Cashew Coffee: My Favorite Creamy Coffee Drink (That Contains No Cream)

Photo: Paulette Phlipot

Hello coffee drinkers! Let’s talk about my favorite comforting cup of rich and creamy coffee: Cashew Coffee.

I first discovered this creamy coffee drink by way of Lindsay, the ultra-talented food maven over at Pinch of Yum. (Thank you, Lindsay, for putting Cashew Coffee in my life!) First, let’s talk about what Cashew Coffee is not: coffee mixed with cashew milk; coffee with cashews floating in it; some sort of weird way to brew coffee from nuts.

Cashew Coffee is a simple and brilliant way to have a lovely, creamy coffee drink without adding sweeteners or unhealthy creamers.  Raw cashews are blended with high quality black coffee in a powerful blender until frothy. Adding a dash of honey makes it just a tad sweet, if that’s what you like. And all those brain healthy fats in the cashews release the caffeinated coffee slowly over several hours for a gentle, sustained pick-me-up. It’s that easy and that amazing.

A creamy, frothy coffee drink without sugar and cream

I don’t do cream and sugar in my coffee anymore. Just like those of you who have taken the Dementia-Proof Your Brain 2018 February challenge, I’ve sworn off drinks with added sugar and artificial sweeteners. But just because I’ve ditched the cream and sugar in my coffee doesn’t mean I don’t crave a comforting cup of dark, rich, creamy coffee drink every now and then. That’s why I treat myself to a Cashew Coffee a few times a week.

My kind of Bulletproof Coffee

Perhaps you’ve heard of Bulletproof Coffee — coffee blended with butter, coconut oil or medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil? Cashew Coffee is its more brain healthy cousin, containing mostly monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) instead of the saturated ones found in these oils. We love cashews in the Brain Health Kitchen for their healthy fat profile and nutrient density. Cashews are high in the type of fat associated with a diet that prevents Alzheimer’s and other dementias. A diet high in saturated fats, like those found in butter and certain oils, is associated in some studies with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the MIND diet study (which found a 53% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s in those who followed it most closely) limits butter intake to less than 1 tablespoon per day.

Cashews are brain healthy nuts

Vanilla Almond Milk and Cashew Coffee. Photo: Paulette Phlipot

Cashews have all of the fats we like for a brain healthy diet. The MUFA’s contain the same oleic acid found in olive oil, plus a smaller amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the form of linoleic acid. And just one-quarter cup of cashews contains 1 gram of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and a hefty dose of folic acid, magnesium, zinc, vitamin K and iron.

Cashews also have plenty of calories — 190 calories per quarter-cup — so they should be eaten in moderation. But people who eat cashews on a regular basis have been found to have less diabetes and obesity. Perhaps all those healthy fats are so satiating that people who eat cashews tend to eat less calories in total? Whatever the reason, when I drink Cashew Coffee, I fell satiated and full for most of the morning. In fact, I often don’t need to eat breakfast on Cashew Coffee mornings.

Studies show coffee drinkers live longer, have less dementia

What about the coffee in Cashew Coffee? Is coffee good for the brain? I get this question a lot and am pleased to report that most studies show coffee drinkers enjoy enhanced longevity and a reduced risk of dementia.

The perfect study regarding coffee and dementia would be to compare coffee drinkers with non-coffee drinkers, making sure everything else is the same, and follow these cohorts for decades to see who gets more Alzheimer’s disease. That study has not been done, and it probably never will be. But a 2010 review of epidemiological studies suggested that daily intake of 3 to 5 cups of coffee in middle age may lower the risk of dementia by 64% compared to those who drink less or no coffee (J Alzheimer’s Disease 2010.) A meta-analysis of 11 prospective studies, including 29,155 participants, concluded that coffee drinkers had less Alzheimer’s disease (Nutrition 2016.) And a study that evaluated over 10,000 coffee drinkers in Europe found that those who drank up to 3 cups of black coffee a day had 40% less dementia than their non coffee-drinking cohorts.

How to make Cashew Coffee

Making cashew coffee is easy and fast especially if you already have some raw cashews in your pantry.

Here’s what you do:

1. Prepare two cups of the best coffee you have the power to make. This could be from a drip coffee maker or a simple pour-over paper filter system.
2. Place 1/4 cup cashews in a blender. These could be raw, roasted, salted or unsalted. Carefully pour in the fresh, piping hot coffee. Add a dash of Kosher salt (unless you are using salted cashews) and a spoonful of raw honey if you like.
3. Blend on low speed for a few seconds, then crank it up to high for 45 seconds or until the coffee is frothy and smooth.

Pour into a cup and enjoy!