The Flavor Bender Recipes Recipes by course Main Dishes Curries Creamy Cashew Curry (Vegan)
13 hrs 30 mins
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Author:Dini K.
A uniquely flavorful way to enjoy cashew nuts; creamy, nutty, spiced Sri Lankan Cashew Curry that’s full of greatflavor. Gluten free and vegan too!
This is one of our favorite plant-based authentic curry recipes, and often pair it with other dishes like red lentil curry, apple curry, jackfruit curry, mushroom curry, green bean stir fry, carrot curry, pumpkin curry, cauliflower curry etc. for an amazing vegan meal.
Sri Lankan cuisine
While Sri Lankan chicken curry is legendary, curries from the island nation go way beyond just that. The vegetarian cuisine of Sri Lanka is also one that’s full of flavor and creativity.
Growing up, my family would eat entirely vegetarian meals on one day every week, but even on other days our traditional rice and curry spreads would often feature vegetarian dishes (check out my archive of vegetarian recipes for lots of ideas!).
Plus, there was a phase when I was pescatarian (I could never say no to this incredible fish curry), and that made me appreciate vegetarian dishes a whole lot more.
Cashew curry
One of the dishes that I would absolutely flip for as a kid was Cashew Curry (cashew nut curry). As it turned out, it’s one of Mr K’s all-time favorites too!
We didn’t make it often, in fact it was a special occasion curry that made an appearance only on, well…. special occasions. My grandmother and mother both had a signature cashew curry dish that was just so creamy and flavorful.
I have also made the crunchier version where the cashews still have some “bite” to them. I personally prefer the creamier version. This creamy cashew curry is pure comfort food that’s full of delicious flavor and spices (like Sri Lankan curry powder, turmeric and chili powder), plus it’s gluten free and vegan too!
How to make cashew curry
It’s really easy to make, but you must have a little patience, grasshopper. The step where you soak the cashew nuts in salt water is really important – so don’t skip it.
It plumps up the cashew nuts as they absorb the brine solution and leaves them well seasoned, inside and out! Otherwise it’ll be just bland cashew nuts floating in a flavorful curry sauce.
For the sauce, use good quality coconut milk. Please read the label when buying coconut milk, because more often than not, you’re just buying water with coconut extract.
You want the kind that has actual coconut milk in it (maybe with some guar gum as well that emulsifies the mix). This makes it so much creamier and more flavorful, and that’s crucial for a creamy cashew curry like this since the curry sauce is a critical component.
Traditionally, a Sri Lankan cashew curry is cooked with only cashew nuts, but some people also love to add peas! I don’t have a preference there, but Mr K does, so we add peas whenever we make this curry.
This Sri Lankan cashew curry is creamy, soft, nutty and spiced. We usually pair it with a spicy green apple curry (which is sweet, spicy and tangy) or mango curry, with some fried papadums for crunch.
It’s vegan, and you’ll never miss meat with a spread that includes this dish. If you do like a meat curry however, check out my black pork curry, chicken curry, lamb curry (mutton curry), beef curry etc.
So go ahead and add this to your curry repertoire and wow your friends and family. Even kids LOVE this dish! How do I know? Because I used to be a fussy eater, but would NEVER pass up a chance to eat this!
There’s a reason why a lot of people choose to roast their cashew nuts with curry powder, the flavors work really well. I hope you guys enjoy this cashew curry just as much as we do! 🙂
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4.74 from 15 votes
Sri Lankan Creamy Cashew Curry (Vegan)
Author: Dini K.
Yield: Serves 6 as a side dish with curry and rice
Cuisine: South Asian, Sri Lankan
This creamy, nutty, spiced Sri Lankan Cashew Curry is a uniquely flavorful way to enjoy cashew nuts! Vegan and gluten free.
EASY – This is a very easy curry recipe. It does take longer to cook than other curries, but prepping is very easy. While being a vegan curry, it also pairs well with meat curries.
Please note that there is a 12 hour inactive soaking step in this recipe.
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements.Common Measurement Conversions.Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.
Prep: 15 minutes minutes
Soaking time: 12 hours hours
Cook: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 13 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Difficulty:Easy Recipes
Servings: 6 servings
Print Rate
Ingredients:
- 300 g raw cashews
- 1 tsp salt for the brine
- ½ medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2½ tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- 8 curry leaves if you can get your hands on them, OR 1 – 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 ½ cups good quality coconut milk
- 1 cup frozen peas you can add extra if you like (I prefer less peas in my cashew curry)
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with room temperature water. Add the salt and mix to dissolve. Cover and leave the cashews to soak overnight (up to 24 hours).
300 g raw cashews, 1 tsp salt
When you're ready to cook the cashews, drain them and set aside.
Heat about a tbsp or two of oil (you can use coconut oil or a neutral tasting oil) in a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat.
Add the chopped onions and saute until translucent.
½ medium onion
Add the garlic, bay leaves/curry leaves and saute for a few minutes until it becomes fragrant.
