Raw cashews are whole cashew kernels that are unroasted and unsalted — the natural form of the nut before any toasting or seasoning. These are pale cream in colour, soft, and mild, with the clean, lightly sweet taste that cooks reach for when they want the cashew flavour to come through without a roasted edge. If you have only ever eaten salted roasted cashews from a tin, raw kernels are a different ingredient: gentler, more neutral, and built for the kitchen rather than just the snack bowl. What "raw" means here: unroasted and unsalted. Cashews grow inside a double shell that naturally contains an irritant oil, so every cashew sold anywhere is steam-processed and shelled before it reaches you — that part is unavoidable and is what makes the kernel safe to handle and eat. "Raw" on a retail pack means the kernel has not been roasted, salted, or seasoned, not that it still wears its shell. This is the format most recipes are actually asking for. Soak the kernels in water for two to four hours, drain, then blend: with roughly three parts water to one part cashews you get smooth homemade cashew milk; at about a one-to-one ratio you get a thick cashew cream that stands in for heavy cream, sour cream, or crème fraîche in soups, pasta sauces, and curries. Raw kernels are also the base for cashew butter (blend eight to ten minutes until creamy), for cashew-based vegan cheeses, ricotta and parmesan, and for plant-based ice cream and no-bake cheesecake fillings. Roasted cashews don't behave the same way in these recipes — the toasted flavour takes over and the texture doesn't break down as cleanly. In cooked dishes, raw cashews ground to a paste give Indian-style korma and shahi sauces their velvety body, while whole kernels tossed into a Thai-style chicken-and-cashew stir-fry at the last minute toast lightly in the pan without turning bitter. They also press onto fish as a golden crust and fold into baking where you want richness without a roasted note. Prefer them roasted? Spread the raw kernels in a single layer and roast at around 175°C / 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the tray halfway, until lightly golden — roasting your own lets you control the salt and the colour. Store raw cashews sealed and cool, away from direct light; keep them in the fridge or freezer for longer life, since cashew oils turn over time. Fresh kernels smell mildly sweet and slightly earthy. Available in 100g, 250g, 500g and 1kg. Contains tree nuts (cashew).
