This vegan heavy cream substitute is smooth and velvety, perfect for adding a creamy texture to coffee, sauces, soups, and more. Bonus: you only need three ingredients to make it!
In a world where there are vegan substitutes for everything from ham to eggs and sour cream, it’s surprising to me that it’s so hard to find a good vegan heavy cream substitute. There’s one widely-available brand in stores that I can think of, and if it’s not sold at your local grocery store, you’re out of luck.
Well, the good news is that it’s easy to make vegan heavy cream at home—and it only requires a few basic ingredients!
By combining soaked cashews, filtered water, and a bit of sea salt, then blitzing them in the blender until the mixture is silky smooth, you can create the best plant-based heavy cream right at home, in a matter of minutes. (Yep, add this to the list of amazing things you can do with cashews, right along with Cashew Milk .) Unlike other nuts, cashews will blend completely, which means there’s no need to fuss with a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to strain the liquid.
Now, it’s important to note that this heavy cream substitute can’t do everything that dairy-based heavy cream can do. It’s terrific for adding a creamy texture to soups and sauces, for making homemade chocolate truffles, and even for your morning cup of coffee, but you can’t beat it into whipped cream for topping desserts. For that, you’ll need my vegan whipped cream recipe !
Notes on Ingredients
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
- Raw cashews – It’s important that they’re raw, not roasted.
- Filtered water – Plant-based milk can be used instead.
- Sea salt
How to Soak Cashews
You’ll need to soak the cashews for this recipe, which is key to making them blend into a smooth, creamy liquid. The best way to do this is to place the cashews in a jar of water overnight, then drain and rinse them. If you’re short on time, you can soak the cashews in boiling water for an hour, or boil the cashews themselves for 5 to 10 minutes.
How to Make Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
Once you’ve soaked the cashews, it only takes a few more minutes to make vegan heavy cream!
Blend. Place the drained and rinsed cashews, filtered water, and salt in a high speed blender. Blend on high until the mixture is thick and creamy; scrape down the sides of the blender or add more water if needed.
Finish . If you’d like, you can add seasonings and flavourings—for example, if you’re using your plant-based heavy cream for coffee, you can add vanilla extract. Pour the heavy cream into a bottle or storage container and refrigerate.
How to Store
Refrigerate your heavy cream in an airtight bottle or container for 3 to 4 days and give it a good shake before you use it.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Yes, you can freeze vegan heavy cream for up to 3 months. I recommend freezing it in an ice cube tray, then popping the cubes in a freezer bag. Then you’ll have perfectly portioned heavy cream whenever you need it! Warm it a few seconds at a time in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stovetop.
Ideas for Using Vegan Heavy Cream
Here are my favorite ways to use this recipe:
- As vegan creamer for my Iced Matcha Latte .
- To make a luxurious, extra-creamy Vegan Hot Chocolate .
- To add a creaminess to pureed vegetable soups, like my Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup .
- For rich, vegan pasta dishes like Creamy Tomato Pasta .
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked overnight in water in a jar and rinsed OR just easily boiled for 5 minutes – see instructions * (this results in about 1 ¼ cups puffed cashews)
- 1 ¼ cup filtered water , or plant based milk
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- If you’re low on time (like I always am) you can soak your cashews in boiling hot water for about 1 hour, or boil them for about 5-10 minutes first. This helps your cashews to produce a silky texture and to be totally dissolved. This is crucial because ideally whatever you’re replacing you don’t want to be tasting cashew pieces!
- In a high speed blender, blend all the ingredients together until blended and completely creamy and incorporated. Scrape down the sides if needed, and blend until combined. Be sure to add extra water if needed to reach the desired consistency that you’re looking for.
- At this point, add in any extra flavourings or seasonings that you have, and blend again or stir together to combine. This is also just a great base recipe to always have on hand! Enjoy!
Notes
Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight in water in a jar and rinsed OR just easily boiled for 5 minutes - see instructions * (this results in about 1 ¼ cups puffed cashews)
- 1 ¼ cup filtered water or plant based milk
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- If you’re low on time (like I always am) you can soak your cashews in boiling hot water for about 1 hour, or boil them for about 5-10 minutes first. This helps your cashews to produce a silky texture and to be totally dissolved. This is crucial because ideally whatever you’re replacing you don’t want to be tasting cashew pieces!
- In a high speed blender, blend all the ingredients together until blended and completely creamy and incorporated. Scrape down the sides if needed, and blend until combined. Be sure to add extra water if needed to reach the desired consistency that you’re looking for.
- At this point, add in any extra flavourings or seasonings that you have, and blend again or stir together to combine. This is also just a great base recipe to always have on hand! Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-heavy-cream-substitute/ March 14, 2022
Garlic bread is always a good idea, but the buttery, caramelised roasted garlic in my vegan garlic bread recipe takes it to the next level! This easy garlic bread recipe is going to be your new go-to side dish for pasta dishes, holiday dinners, and every other occasion.
It’s no secret that I’m a big believer in the magic of roasted garlic . Roasting mellows the flavours while caramelising the garlic, making it rich and almost sweet-tasting. I could eat this ingredient in just about anything, and this roasted garlic bread might just be my favourite way to use it. This vegan garlic bread recipe is toasty, buttery, and perfect for soaking up soup, stew , and sauces.
