Italian Cashew Creamed Kale Recipe - Simply Plant Based Kitchen (2024)

I think I have found heaven. I have known that Dr. Fuhrman had a recipe for cashew creamed kale and I had tried a version of it several years ago, but I think I did it wrong because I hated it. Recently, I watched a Facebook Live interview with Dr. Fuhrman’s wife, Lisa, and Elisha Lee from Eat to Live Daily. It was so good and inspiring and I had no idea she had done so much to help create Eat to Live with Dr. Fuhrman.

One of the things in the video Lisa Fuhrman said was that their son used to HATE vegetables when he was little and that they finally got him to try cashew creamed kale and he loved it. (I’m so glad they are just like normal people!) It’s now a staple in their house every single week and their son who is now a teenager and still loves it. She said her recipe at home is more basic with just almond milk & cashews and not all the spices added from the recipe books.

I think this is why I didn’t like it! The amount of onion powder (4 tablespoons) was SO overpowering. Kids (and many adults) prefer more simple flavors. So I decided to try the more basic version and just add a little bit of garlic powder (I like it better than onion powder) and Italian Seasoning and small amount of salt.

Check out the video of me prepping the kale & making the Italian Cashew Creamed Kale recipe!

Make sure to LIKE the video to save it and SUBSCRIBE to my channel!

Italian Cashew Creamed Kale doesn’t even taste like kale

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping keep this blog going!

I don’t even have the right words to describe the incredible taste.

I am still in shock how creamy and delicious it turned out! It doesn’t even taste like kale!!! My husband had just gotten home from work when I was tasting it and I was like OMG this is so good you have to try this! He gave me his skeptical look and took a bite anyways. He nearly fell over with amazement and continued to devour the small batch I had made! I had to make another batch to have enough for dinner after our “taste test”. Both my kids ate it up that night and I sent leftovers to school with them in their Bento Boxes.

I really wish I could describe how yummy this is. It’s kind of like a creamy caesar dressing and I plan on using this sauce on salad as well. And I love that it is super simple & easy to make with only a few ingredients.

Here are a few of my tips about kale

Don’t buy the bagged chopped kale!

I think this is another mistake I made several years ago is that I used bagged kale. It’s not as fresh and contains all the tough & bitter ribs. Yuck!

Buy your kale fresh in bunches. It won’t take you long to prepare and is WORTH IT. Tastes better & SOOOOO much cheaper too! And when you taste how delicious this recipe is you are going to be buying lots of kale!

Put the kale bunch in a colander in a sink and rinse the leaves under running water. Shake off excess water. Then tear the leaves off the stem & ribs. Discard the ribs & stems. Tear or chop the leaves into bite size pieces. I don’t bother chopping; I just use my hands and it’s fast and easy.

How to steam kale FAST

I also don’t own a steam basket, so I just put the washed kale pieces in a microwavable safe bowl like this one and cover. I don’t dry the kale before putting in – I leave them wet and that is all the water it needs to steam. Then put in the microwave (covered) and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Perfectly steamed!

***If you are using kale that is already dry, then add 1 tablespoon of water to the dish before microwaving.

I use a 2 1/2 quart large corning ware dish with glass lid and it works perfect! I can usually fit one whole bunch of kale leaves in it and do batches of them.

The Amazing Italian Cashew Cream Sauce

This sauce is now my new favorite and tastes like a sweet Caesar dressing. I miss Caesar salads, so now I can still have that amazing creamy taste! This is so fast & easy to make.

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (I used Vanilla flavor)
• 1-2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
• Vitamix Blender – I can’t promise it will turn out creamy without a good high powered blender.

Throw all ingredients into a high powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Putting the Italian Cashew Creamed Kale all together

Pour the sauce over the steamed kale and then mix well until all the kale is covered and smothered in delicious sauce! Serve immediately. You can store in the refrigerator for a week – trust me it won’t last that long – and reheat or eat cold.

I hope you enjoy! If you try it please comment below!

Related Reading – Italian Crispy Kale Chips

New to a Plant Based Diet? Grab my Plant Based Diet Beginner’s Guide for FREE! Just fill out the form below to have it zoomed to your email, plus my weekly newsletter chocked full of new recipes & plant based eating tips.