5 Ways to Use Roasted Cashews Beyond Snacking

Soak a handful of raw or lightly roasted cashews in warm water for about 20 minutes, then blend them into a smooth paste with a splash of the soaking water. Stirred into a pumpkin, potato, or chicken curry toward the end of cooking, that paste thickens the gravy and rounds off the spice without needing extra coconut milk — a trick used across Sri Lankan and South Indian kitchens for exactly this reason.

If you're short on time, roasted cashews blend just as well as raw — you'll get a slightly nuttier, more caramelized flavor in the final gravy, which works especially well with root vegetable curries.

A spoonful of coarsely chopped roasted cashews scattered over rice, fried rice, or a bowl of curry adds a crunch that whole dried chillies or curry leaves can't. The key is chopping them right before serving — cashews left sitting on a hot dish for too long soften and lose the contrast that makes the garnish worth adding in the first place.

Roasted cashews blend down into butter faster than almonds or peanuts because they're softer and higher in fat. Pulse a food processor in short bursts rather than running it continuously — the nuts go through a crumbly, sandy stage before they release their oils and turn smooth, and continuous blending just overheats the motor without speeding that up.

A pinch of salt is really all it needs. Spread it on toast, stir it into oats, or use it as the base for a quick satay-style sauce with a little soy sauce and lime.

Melt sugar into a light caramel, stir in roasted cashews and a pinch of salt, then pour the mixture thin onto a lined tray and let it set. Once it's hardened, break it into shards. It keeps for weeks in an airtight container and travels well, which makes it one of the easier homemade additions to a gift box or hamper if you want to add something alongside the cashews themselves.