This healthy Gluten-Free Vegan Garlic Cashew Spread is an easy recipe to make with only 5 clean, real food ingredients and can be prepared in under 5 minutes. It's a perfect plant-based staple recipe to use in wraps, to dip fresh veggies, or spread on gluten-free crackers.{ Plant-Based | Raw | Vegan | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Soy-Free | Oil-Free | Low-Carb | Paleo-Friendly | Medical Medium® Compliant }
Soak the cashews in filtered/purified water for 30-60 minutes, then rinse and drain. This step is optional, but it will make the cashews soft and the mixture extra smooth.
Prepare the spread:
Add all ingredients to a Vitamix and blend until everything is well combined, but still thick, taking care not to over blend, and using the tamper if needed. If the mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help it blend easier.
Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.
Store in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Cashews. Soaking the cashews in filtered/purified water before adding them to the blender will make them soft. In addition, this will make the mixture extra smooth without a "grainy" texture.Not to worry if you don't have time to soak the cashews in advance. The taste will be the same and only the texture would be different.Garlic. I recommend using fresh garlic to give the best flavor. In addition, here are some other garlic suggestions:
Add 1-2 extra cloves of freshly crushed garlic if you L.O.V.E. garlic.
If time permits, you could also use roasted garlic to give it a more intense flavor.
Lemon Juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give you the best flavor and most nutrients. However, you can substitute with store-bought organic lemon juice.Himalayan Pink Salt. This is my salt of preference but it can always be substituted with sea salt.Serving Size: This recipe will make (1) cup. The serving size was calculated at (1) tablespoon per serving for a total of (16) servings.