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    Home » Sauces + Dips

    Spicy Cashew Dressing

    Published: Jan 14, 2021 | Modified: Jan 14, 2021 by Bree Sheree

    951 shares

    This post contains affiliate links for which I may earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) should you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

    Jump to Recipe
    Creamy dressing pouring into a jar, with text that says, "Vegan Spicy Cashew Dressing."

    This spicy cashew dressing is a creamy dressing that is great on salads, grain bowls, or even as a dip! It is vegan, free of added oil, and full of flavor.

    A jar of cashew dressing with a spoonful on top, next to crushed red pepper.

    Eating a salad is no fun without a delicious dressing! This salad dressing has been my favourite for awhile now and it gets me excited to eat lettuce and a bunch of other vegetables! Without a tasty dressing, I know I wouldn't be able to eat nearly as many vegetables. The best part is that this one is made with healthy whole foods!

    This dressing is:

    • Thick
    • Creamy
    • Free of added oil
    • Whole foods plant-based
    • Vegan
    • Spicy

    Ingredients

    *For quantities and instructions, scroll to the recipe box below.

    Here is everything that you will need to make this tasty spicy cashew dressing:

    • Cashews
    • Water
    • Lemon juice
    • Cayenne pepper hot sauce (I use Frank’s RedHot Original)
    • Garlic powder
    • Onion powder
    • Ground black pepper
    • Crushed red pepper flakes
    • Capers
    A jar of spicy cashew dressing next to crushed red pepper flakes.

    Tips for making this spicy cashew dressing

    • Cashews are the base of this recipe and they are what create the thick, creamy texture. To ensure a smooth sauce, you will either need a great high-powered blender, or you will need to pre-soak the cashews. My Vitamix is amazing at blending up raw cashews without any soaking required, so I recommend this brand or something similar if you like making a lot of nut-based sauces. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you can soak your cashews in a bowl of water for several hours, or you can use boiled water to speed up the process. Just boil some water, pour it over a bowl of cashews, then place an upside down plate over the bowl to trap the heat. Leave this for about 15 minutes and your cashews should be ready to blend.
    • This dressing is quite thick, which I love, but you can thin it out if you would like. Just start by adding 2 extra tablespoons of water, and if it still isn’t as thin as you’d like it, add more water in very small increments.
    • This dressing recipe includes 1 tablespoon of Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce. I recommend this specific brand because it’s what the recipe was tested with and yields a nice taste and spice level. If you can’t find it, you could try substituting with a similar hot sauce, but make sure it isn’t too spicy.
    • Cashews, spices, water, and red pepper flakes in a blender.
    • Creamy salad dressing in a blender.
    • Dressing being poured onto a green salad.
    • Creamy cashew dressing on lettuce.

    How spicy is this dressing?

    This cashew dressing has a mild-medium spice level. I’m not one to enjoy anything super spicy, and I love this dressing, so I know it isn’t too hot! Someone who loves really spicy foods may find this more on the mild side, while others may consider it quite spicy, but most people will be able to handle this just fine.

    If you want this dressing to be even more spicy, add some more crushed red pepper. That’s where the spice in this recipe really comes from. If you choose to add more, add it in very small increments because the spice level will increase quickly with a very small amount.

    How to use this dressing

    This dressing is not just for a green salad! Here are some ideas on how to use it:

    • Salads, but not just leafy greens! You can use this spicy cashew dressing on broccoli salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, bean salad, etc.
    • Grain bowls: rice and veggie bowls, quinoa bowls, etc.
    • Veggie dip! This dressing is thick enough to use as a dip for a variety of vegetables such as carrots, bell peppers, celery, cucumber, and more.
    • Chip dip. I love having this with tortilla chips!
    • Pizza dip (this dressing is seriously delicious with some pizza).
    Cashew dressing drizzled on a bowl of lettuce.

    Other oil-free dressings:

    • Cashew Caesar Dressing
    • Maple Dijon Dressing
    • Tahini Mustard Dressing
    Creamy cashew dressing on a green salad.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Spicy Cashew Dressing

    This spicy cashew dressing is a creamy dressing that is great on salads, grain bowls, or even as a dip! It is vegan, free of added oil, and full of flavor.
    Total Time10 mins
    Course: Condiment, dressing
    Cuisine: plant-based, Vegan
    Author: Bree Sheree

    Equipment

    • High-powered blender

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup cashews
    • ¾ cups water
    • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce (or a similar hot sauce)
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 teaspoon capers

    Instructions

    • Soak your cashews if you don’t have a high powered blender. See note below.
    • Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

    Notes

    Soaking your cashews: If you have a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix, you don't need to soak your cashews. If you have a weaker blender, soak your cashews in water for several hours to ensure that they blend into a smooth sauce. If you want to speed up the process, soak your cashews in boiling water for about 15 minutes.
    This recipe makes approximately 1 + ¼ cups of dressing.
    Add more water if you want to thin this dressing out. Two more tablespoons should be enough. Don’t add too much extra water all at once, because you may end up making the dressing thinner than you’d like.
    Store this dressing in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

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      Creamy Vegan Dill Dressing
    • A bagel with cashew cream cheese on a green and white plate.
      Onion Cashew Cream Cheese (Oil-Free)
    951 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessie

      March 18, 2023 at 11:27 am

      5 stars
      I was buying a similar product from Trader Joes, but they discontinued it. I was bummed, so I Googled and found this recipe. It's close enough to what I was buying that I wouldn't buy it again even if I could. It's so good. I have made it twice. The second time I doubled the hot sauce. It still isn't hot enough for me, but I'll just had more red pepper flakes next time. It's so good and I love that I can whip it up whenever I need more. Awesome sauce, literally.

      Reply
    2. Melanie Kaufman

      January 17, 2021 at 11:29 pm

      Sounds really great how,many calories does it have?
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Bree Sheree

        January 18, 2021 at 10:43 pm

        Hi, Melanie! I don't always include calories because they will depend on precision of measurements, but 2 tablespoons of this dressing should be approximately 75 calories. I hope this helps!

        Reply
        • Christine

          October 05, 2021 at 4:07 pm

          This was really nice and easy to make, unlike many of the other cashew dressing recipes out there. I did add a splash of soy sauce to deepen the flavor. Thanks Melanie!

          Reply
          • Christine

            October 05, 2021 at 4:08 pm

            I mean Bree!!!

            Reply

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    951 shares