Cashew Dip w/ Lemon & Dill
This Cashew Dip consists of fresh dill, lemons, garlic, and a dash of salt and pepper. It's an incredibly simple food processor recipe. I like to use it as a cheese substitute and a sneaky way to bring vegan food to potlucks without anyone noticing! Cashew Dip is great as chips and dip or alongside No-knead Dutch Oven Bread.
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1½ c. cashews raw, unsalted
- 1 lemon juiced (2 tbsp.)
- 1 lemon zested (2 tsp.)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp. dill fresh
- dash salt
- dash pepper
- 1-3 tbsp. water
Instructions
Soak Cashews Overnight
- Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit for 12 hours. I typically soak them overnight and make them the next day, but if you’re pressed for time you can soak them for as little as 6 hours and as much as 18 hours.Alternatively, you can soak them in the refrigerator for 2-4 days if you want to get a head start on it. I don’t recommend soaking them for longer than this because they will turn purple. They may still be fine to eat, but they will blend to a grey color and not look as bright and floral.
Make Cashew Dip
- Drain the water out of the cashews.The fruit of the cashew plant is purple. So, when the nuts rehydrate, they soak up what’s left of the color and turn a fun shade! This doesn’t mean that they’ve gone bad. They’re still fine to use. You’ll just need less (or no) water when making the dip. It can be an indication that they've just been soaking on the longer side and might be more hydrated than necessary. Although they're still fine to use.
- Add the cashews, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, pepper, and dill in a food processor (all ingredients except for the water). Process for 5 minutes, making sure to scrape the sides every minute or two. It should vaguely resemble feta cheese.
- Add water, 1 tbsp. at a time, and process until creamy. Make sure to do this very slowly because you can always add more water, but you can’t add more cashews unless you want to let them soak for another 12 hours!
- You can eat it as is, but I’m particularly fond of chilling the dip before serving. An hour in the fridge or 15 minutes in the freezer should do it.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
- It doesn’t matter whether you use whole cashews or cashew pieces, but they do have to be raw. The cashews need to absorb water in order to soften and this won’t happen if they’re salted and toasted.