Cashew Hummus With Lemon And Garlic For Full GAPS

This cashew hummus is thick, pale and creamy, with plenty of fresh lemon and a little bite from raw garlic. Cashews take the place of chickpeas, while tahini gives the dip its familiar sesame flavor. You can scoop it with cucumber slices or serve a spoonful beside cooked meat and vegetables.

The processor work is quick. The cashews still need a four-hour soak before they go into the bowl. Start there, then add the blending water gradually so the finished hummus holds a soft ridge instead of running off the spoon.

Most of my cooking happens in the morning before I leave for second shift. A recipe’s waiting time matters just as much as its hands-on time when you are trying to fit food around homeschool and work. For this dip, put the cashews on to soak and set a timer. The five minutes of processing comes afterward.

Yield: One batch
Preparation: About five minutes after soaking, with the tahini ready
Soaking: Four hours
Total: About four hours and five minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh, whole, unsalted cashews, measured before soaking
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup properly prepared sesame tahini
• 1 teaspoon natural sea salt
• 1 cup filtered water for processing, added gradually as needed
• Additional filtered water to cover the cashews for soaking

Measure the dry cashews first. Four cups of whole cashews is the starting amount, not four cups measured after they have absorbed water. Choose plain cashews without roasted flavorings, salt coatings or added oils. Their mild flavor leaves room for the lemon, garlic and tahini.

Use fresh lemon juice and remove the seeds before measuring. Half a cup brings a clear tang to a fairly large nut-based batch. The garlic goes in raw, so two small cloves give a different result from two oversized cloves. Start with the measured small cloves rather than adding a large handful.

The tahini is a finished ingredient here. Make the separate linked recipe first, then measure one-quarter cup into the hummus. Its sesame seeds have their own preparation before they are made into a paste. Stir the finished tahini before measuring if its oil has separated.

The cup of water is separate from the soaking water. Keep it in a measuring jug beside the processor and add it a quarter cup at a time. You may not need every drop. Stop when the dip is thick and creamy, rather than pouring in the full cup at the beginning.

Recommended Equipment

I use the Ninja BN801 kitchen system. For this recipe, use its food-processor bowl with the chopping blade. The manufacturer lists an eight-cup processor bowl as part of the system. This is a thick dip to process, rather than a drink to strain through a nut-milk machine.

• A glass or ceramic bowl for soaking
• A strainer for draining the cashews
• Ninja BN801 food-processor bowl and chopping blade
• Measuring cups, measuring spoons and a liquid measuring jug
• A flexible spatula and a covered glass storage container

Follow the processor’s fill markings. If the soaked cashews and other ingredients crowd the bowl, process in portions, dividing the measured ingredients between them. Combine the finished portions afterward. Doubling the recipe means more processing, not fitting twice as much into one bowl.

How To Make Cashew Hummus

1. Put the measured cashews in a glass or ceramic bowl and cover them with filtered water. Soak for four hours. Set a timer rather than leaving them overnight.
2. Drain the cashews. Keep the separate cup of fresh processing water ready in a measuring jug.
3. Put the drained cashews, lemon juice, garlic, prepared tahini and salt in the food-processor bowl.
4. Pulse to break the nuts down. Add fresh water one-quarter cup at a time, processing between additions. Stop the machine before scraping the sides.
5. Continue until the hummus is evenly creamy and thick, without hard nut pieces. Use enough of the measured water to help it move through the blade, stopping when a spoon leaves a soft ridge.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl or covered glass container. Serve with vegetables or alongside a meal, and refrigerate the remaining dip.

At first the cashews will look like damp crumbs. Lemon juice and tahini help them gather, but the mixture may cling to the sides before it turns evenly. Stop and scrape those pieces back toward the blade. Adding another quarter cup of water is useful when the mixture is too stiff to circulate.

Watch the consistency after each addition. A thick hummus keeps the track left by the spatula briefly, then softens around the edges. It should spread easily without looking watery. If you reach that point before using the full cup, leave the remaining water in the jug.

The finished dip tastes lemony, with sesame underneath and raw garlic that is noticeable without taking over the whole bowl. Its pale color comes from the cashews and tahini. There are no chickpeas, cream or eggs in this formula.

Where This Fits On GAPS

This is a Full GAPS dip after cashews, sesame and the remaining ingredients have been introduced and tolerated. Dr. Natasha’s 2020 book includes fresh cashews and gives them a shorter soaking window than other nuts: preferably one to three hours, with six hours as the maximum. This recipe uses four hours. Do not turn that into an overnight soak.

Use properly prepared tahini, too. The cashew soak does not prepare the sesame in a jar of tahini. Keeping those two preparations separate makes the ingredient list easier to follow: soaked cashews go into this dip, and the measured tahini is ready beforehand.

The base contains nuts and sesame. It has no added egg or dairy, provided the sesame preparation also used no dairy. If you used whey, yogurt or kefir when preparing the sesame, keep that ingredient in mind when deciding who can eat the finished hummus.

This version belongs with Full GAPS. During Intro, choose a recipe written for your current stage. A smoother dip still contains the same nuts, sesame and raw garlic, so blending alone does not change when those ingredients are introduced.

This plant-based recipe does not fit No-Plant GAPS. Cashews contain carbohydrates, so replacing chickpeas with nuts does not automatically make a dip ketogenic. Choose recipes and portions that fit the GAPS approach you are following.

Serving And Storage

Serve a small bowl with sliced cucumber or carrots once those raw vegetables fit your GAPS diet. The thick dip should stay on a sturdy slice without needing to be poured. It also works as a cool condiment beside cooked meat and vegetables.

Put out the amount you plan to serve and keep the rest covered in the refrigerator. Use a clean spoon to refill the serving bowl. The whole batch does not need to sit on the table when you only want a few spoonfuls with lunch.

You can freeze extras in smaller covered portions. Leave space in the container, thaw a portion in the refrigerator and stir it before serving. A thicker thawed portion is easier to loosen carefully than a watery one is to thicken, so do not add extra water before you see its texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Soak The Cashews Overnight?

No. Use the four-hour soak in these instructions. GAPS gives cashews a six-hour maximum, so an overnight soak does not belong in this version.

Do I Need The Whole Cup Of Water?

Not necessarily. Add it in quarter-cup increments and process between additions. The goal is a thick, creamy dip that moves through the blade and holds a soft spoon ridge. The soaking water is drained away.

Can I Use Olive Oil Instead?

Cold-pressed olive oil can replace some or all of the processing water. Add it gradually in the same way, keeping it raw. It makes the dip richer and brings the oil’s flavor into the finished hummus. The card below uses water as its base option.

Can I Use Cashew Pieces?

Use three cups of unsalted pieces in place of four cups of whole cashews. They are different starting measures. This post uses fresh whole cashews, measured before soaking, so follow that amount unless you are deliberately using the pieces option.

Can I Leave Out The Tahini?

Tahini supplies the sesame flavor and helps give this dip its body. If sesame does not fit your diet, the avocado-lime guacamole linked below is a separate sesame-free dip with its own ingredients and instructions.

More Full GAPS Dips

For another bean-free option, try avocado-lime guacamole. If properly prepared white navy beans are part of your diet, white navy bean hummus with grapefruit gives you a different base and citrus flavor. Each recipe has its own amounts and preparation.

The planned Sauces, Dressings & Condiments Cookbook will bring more homemade dips and condiments together. Watch the WFLI shop for its release if you want more ways to put prepared pantry ingredients to use.