How to Make Homemade Chocolate Cashew Milk {vegan + paleo}

Today we’re talking about how to make homemade chocolate cashew milk! This delicious plant based nut milk is incredibly easy to make. It doesn’t require straining, and I’ve even included a short cut if you’re short on time to reduce the soaking time to 15 MINUTES! A crazy delicious + healthier chocolate milk for everyone at your table!

A quick note on this recipe! The original version of this post was published back in 2015. Since then I’ve re-tested the recipe, updated the photographs, and the content. I’m republishing it for you today to enjoy! I hope you continue to make and love this delicious chocolate cashew milk. xo

This homemade chocolate cashew milk was one of the FIRST recipes I ever posted on NK! I remember scrambling to get it ready before we took off to one of our favorite local music festivals and feeling so excited to finally be sharing recipes on my *very own* food blog 😉

I can hardly believe that was all the way back in 2015! A lot has changed since then and some things are still the same.

My photography and recipe writing skills have certainly improved, and my love for this blog and homemade chocolate cashew milk have stayed the same (if not grown exponentially!). So I thought I would give this recipe a little face lift love.

Even though it’s from what feels like forever ago, this chocolate milk is still one of our favorite homemade drinks and I’m SO excited to be sharing it (again) with you today!

Why we love this creamy homemade chocolate cashew milk

This homemade chocolate cashew milk is:

• Creamy
• Chocolatey
• Easy to make
• Decadent
• Healthy
• Dairy free
• Paleo friendly

There’s a lot of variety available at the stores these days for dairy free nut milks, but IMHO, nothing beats a homemade nut milk.

Especially when it’s as creamy, delicious, and easy to make as this one!

What does cashew milk taste like?

Although almond milk tends to be the more popular choice for nut milks, if I had to choose between it and cashew milk, I would choose cashew milk 10 out of 10 times.

Not only does it have a creamier + fuller bodied texture, it’s also a little bit more mild in flavor than other plant based milks.

This makes it the perfect blank palate for just about any flavor additions that you might want to add to it. The possibilities are literally endless!

But are you ready for my FAVORITE part about making cashew milk?

(drumroll, please…)

You don’t have to strain cashew milk!

Honestly straining the pulp out of nut milk is one of the main reasons that I end up not making my own at home most of the time.

Call me lazy, but it usually just feels like more work it’s worth 😝

But this is where your high speed blender / vitamix is YOUR BEST FRIEND.

When you blend soaked cashews with water on high speed for a minute or two there’s no 👏🏼 pulp 👏🏼 left 👏🏼 behind 👏🏼 from the cashews. Only the dreamiest creamiest cashew milk you’ve ever laid your eyes on 😉

(This also means that all of the fiber and nutrients from the cashews remain intact which is AWESOME!)

How to make homemade chocolate cashew milk

Once you find out how easy it is to make this dreamy dairy free chocolate cashew milk, you may never go back to buying store bought again.

Here’s how to make it:

Soak the cashews

There’s a few different ways that you can do this, depending on how much time you have.

You can soak them one of three ways:

1. In cold water over night
2. In just boiled water for about an hour
3. Or simmer them on the stove top for 15 minutes. This is the fastest method for when you’re short on time (or just forgot to start soaking them the night before but still desperately want some cashew chocolate milk in your life – BEEN THERE 🙋🏼)

Add the soaked cashews to a blender with water and all the other ingredients

This is the most satisfying part of the recipe. Watching cashews and a few humble ingredients turn into the BEST dairy free chocolate milk right before your eyes. It’s like magic people.

For this recipe the soaked cashews will be added to a high speed blender with these ingredients:

• 4 cups of water
• maple syrup or dates
• cacao powder
• cinnamon
• vanilla extract
• sea salt

If you’re feeling extra fancy or you want to give your chocolate milk a superfood boost you could also add:

• Maca powder – An adaptogenic “super root” that may help your body adapt to stress, regulate hormones, and increase energy levels and mood. I typically look for gelatinized maca root powder, which means that some of the starch has been removed making it a little easier to digest.
• Ashwagandha powder – A powerful adaptogenic restorative herb that has been used for centuries in ayurvedic healing.
• Some Four Sigmatic ‘shrooms – A super reputable medicinal mushroom company that makes some awesome blends and tonics. My favorite are their coffee blends! Mixing them with this chocolate cashew milk would make an excellent superfood iced mocha 😍
• Collagen peptides – An animal based supplement that can help promote stronger nails, skin, hair, cartilage, tendons, and joints. Can be used in hot or cold drinks, but will blend into cold beverages more easily if processed in a blender.

A note on adaptogens and superfoods: Everyone reacts differently to different herbs and superfoods. Read the recommended dosage before you add them to anything, and I always recommend starting small and working your way up!

Benefits of homemade chocolate cashew milk

The main benefit of making nut milk at home is that you have total control over the ingredients that are used. That means no excess sugar, no gums, no binders, and no preservatives.

This recipe is made with only natural sweeteners and whole food ingredients!

On top of that cashews are a great source of omega-6 fatty acids, magnesium, and potassium. Real cacao powder is also an excellent source of magnesium and other essential minerals and antioxidants.

That probably makes this the healthiest chocolate milk you’ll ever get your hands on 💯

What to use chocolate cashew milk for

This tasty chocolatey cashew milk is delicious on it’s own as a healthy treat, but would also be perfect:

• In a smoothie – add some frozen banana and greens for a super easy and delicious chocolatey smoothie!
• With some cold brew coffee or a shot of espresso
• With this dark chocolate grain free granola for the chocolate-iest breakfast everrr

A few notes on the recipe

This homemade chocolate cashew milk is an incredibly easy to make (no strain!) plant based and paleo friendly nut milk that you are going to fall in love with.

• This cashew milk will last in the refrigerator stored in a covered container for about 3-4 days (if you don’t drink it all before then!)
• For the best result start with raw cashews. I haven’t tested the recipe with roasted cashews, but I don’t think they would blend as well as raw cashews do.
• You can easily change the recipe around to suit your taste – the vanilla and cinnamon can be left out if you don’t have them or prefer not to use them, and the sweetness can be adjusted as well. Because of the cacao powder, I don’t recommend not sweetening this recipe – it would be quite bitter without a little bit of natural sweetener.
• I have only made this recipe in a vitamix. If you don’t have a high speed blender, you may want to start by chopping up the raw cashews before you soak them so they can be more easily transformed into cashew milk!

Print