Soaking cashews to improve nutrition and digestibility is important. It is quite a different process from other nuts, so take note of the steps so you don’t ruin a batch.
Learning how to soak nuts is very important to improve digestibility and nutrient absorption.
While raw nuts are an extremely nutritious food, this careful preparation is key in order to unlock the maximum absorption potential.
This is because raw nuts are a type of seed, and seeds are most nutritious if they are soaked. This is because they contain anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and lectins that can prevent all that wonderful nutrition from being digested thoroughly. These inhibitors can also cause digestive distress if many raw nuts are consumed on a regular basis.
For some people, even a few raw nuts cause digestive distress. Sometimes, eating plain raw nuts can cause a rash around the mouth. Barring a life-threatening nut allergy, soaked nuts generally present no problems for these same people.
My husband, for example, can’t eat raw nuts. If I soak and low temperature dry them either in a warm oven or dehydrator, however, he can eat and enjoy them without any problems.
Soaked Cashews. A Whole Different Process!
The soaking process and low temp dehydration, which maintains rawness, is in accordance with the wisdom of Traditional Cultures. (1)
That said, cashews are a whole different process!
And, cashews are very expensive, especially if you choose to buy organic. So, you want to be sure you do it right so you don’t accidentally ruin a batch.
Raw Cashews Aren’t Really Raw
The problem is a result of the mislabeling of cashews.
Cashews labeled “raw” aren’t really raw at all. In fact, cashews already undergo two separate heat treatments before reaching store shelves either in bulk bins or sealed bags or containers.
The reason manufacturers heat treat them before shipping to stores is because they contain a toxic oil called cardol. This substance is located between the inner and outer shell.
Cardol is released by cracking the cashew and roasting them at 350 °F (177 °C). Then, nut manufacturers crack and roast them again.
After these two treatments, the cashews are packaged and marketed as “raw”. (2)
This processing predisposes cashews to mold quickly if soaked in salted water for 8 hours or overnight, which is appropriate for truly raw nuts.
Even if you don’t get mold, soaking cashews overnight will likely produce a slimy texture and unpleasant taste when they are dried.
I can’t tell you how many people I know who tried soaking nuts for the first time with cashews, soaked them overnight, ruined them and never tried soaking again. ?
How to Soak Cashews (5 steps)
Because “raw” cashews aren’t really raw at all, you have to approach soaking in a completely different way.
The first important difference is to never soak cashews for more than a few hours. In my experience, even the 6 hours as recommended by Nourishing Traditions Cookbook is too long. It has resulted in slimy cashews for me every single time I’ve tried it.
Perhaps it’s because I live in a warm, humid climate most of the year. If you live in a cooler clime, perhaps you can get away with soaking them for a full 6 hours.
My method for soaking cashews which has never resulted in slimy cashews or an otherwise ruined batch is as follows:
- Place whole cashews in a large glass bowl.
- Add enough filtered water to cover (vetted water systems to consider).
- Mix in 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt for every cup of cashews.
- Soak uncovered for 3 hours and then promptly drain.
- Spread on cookie sheets and thoroughly dry in a 250 °F (121 °C) oven. Check and turn often until thoroughly dry (several hours). Do not use a dehydrator as you risk mold. If you prefer to skip this step, you can make cashew cream from the soaked nuts instead and freeze in small containers for use in soups, sauces, or smoothies.
Warm Ovens and Dehydrators Don’t Work for Cashews
Why doesn’t a warm oven (150 °F) or dehydrator work for drying cashews?
Because a slow drying predisposes them to mold and unpleasant taste.
Remember, “raw” cashews aren’t truly raw anyway. The enzymes are long gone. So, using a higher temperature to dry them faster is fine, and in fact, recommended for best results.
Always dry soaked cashews in a 250 °F (121 °C) oven. Dehydrators are for preserving raw food. As a result, the temperature doesn’t go that high, so I would not use them at all for cashews.
By making these two changes…a shorter soak and a higher drying temperature…you will obtain the benefits of soaked cashews without any risk of mold or unpalatable flavor.
Storage
It goes without saying that soaked/dried cashews should be stored in an airtight container. Glass is always best in my experience because it preserves flavor and freshness the best.
However, is refrigeration necessary?
Yes, I would refrigerate cashews that have been soaked and dried. They will remain fresh-tasting for weeks this way.
Store them in the pantry, and you risk them going stale quite quickly.
Avoid Cashew Pieces
To save money, some people might prefer to buy cashew pieces instead of whole cashews.
I recommend not doing this, especially if you intend to soak and dry them before eating.
This is because whole cashews are much less likely than pieces to be stale.
For this same reason, I would also recommend buying the whole cashews in sealed bags or containers and not from bulk bins.
Don’t Want to Soak? Do This Instead
If taking the time to soak and dry cashews is something you just don’t want to attempt, you can buy soaked and sprouted cashews here (+ over a dozen other nuts and nut blends).
Soaked Cashew Nutrition Compared to Other Nuts
The fatty acid profile of cashews is nearly equal between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.
