you just soak the cashews, and skip the dehydration process?
I’m half Finnish and the Finns use cardamom in baking cookies and breads. Yum. I love it.
I found cardamom-cashew butter once in the grocery store and it was delicious, but has been discontinued. ☹️ With your recipe and soaking instructions (nuts give me digestive problems), I can have it again.I’m so glad I found your blog. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that the soaking/dehydrating process allows you to enjoy cashews once again!
I just randomly came across your site looking into why some nuts bother me and others don’t. Which lead me to your Cardamom Cashew Butter recipe. I am so excited to try this. I make a cardamom bread that I absolutely adore, but have yet to find a way to adapt the recipe to the Mediterranean Diet that I am now trying to follow. I love cashews but my stomach does not, just a handful and I start to feel ill. This will hopefully solve both issues. Thank you, can’t wait to try it.