A spicy cashew dressing that is creamy, tangy, and full of umami. Made with just a few pantry staples and ready in 15 minutes in your food processor.
If you miss the Trader Joe’s spicy cashew butter dressing, then you’re going to love my copycat recipe. In fact, it’s a must-try since my mother-in-law thought it was even better (ahem)!
Make a batch on meal prep day and use it as a dressing, dip, or even as a simmer sauce in place of the teriyaki sauce in this gluten free chicken teriyaki recipe.
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Trader Joe’s Spicy Cashew Butter dressing vs. Mine
This Trader Joe’s dressing has since been discontinued, at least at my local Trader Joe’s, and I’m glad I developed it when I did, so I can confidently say that I’ve tried it rather than replicate it from the ingredient list. At the time, it cost $4 for an 11-ounce bottle. I found that way too expensive for a dressing that took no time at all to finish. It’s fresher, creamier, and doesn’t cost $4 to make.
Why Soak the Cashews Overnight?
Firstly, the cashews soften when soaked overnight, resulting in a much creamier, smoother dressing. Another reason I recommend soaking the cashews overnight is that the phytic acid, a compound that nuts use to protect themselves in the wild, is washed away when you drain the water the next day. This makes them easier to digest and to absorb their nutrients.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready In: 30 minutes.
👪Yield: 1 cup.
🍽 Calories and Protein: 52 kcal, 2 grams.
📋 Main Ingredients: Cashews, ginger, garlic, coconut aminos/soy sauce, maple syrup, cilantro.
📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free, vegan.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It:
- Made with easy-to-find ingredients. There’s no need to go buy expensive cashew butter, which is what Trader Joe’s uses/used. Just use cashews and form into a paste in your processor.
- Healthier than store-bought dressings. There are no controversial ingredients, preservatives, or excessive sugar in this homemade version.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This recipe turned out simply amazing!!!! I can't wait to make a lot more of your recipes!!! Thank you!!!” Fabiola Baldini
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Ingredient Notes
Cashews: Soaked and drained cashews are best, but if in a pinch, you can soak them in boiling water for 30 minutes before using them.
If you decide to buy pre-made cashew butter, make sure to read the ingredient list, as many contain sugar and/or inflammatory oils like sunflower or safflower oil. Not to mention, cashew butter is hard to come by and costs a pretty penny.
Lime juice: You can swap out lime juice with lemon juice if you wish, although the ingredient list on Trader Joe's dressing calls for lime juice.
Maple syrup: Maple syrup keeps this dressing neutral, but honey would also work. Omit for Whole30.
Sriracha: If you can't find Sriracha, any red chili sauce would do. Here’s a Whole 30-approved sauce you can use.
Coconut aminos/soy sauce: Use coconut aminos if you are on a gluten-free diet, as soy sauce often contains wheat. I do this often in my chicken corn soup and hot and sour soup recipes.
Cilantro: I know many don't love cilantro, but I would recommend it, as it adds a freshness to this sauce without overpowering it.
Water: You can adjust the amount of water you use and season accordingly. The Trader Joe's version was slightly more watery than mine, but that’s just a matter of personal preference.
Variations
There are many uses for this dressing. You can:
- Adapt it to the Whole30 protocol by omitting maple syrup and using a Whole30-compliant hot sauce.
- Use as a marinade. Marinate your protein of choice. Like this other Asian paleo teriyaki marinade, I batch make it for quick meals.
- Use as a cashew dipping sauce with these gluten-free chicken nuggets.
How to Make Spicy Cashew Dressing
Step 1: Blend the cashews. In a food processor, add the presoaked and drained cashews and blitz for about a minute or two, scraping down the sides in between.
Step 2: Continue until you reach a smooth, paste-like consistency.
Step 3: Add the other ingredients. Next, add the soy sauce, minced ginger, maple syrup, cilantro, sriracha, lime juice, and water. Then blend until everything is well incorporated and reaches a dip/dressing consistency.
Pro Tips
- Process the cashews to a paste before adding the rest of the ingredients to ensure a smooth result.
Spicy Cashew Dressing FAQs
Spicy cashew dressing includes cashews or cashew butter, hot sauce, coconut aminos, maple syrup, ginger, lime juice, and cilantro.
Yes, you can substitute sunflower seeds for cashews, as they have a neutral flavor profile similar to cashews. Peanuts/peanut butter would also work, but alter the taste slightly.
If you have cashew butter, swap the cashews with 1/4 cup and process it with the rest of the ingredients.
Yes, according to this Reddit post, the dressing has been discontinued since September 2021.
Other Condiments to Try
If you tried this Trader Joe’s copycat spicy cashew dressing or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest.
Spicy Cashew Dressing (Trader Joe’s Copycat)
Equipment
- 1 silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 teaspoons coconut aminos / soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 cup cilantro packed
- 4 teaspoons lime juice
- 6 tablespoons water
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the pre-soaked, rinsed, and drained cashews and blitz for about a minute or two, scraping down the sides in between till you have a smooth, paste-like consistency.
- Next, add all the rest of the ingredients except the water and blend till everything is well incorporated.
- Add the water a little at a time until the dressing is to your desired consistency.
- Enjoy as dressing, dipping sauce or marinade.
Video
Notes
- For best results, process the cashews into a paste-like consistency before adding the rest of the ingredients. This ensures a smooth, creamy texture.
- Although any airtight jar will do, I have several of these cute Korken bottles from Ikea that work well for salad dressings.
- This dressing keeps well up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Fabiola Baldini says
This recipe turned out simply amazing!!!! I can’t wait to make a lot more of your recipes!!! Thank you!!!
Zeeshan says
Thank you so much for the review Fabiola! I’m so glad you loved it! Can’t wait for you to try more of my recipes too!