Almonds adds toasted richness and gentle bitterness that make cashews's character taste rounder and more substantial.
cashews
+ Add to WorkbenchAbout this ingredient
A kidney-shaped tree nut with an exceptionally creamy, mild, slightly sweet flavor and a soft texture that blends smoothly when soaked. Unique in the nut world…
36 pairings
Editorial
Flavor profile
Cashews grow attached to the cashew apple — a fleshy false fruit — and must be heat-treated to neutralize urushiol in the raw shell (making truly raw cashews unavailable commercially). Their high oleic acid fat content gives them a creamy richness and a lower melting point than most nuts, which contributes to their satisfying texture when roasted. In Indian cooking, cashews are ground into paste to enrich and thicken Mughlai sauces (korma, malai chicken) — their starch and fat content creates the velvety consistency that defines these preparations. Soaked overnight, cashews blend to an extraordinarily smooth, neutral cream that is the foundation of vegan cheese and cream sauce preparations. Cashew chicken (in Chinese-American and Thai cooking) uses the nut's mild sweetness to add textural contrast without competing with the sauce's bold aromatics. Toasted cashews with brown butter, salt, and rosemary is among the simplest and most satisfying snack preparations.
Pairings
Flavor relationships
Pairs well with
almonds
apricots
bananas
caramel
cheese
chicken
chocolate
cinnamon
coconut
coffee / espresso
curries
dates
ginger
grapefruit
guava
honey
kiwi fruit
lemon
macadamia nuts
mango
mint
nutmeg
oil, vegetable
papaya
passion fruit
persimmon
pineapple
rice
rum
salads
salt
sauces
sugar, brown
sugar, white
vanilla
vegetables
almonds
Almonds adds toasted richness and gentle bitterness that make cashews's character taste rounder and more substantial.
apricots
Apricots brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
bananas
Bananas brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
caramel
Caramel draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
cheese
Cheese contributes salt, fat, and lactic depth that frame cashews's character without overwhelming it.
chicken
Chicken complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
chocolate
Chocolate complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
cinnamon
Cinnamon adds warmth and aromatic contrast to cashews's character, giving the pairing more dimension.
coconut
Coconut complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
coffee / espresso
Coffee / espresso complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
curries
Curries adds warmth and aromatic contrast to cashews's character, giving the pairing more dimension.
dates
Dates brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
ginger
Ginger adds warmth and aromatic contrast to cashews's character, giving the pairing more dimension.
grapefruit
Grapefruit brings acidity that cuts through cashews's character, making the pairing taste brighter and more focused.
guava
Guava brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
honey
Honey draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
kiwi fruit
Kiwi fruit complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
lemon
Lemon brings acidity that cuts through cashews's character, making the pairing taste brighter and more focused.
macadamia nuts
Macadamia nuts adds toasted richness and gentle bitterness that make cashews's character taste rounder and more substantial.
mango
Mango complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
mint
Mint gives cashews's character a fresh herbal lift, keeping the pairing aromatic instead of heavy.
nutmeg
Nutmeg adds warmth and aromatic contrast to cashews's character, giving the pairing more dimension.
oil, vegetable
Oil, vegetable adds richness and carries the aromatic side of cashews's character, making the pairing feel fuller and more cohesive.
papaya
Papaya brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
passion fruit
Passion fruit brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
persimmon
Persimmon complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
pineapple
Pineapple brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
rice
Rice gives cashews's character a sturdy, comforting base that absorbs flavor and makes the pairing feel complete.
rum
Rum adds aromatic warmth and acidity that deepen cashews's character without making it feel flat.
salads
Salads adds vegetal sweetness or earthiness that gives cashews's character more structure and balance.
salt
Salt complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
sauces
Sauces complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
sugar, brown
Sugar, brown draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
sugar, white
Sugar, white draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
vanilla
Vanilla draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
vegetables
Vegetables adds vegetal sweetness or earthiness that gives cashews's character more structure and balance.
Apricots brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
Bananas brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
Caramel draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
Cheese contributes salt, fat, and lactic depth that frame cashews's character without overwhelming it.
Chicken complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
chocolate
Chocolate complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
Cinnamon adds warmth and aromatic contrast to cashews's character, giving the pairing more dimension.
coconut
Coconut complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
Coffee / espresso complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
curries
Curries adds warmth and aromatic contrast to cashews's character, giving the pairing more dimension.
Dates brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
Ginger adds warmth and aromatic contrast to cashews's character, giving the pairing more dimension.
Grapefruit brings acidity that cuts through cashews's character, making the pairing taste brighter and more focused.
guava
Guava brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
Honey draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
Kiwi fruit complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
lemon
Lemon brings acidity that cuts through cashews's character, making the pairing taste brighter and more focused.
Macadamia nuts adds toasted richness and gentle bitterness that make cashews's character taste rounder and more substantial.
mango
Mango complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
Mint gives cashews's character a fresh herbal lift, keeping the pairing aromatic instead of heavy.
Nutmeg adds warmth and aromatic contrast to cashews's character, giving the pairing more dimension.
oil, vegetable
Oil, vegetable adds richness and carries the aromatic side of cashews's character, making the pairing feel fuller and more cohesive.
papaya
Papaya brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
Passion fruit brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
persimmon
Persimmon complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
pineapple
Pineapple brings fruit sweetness and acidity that lift cashews's character and keep the pairing lively.
rice
Rice gives cashews's character a sturdy, comforting base that absorbs flavor and makes the pairing feel complete.
Rum adds aromatic warmth and acidity that deepen cashews's character without making it feel flat.
salads
Salads adds vegetal sweetness or earthiness that gives cashews's character more structure and balance.
salt
Salt complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
sauces
Sauces complements cashews by adding contrast, support, or aromatic depth to cashews's character.
sugar, brown
Sugar, brown draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
sugar, white
Sugar, white draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
Vanilla draws out the sweeter side of cashews's character while adding roundness and dessert-friendly depth.
vegetables
Vegetables adds vegetal sweetness or earthiness that gives cashews's character more structure and balance.