When properly prepared, this means cashews are an excellent choice for regular snacking. Go easy on them if you are on a low oxalate diet though. Cashews are quite high in oxalates, which are, by and large, not reduced much if at all by soaking and drying.
This chart comparing cashew nutrition to other types of culinary nuts toward then end of the linked article can provide more information to help you choose what works best for your dietary goals.
References
(1) Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
(2) Nourishing Traditions Cookbook
Hello, I’m a bit confused. Your last comment says to set the oven to 150 and it’s ok to use a dehydrator but the instructions say 250 and never use a dehydrator. I set the over to 250 and checked at only 3 hrs and they were already burned. I do not think the instructions are correct. You could consider updating them so more people don’t make this mistake and end up with burnt cashews, so sad. Maybe 150 would be fine…. Also I think a dehydrator set high would be fine.
Either is fine … 150 or 250. The cashews aren’t raw anyway as explained in the article, so drying at a higher temperature than other soaked nuts is ok.
I have been noticing problems with my cashews so I tried this method, soaking for about 3 hours. When I dried them in my convection oven they were almost burned at 5 1/2 hours. Thankfully I caught them before they were too late. Would the fast drying be due to the convection oven or something else? Glad I didn’t try to do it over night and thankfully my family still liked them!
A convection oven would not be appropriate for low temperature drying. Use a regular oven set at 150 F or lower or a dehydrator. My oven has a “warm” setting which is the perfect temperature of around 125F.
Yes I agree that soaking cashews improves nutrition. And thanks for telling how to soak cashews. Even i never have a raw cashew. I always soak it.
I’m soaking cashews right now, wish I had seen this article sooner. They have been soaking for 10 hours! Wonder if they would be ok to give to the squirrels?
Could you please give me a ruff idea how long to dry to dry them in the oven/
Blessings Jocelan
It depends on how many you soaked so an exact answer is difficult which is why I gave an estimated range in the article.
Thanks for this! My question is, if soaking cashews is necessary to make cashew milk, does the milk potentially grow mold in just a few hours? I’ve read to only soak them for 3 hours, but then blended cashew milk lasts up to a week in the fridge.
Can you clarify? Thanks!
I’ve never made cashew milk so I don’t know how quickly it will mold. It would be best to soak the cashews first though to ensure the most digestible milk. Your other option is to use sprouted cashews. They are a bit more expensive, but you could make the milk straight away using these without risking the soak. https://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/product/better-than-roasted-nuts/nuts-seeds-butters/?a=58537
Supposed to read – do theb taste like raosted cashews (not peanuts)?
Not really … they taste more buttery.
Do the cashews taste like roasted oeanuts after this process. I only had “raw” cashews a long time ago and didn’t like the taste so have only been buying roasted, kniwing they had not been soaked. Trying bro do the best for my health. Thanks.
Interesting. My nut cheese cake recipe only says 1 hour soak. Never heard of soaking other nuts. Guess I look around yours and other blogs. Thanks
I’m trying to understand, why soak cashews when the enzymes are already killed? I thought that soaking was to activate the enzymes to breakdown the phytic acids, ect.
I only soak for an hour, sometimes 1-1/2. Any longer and they taste weird. I wouldn’t go by everything Rebecca says…do your own research and then trust your gut. I always use a dehydrator at 105 degrees to dry all the nuts. Again, do your own research.
My guess is that they taste weird after only soaking for an hour or hour and a half because you are using cashew pieces that are already partially stale/rancid (I noticed this from your other comment). While it is awesome what you are already doing, I would suggest that it would be better to use whole cashews only and soak for longer and dry on a higher setting to ensure maximum digestibility.
Thanks Sarah, Seems I’m doing it right except for a couple differences. I live in the Pacific NW and it’s a little humid here most days as well. I do only soak 2-3 hours and I use more salt so maybe I don’t need to!! 😀 also I do use my food dehydrator up high and have never had a problem with mold or off taste. And I do use the bits and pieces. So I’m lucky I guess. Maybe it’s the extra salt? I use 1 T of himalayan for 4 cups of nuts.
😀
Sally
You must have a good source for the pieces. Do you buy them in a sealed bag or from bulk bins?
I’m glad you mentioned your dehydrator because I soak cashew PIECES (used to do whole but pieces are less expensive at Nuts.com and they all go in my stomach, so what’s the diff) and dehydrate them at 105 for as long as it takes for them to crisp a bit (18-24 hours). Wish you had said how long you dry them on high and at what temp. Wonder if I should change to that, but I’ve read it will kill any nutrients on high. I’ve had zero problem with mold or off taste soaking them only 1-1.5 hours. I soaked them 3 hours and got a weird taste. I also use 2 tbls sea salt and rinse them. THEN I salt them while they’re in the strainer before I put them on the dehydrator shelves because I prefer a salted nut. I keep them in a ball jar in the frig and quite frankly, eat them every day several times a day…just reach in a grab some. So delicious. Thanks for your comment.