2 cloves garlic, 8 curry leaves
Add the soaked and drained cashews, turmeric, curry powder, cayenne pepper, sugar and a generous pinch of salt and the coconut milk. Mix to combine.
300 g raw cashews, 2½ tsp Sri Lankan curry powder, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp sugar, 1 ½ cups good quality coconut milk, Salt, ¼ tsp turmeric powder
Cover and let it simmer for 45 – 50 minutes. Check from time to time to make sure there's enough liquid in the saucepan – add water if needed. Add salt to taste.
Salt
When the cashews are cooked, they should be firm on the outside, but not crunchy when eaten. They should be almost al dente in texture but be creamy when eaten.
Add some water if the gravy is too thick (I add about ½ cup of water). Add the frozen peas and cook until the peas are heated and cooked through and the gravy is simmering – about 10 more minutes.
1 cup frozen peas
Serve warm with rice. This can be made a couple of days ahead and it actually tastes better on the second day. Leftovers can be reheated.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1servingCalories: 417kcal (21%)Carbohydrates: 22g (7%)Protein: 12g (24%)Fat: 34g (52%)Saturated Fat: 15g (94%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gSodium: 403mg (18%)Potassium: 547mg (16%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 313IU (6%)Vitamin C: 38mg (46%)Calcium: 48mg (5%)Iron: 6mg (33%)
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Course:Curry, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine:South Asian, Sri Lankan
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About Dini
Dini Kodippili is a professional food writer, recipe developer, food photographer, cookbook author, and baker. Dini has been featured on HuffPost, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Delish, Food & Wine and more. Learn More
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4.74 from 15 votes (1 rating without comment)
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Karel Baum says
Hi from another 3CK – born in London, 18 years in Singapore, two years in Wellington NZ, then 40+ in Brisbane, Qld.
Can roasted salted cashews be used instead? I I wonder if they would still soften up in the brining liquid?
Thanks for your feedback – looking forward to making this to accompany your tuna curry
Reply
Dini says
Hi Karel
Roasted cashews may need a longer time to soften to the same consistency as raw cashews because of the roasting process. But it is possible. The brining liquid will help, but check the curry during the cooking process and adjust the cook time until the cashews are at a consistency you like! I personally like the cashews to be very soft and melt in your mouth, but I know there are some who prefer the cashews to be a little firmer as well!
I hope that helps!Reply
Andrea Schnitzer says
The sugar was a bit too much for my taste. After adding about half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, the flavors were nicely balanced.
Reply
Dini says
Hi Andrea
There is only 1/2 tsp of sugar in the entire recipe, which is very little sugar. The sugar only acts to balance and enhance the spices in the curry and chili. If there is a marked sweetness in the curry, it’s because the curry or spices were not very strong. I do recommend adding less if using less curry or spices, or older spices! Otherwise the sugar will be stronger than the actual spice flavors!
Adding apple cider vinegar is defintiely a great idea! I would also recommend adding some lime juice next time which will compliment the curry even better than ACV!
I hope that helps!Reply
Maya Haidar says
Hi! I want to make this recipe for my family since my sister-in-law’s mom makes it and it’s delicious. I want to add boneless chicken breast for extra protein. Do I add more coconut milk or spices? How spicy is this recipe? Is it mild? I want to feed my toddler son this food as well so I don’t want it to be too spicy 🙂 thanks!
Reply
Dini says
Hi Maya
I have never added chicken to this dish before but that would be interesting!
However, please note that the flavor will change because of the chicken added. The flavor of cashew will be much less, though it still should be creamy!
This recipe is super mild for us, but we do have a higher spice tolerance. We have been eating this curry since we were little and haven’t had an issue with spices. If you are feeding it to your toddler, AND he isn’t big on spices, please feel free to leave the cayenne pepper out completely!Reply
Maya Haidar says
Oh yeah that makes sense! In that case, I’ll be make the chicken separately and add it to each individual dish so that the creamy cashew curry won’t taste too different (I love it as it is). I will also omit the cayenne pepper. Thank you so much for the help, I can’t wait to make this yummy dish☺️
Reply
Raj says
Fantastic recipe. Made it many times and love it. Rcently I’ve changed it up a little by mixing unroasted and roasted curry power in a 1:1 ratio.Reply
Sam Jay says
is it possible to just microwave the cashews in the brine solution to prepare them, rather than having to soak overnight?
Reply
Dini says
Hi Sam
The soaking of the cashews do two things. 1) It seasons the cashews by drawing in the salt in the water so that once they cook they are well seasoned.
2 ) the brine solution softens the cashews and cooking them will be faster.Microwaving the cashews won’t do the same thing, because you’re essentially starting the cooking process in the microwave. It would be better for the cashews to cook in the curry rather than in brine in the microwave, But because they were not soaked, they will take longer to cook and achieve the creamy texture and the cashews may not as well seasoned.
I hope that helpsReply
Devika says
Made this cadju curry.absolutely delicious !Reply
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