This is in my top 5 favorite foods. It is creamy, extremely flavourful and tastes incredible in a pita, over chicken or even in a sandwich. You won’t believe it is dairy free.

After years of getting my hormones in order, clearing my skin and figuring out what I should eat with caution, I realized that items such as milk, yogurt, cream cheese and sour cream were no longer a daily option for me. And to be honest, I don’t like the taste of dairy milk anyways, so this was okay with me, EXCEPT…

It meant my top favourite food, tzatziki, was a no go. I am not kidding when I tell you I was devastated. I tried making it with dairy alternatives such a fake sour cream (full of synthetic oils by the way, still not good!) and coconut milk yogurts. They all tasted pretty gross and I almost gave up after 10+ tries of recreating a tzatziki that I would actually enjoy, and my family would too.

Once the skies opened, I realized it was staring me in the face the entire time. Cashew cream.

Cashew cream is basically softened cashews blended with water to create an extremely thick white cream that isn’t flavour forward and works incredible as a dairy free alternative.

I have made this countless times for friends who are very DF and almost didn’t believe me when I said there was no dairy in it. One refused to eat it until she was certain because it really tastes that incredible.

Why Cashews?

Removing certain dairy items from my diet has been amazing and more than doable because of cashews. When cashews are blended with some water, they create a smooth cream that works beautifully in soups, dips, sauces, smoothies, desserts, etc.

I do not like the coconut flavour so many dairy free items lean on AND I also do not appreciate how so many dairy free items you buy at the store are filled with synthetics oils and gums, sunflower oils, soybean oils and lots of other junk I don’t want in my body.

Cashews are clean and amazing because:

• They are not flavour forward like almonds or coconut so they work well in being developed into any flavour you like.
• Cashews are full of good fats, therefore, creating a beautiful cream that holds it shape and doesn’t seperate.
• Rich in fibre and protein.
• Incredible in aiding blood sugar control!
• Keeps you satisfied.

Cashew Cream Tzatziki Ingredients

• Cashews: This is the creamy base for the entire recipe. It has a very mild flavour and smell making it adaptable to our tzatziki without any odd tastes like coconut or almond based dairy free products. We soak them overnight (or using a quick option!) to soften them to be blended easily.
• Cucumber: I use a long english cucumber for its thin skin, making the tzatziki creamy and soft.
• Garlic: The more, the better! I use about 2 cloves in this recipe but love adding another 1 or 2 if I want something very garlic forward. We use anything from regular white garlic to a red russian garlic.
• White Vinegar: This gives some good tang to the entire sauce, can not miss this ingredient!
• Salt: As usual, I use sea salt. It is a very important electrolyte for our bodies to use AND makes everything taste better. We use salt in the cashew cream and over our grated cucumber to remove excess waters.
• Mustard: I use your basic yellow mustard most of the time but love adding in a heavy dijon to amp up the flavour once in a while.
• Lemon Juice: For added acidity and flavour. Use fresh or bottled.
• Pepper: I use a simple ground black pepper to add a little warmth to these very bold, robust flavours!
• Dill: Fresh or dried dill works great here! If using fresh, chop very fine to help evenly incorporate this into the dish.
• Green Onion: Use the entire stalk of the onion and chop very fine. This helps to break up the cucumber and lends a hand to its fellow flavours.

To make and store this recipe, I use these tools. Click the text to shop:

• Vitamix A2500
• Mason Jars
• Coloured Mason Jar Lids

*Some links are affiliate*

How To Make Cashew Cream Tzatziki From Scratch

I would highly recommend soaking your cashews the night before so they are soft and ready for you to blend the next day. So if you want to enjoy this tzatziki on a Saturday, Friday evening place your cashews in a bowl and cover with water to soften them overnight.

If you need a quick option, you can boil your cashews for 10 minutes to soften. The only issue with this is that sometimes the cashews stay quite warm during the blending process which can taste odd since this dip is meant to be cold. If you have a few hours though before serving, that is enough time for the tzatziki to sit and fully cool in the fridge!

STEP 1: PREP YOUR CASHEWS

You have an overnight option or a quick option for cashew prep. Either soak your cashews overnight to soften them or boil them for 10 minutes to soften. Softened cashews blend easily and make a smooth cream for your tzatziki base.

STEP 2: GRATE YOUR CUCUMBER

Grate your english cucumber using a cheese grater over a towel that is laying on a plate. This grating process can be quite juicy, so a plate is necessary under the towel! Once finished grating, sprinkle salt on top to help remove the excess juice/water from the cucumber.

STEP 3: BLEND

In a blender, add your softened cashews and water. Blend until smooth. Add in your garlic, vinegar, salt, mustard, lemon and pepper. Do not add your dill or green onion, we do not want those to be blended. Blend until completely smooth. This can take a little while so be patient, it is worth it!

STEP 4: COMBINE

Move your cream from the blender into the bowl and add in your dill and green onion. Stir well. Take your towel with the cucumber and squeeze all the juice from the cucumber. Remove as much as you can to make sure your tzatziki is not wet or too liquid in form. Put your cucumber into the cream mixture and stir very well. Place into the fridge to stay cool and enjoy within 7-10 days.

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How To Store

Store your tzatziki in an airtight container for 7-10 days. Feel free to give it a good stir before eating as leftovers.

If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure to share and tag me @sarahthereseco on Instagram and come back here to rate and leave a comment!

Cashew Cream Tzatziki

For all my dairy free people! The cashews create a perfect base for this garlicy dill goodness making you always keeping this on hand for sandwich spreads, veggie pairings and more!

5 from 2 votes

Print Rate Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Optional Overnight Soak: 12 hours hours

Servings: 3 Cups

Ingredients

• 1½ Cups Cashews
• ½ Cup Cold Water
• 1 Long English Cucumber
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• ½ Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Dill

Optional:

• ¼ Cup Chopped Green Onion

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

1. The night before, place your cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Place a lid or wrap on top and put either on your counter or in the fridge overnight. If you want a quicker option, boil the cashews in a pot with water covering them for about 10 minutes. This makes them warm, so make sure you cool them well in cold water so you don’t end up with warm tzatziki!
2. Using a large plate and a large cloth or tea towel, place the cloth on the plate and start grating your cucumber onto it. The juice can get quite out of hand and messy, so a plate works better than a cutting board for me to help keep the juices off of my workspace! As for the grater size, I use the side that I would usually use for grating cheese to go on a pizza (hope that helps!).
3. Once the cuke is grated, arrange the cucumber flat on the towel and sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp of sea salt evenly on top. This is for flavour and to encourage the juices to release from the veggie. Put this aside while we work on the cream.
4. With the cashews, make sure you drain all the water they soaked in and add them to a blender with 1/2 cup of cold water. Blend until very creamy. To the blender, also add in 1/2 tsp of sea salt, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, mustard and pepper. Blend until very creamy! I like to scrape down the sides and put my blender on full blast. I don’t like any chunks!
5. Pour your cashew cream into a bowl and add in your dill and green onion. Mix well. Then, taking the cloth with cucumber, pick up the cloth over the sink and squeeze out all the cucumber juice from the grated cucumber. We won’t be needing that juice!
6. Once well squeezed, put the grated cucumber into the cashew cream and mix one more time. Put in the fridge to cool and eat whenever you are ready!
7. I serve this with chicken or potatoes or as the perfect sauce in pita pockets!
8. It keeps for 7-10 days in the fridge.