When you just want utter lusciousness, this thickshake is your new best friend. Though not exactly pure kale or beansprouts it does have the benefits of a high proportion of wholefood plant ingredients, so you get to feel relatively noble while your tastebuds sing. Give it a go if you want to blow people's socks off. Everyone I've served it to can hardly believe it's vegan and the words "oh my God" have been heard more than once. I also heartily recommend this alongside my plant-based power burger for that American diner thrill.
Rather than buying packaged nut milk, make your own in the blender as the first step in the process.
Cashews give the smoothest result but you can also used soaked almonds if need be. A key point here is to use icy cold water — the colder you can get the thickshake, the ice-creamier it tastes.
Chocolate and almond is a great flavour combo and a personal fave. In a great case of finding answers that confirm our bias, Dr Google found me research in which 71 per cent of people said they preferred almond to any other nut with chocolate.
Carrying on that flavour theme, you can add a handful of frozen cherries for a black forest twist, and if you want to go to town with a grown-ups-only version sneak in 1 shot (30ml) of whiskey or rum, and serve in a cocktail glass.
Ingredients
| ⅓ cup | Raw cashew nuts, 50g (Main) |
| 1 cup | Water, ice-cold |
| 2 | Bananas, frozen and ripe (200g) |
| 2 Tbsp | Cocoa powder (Main) |
| 1 Tbsp | Tahini |
| 2 tsp | Miso, light colour is ideal |
| 1 tsp | Almond essence (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Vanilla essence |
Directions
- Make instant cashew milk first by blending cashews and water until really smooth (30 seconds in a high speed blender). This gives the water a chance to break up the nuts and soak in before the rest goes in.
- Add remaining ingredients and blend at least 20 seconds until super-smooth.
