Chocolate Cashew Spread (Vegan Nutella Alternative)

When I first started blogging in February 2018, I promised myself that I would post at least twice every month. And I did–for a few months. One thing I realized only after starting my blog is that blogging is hard work. It isn’t “all fun & little work” as I had once imagined it to be. I mean, blogging is fun, there’s no denying that. However, it takes discipline and commitment to maintaining a blog. You need to show up regularly, and I’m not proud of admitting that I have fallen off the bandwagon more often than I would like to admit.

But luckily for me, the Universe has my back and every time I take an unnecessarily long break from posting, they send someone to give me a nudge. This time, it’s Tanishqa who has inspired me to get back to blogging. This post is dedicated to you, dear 🙂

If you were a fan of Nutella in your pre-vegan days, then this chocolate cashew spread might be the vegan alternative you’re craving for. Nutella is supposedly made of hazelnuts (13%), though its main ingredients are sugar and palm oil (greater than 50%). In this Nutella alternative, we would be using cashews as it’s more easily available in India. And the good part is, cashews constitute a lot more than 13% in this spread.

Smooth and rich, this chocolate cashew spread makes for a lovely edible gift. Just get a few pretty little glass jars, fill them up with this chocolatey goodness, and share with your loved ones.

 Time: 10 minutes active time + baking time

Yields one small jar

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Cashews, roughly broken
• 2/3 Cup Vegan Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped (I use Morde’s)
• 2-3 Teaspoons Coconut oil
• A Generous Pinch of Salt

Method:

1. Toss the cashew pieces with one teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Roast in a preheated oven at 170 degrees C or 340 degrees F for 12-14 minutes, stirring once in between.
2. Let the roasted cashews cool down a bit. They should be slightly warm when you start grinding them. Grind in a mixer jar on high for a few seconds. Scrape down the sides and continue grinding, taking small breaks in-between to avoid the mixer from overheating.
3. The cashew pieces will break down and become smooth and buttery after 4-5 minutes. Add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil to ease the blending if your mixer is not powerful enough. Keep the mixer jar aside while you melt the chocolate.
4. Meanwhile, place your chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Heat about 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Lower the bowl with the chocolate in the boiling water. The chocolate will start melting from the heat. Stir gently to ensure uniform melting. Check out this post on how to melt chocolate for a more detailed explanation.
5. Add the melted chocolate to the mixer jar in which you have made your cashew butter. Blend for a few seconds till you get smooth and creamy chocolate cashew butter! Store in an airtight jar in a cool place. No need to refrigerate.

Spread on toast/roti, add to milkshakes and smoothies, have with granola and any plant milk, use as a topping for desserts, or just scoop out and eat right out of the jar!