Bulk Organic Cashew Flour – 50 LB

As the world grows more aware of Celiac Disease and other sources of gluten intolerance, more and more flour alternatives have entered the market. Cashew flour allows for baking and thickening like traditional flour while also adding nutritional benefits not present in the typical bag of white all-purpose flour. Many people are hesitant to switch to a flour substitute or just don’t know how to choose the right one for them. If you’re curious about cashew flour’s origins, benefits, or uses, read on. You’ll be enjoying this wonder-flour before you know it!

What is in Cashew Flour?

The answer is unsurprisingly simple: cashews. This simplicity comes with a host of benefits, however. While most people probably don’t know what all-purpose flour is made of or its origin, cashew flour is a straightforward, one-ingredient alternative. This makes it easy to create at home while forgoing the need for processing or additives. These benefits make cashew flour a natural, healthy, and gluten-free alternative to traditional flour.

To make your own cashew flour at home, follow three simple steps:

1. Start with about 2 cups worth of high quality bulk cashews. Place the cashews into a high-powered blender or food processor and process until you see a fine cashew powder left over. Make sure to scrape the sides every so often.
2. Sift this powder through a fine, mesh sieve to filter out any large bits.
3. Return these large pieces to the blender and process them until they are consistent with the other powder and pass through the sieve.

Once you finish making your flour, store it in an airtight container in the freezer until you need it.

Of course, if you want to skip these steps, purchasing ready-made cashew flour is always a great option. Just make sure you check the ingredients to avoid preservatives and unnecessary additives.

Uses for Cashew Flour

On the whole, cashew flour works for any recipe that calls for traditional flour. In fact, it can serve as a direct substitute in most cases- meaning if a recipe calls for two cups of all-purpose flour, you can use two cups of cashew flour instead. Be sure to experiment with using more or less cashew flour to get the consistency you want!

Though cashew flour is most commonly used in baking, it’s also useful for breading chicken or thickening sauces. The flour’s rich, creamy texture translates well into dishes, so you may notice a slightly different taste than usual. Luckily, cashews are already a headliner in both sweet and savory dishes, so the flour adds dimension rather than an odd aftertaste.

Whether you want to make bread, cake, cookies, fried chicken, or soup, cashew flour serves the role of traditional white flour while also providing tons of benefits on its own.

Health Benefits of Cashew Flour

Cashew flour’s nutritional benefits translate perfectly to any meal or baked good, making it an amazing gluten-free replacement for less healthy white flour. Here are just a few great reasons to add cashew flour to your diet:

• Cashews are packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals known for their high levels of good, unsaturated fats that aid in heart health. One cup of regular, white flour contains 455 calories, 95.4 carbohydrates, and 12 grams of protein. The equivalent amount of cashew flour contains 479 calories, 26 carbohydrates, and 16 grams of protein. For those on a plant-based diet, cashews provide protein almost equivalent to meat in the same quantity. Cashew flour helps sneak protein into your diet when it may be lacking!
• Cashews contain a wide variety of antioxidants that neutralize damage-causing molecules. This helps your body fight inflammation and disease. Cashews are also particularly rich in polyphenols and carotenoids, which have been linked to lower levels of cell damage over time.
• Cutting fat content is usually preferable for those trying to lose weight, but cashews can actually help with weight loss when consumed in moderation. Using cashew flour instead of white flour is one great way to make your meals healthier. The fiber and protein in cashew flour also work perfectly with weight loss plans, as they’re filling and reduce overall hunger.
• Cashews are also heavily linked to a decreased risk of stroke and heart complications. This is partly because they are shown to improve good cholesterol and lower bad cholesterol while also lowering blood pressure. Additionally, the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat levels in cashews make them a heart-healthy choice.
• Type 2 diabetes sufferers will likely already benefit from a flour substitute with fewer carbohydrates, but cashews provide additional benefits. For example, the fiber in cashews can prevent blood sugar spikes, the biggest concern for diabetics.
• Cashews are high in copper, iron, and magnesium— all helpful in maintaining bone, hair, nail, and skin health and strength as the years go by. Copper also aids in melanin production, which helps maintain skin and hair pigment.

Choosing the Right Cashew Flour

With so many brands of cashew flour out there, how can you be sure you’re picking the right one? You need to look out not just for the right ingredients, but also where the cashews are sourced from. Too many nut companies exploit underpaid, poorly treated workers to farm cashews that get sent to forced laborers overseas before being packaged and sent to your local grocery store.

When you buy cashew flour from Beyond the Nut, you’re making a healthy choice for your body AND the world. Beyond the Nut keeps the entire cashew-harvesting process local, providing jobs to people in Benin, paying them fairly, and treating them with respect. Our mission is to empower local workers and help boost Africa’s economy without exporting cashews to other places.

No matter your reasons, switching to cashew flour is an amazing first step towards evaluating what you eat and making sure it aligns with your values.