Why This Vegan Garlic Bread Is the Best
- Dairy-free, with gluten-free bread options. When it comes to traditional garlic bread, it’s not vegan because it’s made with butter. My recipe is made with vegan butter, so it’s dairy-free!
- The roasting difference. Soft, caramelised roasted garlic cloves take traditional garlic bread to the next level. It’s an easy extra step with the best flavour pay-off, if you ask me.
- Make-ahead options. You can make your garlic butter in advance and keep it in the fridge until it’s time to prepare your garlic bread. Even better, make double the garlic butter so you’ll have extra to add to mashed potatoes and pasta recipes .
Notes on Ingredients
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions, and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
- Demi baguette – Or use one half of a traditional baguette (or bake your own French bread ). You could also make garlic bread with an Italian loaf, like ciabatta, or use sourdough bread or homemade Dutch oven bread . If you’d like to make this recipe gluten-free, choose a gluten-free bread.
- Garlic – Choose fresh garlic cloves, without any green sprouting from the tops.
- Simple seasonings – Olive oil and sea salt when roasting the garlic, plus fresh or dried parsley and red pepper flakes to add to the garlic butter. Omit the chili flakes if you want a milder flavour, or use cracked black pepper instead.
- Vegan butter – You can use your preferred store-bought brand, or follow my recipe to make your own vegan butter .
How to Make Roasted Garlic Bread
You can roast the garlic up to a few days in advance; if you do this, you can have your garlic bread ready to eat in a matter of minutes!
First, Roast the Garlic
Prepare the garlic.
- Prepare for roasting. While the oven preheats to 400°F, slice the tops from the garlic bulbs to expose the cloves. Place each head of garlic on a piece of foil and season it with olive oil and salt.
- Roast the garlic. Seal the garlic inside the foil. Place the foil packet into the oven to roast for 60 minutes. Afterward, let the garlic cool enough to handle. Keep the oven on, as you’ll still toast the bread.
Assemble and Bake the Garlic Bread
Combine the butter ingredients.
- Make the garlic butter spread. Now, combine the butter, parsley, sea salt, and red pepper flakes. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skins into the bowl. Then, use a spoon or fork to mash everything together until smooth.
- Assemble. Next, cut the baguette in half lengthwise. Spread the garlic butter generously over the cut sides of the bread.
- Bake . Place the two bread halves on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bread is golden, toasty, and crispy. Transfer to a cutting board and slice.
Tips to Keep In Mind
- No vegan butter? No problem! If you can’t find vegan butter at your grocery store, you can mash the garlic in olive oil instead. While it won’t be quite as buttery, the roasted garlic itself has a buttery flavour to it.
- Using different types of bread . French and Italian bread make great garlic bread, too, or you can use homemade dinner rolls for personal-sized garlic bread.
- Cheesy garlic bread. Add nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan to the garlic butter mixture for a cheesy flavour.
What to Serve With Vegan Garlic Bread
Some of my favourite recipes to serve with this vegan roasted garlic bread recipe include my quick 20-minute vegan pesto pasta and creamy tomato pasta on weeknights. Of course, crispy, toasted hunks of homemade garlic bread are always welcome with a bowl of mushroom soup or roasted cauliflower soup . Garlic bread is also the perfect side to a bowl of vegan chili or cozy wintertime stew.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store leftover roasted garlic bread tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. Reheat it in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes, or until it’s warmed through and crisp on the edges.
- Freeze. Wrap the garlic bread well and freeze it for up to 3 months. It can be reheated from frozen in a 350ºF oven for about 15 minutes, or you can thaw it in the refrigerator first, and then it should be warmed up in about 10 minutes.
More Vegan Side Dish Recipes
- Vegan Garlic Parmesan Dinner Rolls
- Vegan Cornbread
- Gluten-Free Naan
- Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 Demi baguette , like a baguette half the length of the traditional really long one
- 2 heads of garlic
- drizzle of olive oil and crack of sea salt
- ½ stick vegan butter , room temp
- 2 tablespoons finely diced parsley
- crack sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Cut off the tops of two heads of garlic. Place them on a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a crack of sea salt. Cover the garlic completely with the foil by crumbling it over. Place in your oven and roast for 60 minutes.
- Remove and allow the garlic to cool a little (don’t turn your oven off).
- In a bowl, add the vegan butter, parsley, sea salt and red pepper flakes. Squeeze the roasted garlic into the bowl. Using a spoon, fork, or whisk, stir all the ingredients together until fully combined.
- Cut your baguette in half. Spread the garlic butter spread all over the insides of the loaves.
- Place the slathered garlic bread onto a parchment, foil or silicone lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at the same temperature (can do up to 15 but watch carefully) and then remove. Place on a cutting board, slice and enjoy!
Notes
- How to store: Store leftover roasted garlic bread wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes, or until it’s warmed through and crisp on the edges.
- How to freeze: W rap the garlic bread well and freeze it for up to 3 months. It can be reheated from frozen in a 350ºF oven for about 15 minutes.
