Cashew butter is a delicious and creamy nut butter spread that you can make at home or purchase, though it may be a little hard to find. Similar to peanut butter, cashew butter is made of ground cashews, but it may contain additional ingredients, including different oils like safflower oil, which can make this butter creamier. Depending on the company or your own preference if you’re making it at home, cashew butter may be made of raw or roasted cashews and may contain salt.
It’s really hard to compare the nutritional value of cashew butter and peanut butter, because not all cashew butters contain the same ingredients. Those that have added oils, like the Maranatha® brand contain about 15% of the US recommended daily allowance (RDA) for saturated fat, and about 8% of the US RDA of dietary fiber per a two tablespoon (approximately 30 grams) serving. Peanut butter tends to contain slightly less saturated fat and a little more fiber, and both foods are high in protein. Of course, peanut butter can contain additives too, so it’s important to do some label reading if you want to find the most nutritious brand.
Most types of this nut butter are made of roasted nuts, but you will find a few raw cashew butters on the market. These might be kept in refrigerator sections of health and natural foods stores. Many people praise the thick and rich taste of cashews, which tend to have a buttery flavor, and this translates to a creamy spread when the nuts are made into ground “butter”. You can naturally eat cashew butter just as is, or as an excellent substitute for peanut butter in a rich and delicious sandwich.
Cashew butters are also used in a variety of recipes. Some Indian and Thai recipes use the butter in place of peanut butter to make certain sauces, to add to soups or as an addition to curries. In the US, we tend to associate nut butters with sweet things, and there are certainly plenty of recipes online that make use of this butter. You can find tempting recipes for cashew butter cakes, frostings, fudge, cupcakes or the like, that will satisfy any sweet tooth.
Typically, you can use this butter just as you would peanut butter. Peanut butter cookies for instance can be cashew cookies instead. You will generally treat cashew butter just as you do peanut butter. It needs to be stirred when first opened, since the oils and butter tend to separate, and it should be refrigerated after opening. Usually, unless the butter comes from raw cashews, it does not require refrigeration when the jar is still sealed.