Cashews and Oxalates: High Oxalate, and Hiding in Your Dairy-Free Cheese

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Cashews feel harmless, which is exactly the problem.

They are the soft, buttery nut, the one in the trail mix, the base of a creamy sauce, the dairy-free cheese that finally tasted like cheese. For anyone eating plant-based, dairy-free, or gluten-free, cashews are everywhere, and they are marketed as a wholesome, gentle choice.

But cashews are high in oxalate, high enough that a single handful can blow a low oxalate day, and because they hide inside so many health-food products, they are easy to overeat without realizing it.

This post covers how much oxalate cashews carry, the surprising places they hide, and what to use instead.

Are cashews high in oxalate?

Yes, and they are right near the top of the nut list. A single ounce of cashews, a small handful, carries roughly 64 to 77 mg of oxalate, with whole-food databases putting cashews around 265 mg per 100 grams.¹ Against a daily low oxalate target of about 40 to 50 mg, one ounce of cashews can blow your entire day in a few bites.²

And cashews are easy to eat far more than an ounce. As a snack by the handful, as a creamy sauce, as a cheese, they go down quickly and in quantity. There are even medical case reports of oxalate-related kidney injury in people who ate large amounts of cashews over a short period, which tells you this is a food worth respecting.³

If you are working toward a low oxalate diet, cashews are a clear food to take off the table, alongside spinach and almonds.

Where do cashews hide?

This is the part that catches people off guard, especially anyone eating dairy-free or gluten-free. Cashews are the workhorse of the alternative-foods world, and they show up in places you would never check:

Dairy-free cheese. Most artisan and many store-bought vegan cheeses are built on cashews, because they blend into a rich, creamy, sliceable base. A few crackers topped with cashew cheese can carry a serious oxalate load.

Cashew cream and cashew milk. Cashews are blended into creamy sauces, dips, salad dressings, and dairy-free creamers and milks. Cashew milk in particular is among the higher oxalate plant milks.

Gluten-free breads and baked goods. Cashew flour and cashew butter turn up in gluten-free and grain-free baking, where they add moisture and structure. If you are gluten-free, your bread or muffins may be quietly cashew-based.

The pattern is the same one that catches people with almonds: a high oxalate food becomes the backbone of foods marketed as healthy, and it gets eaten freely because nobody thinks to question it. Reading labels is the whole game here.

A note from me, before we get into the swaps

Cashews are one of the trickier foods to walk away from, not because the nut itself is hard to skip, but because it is baked into so many of the dairy-free and gluten-free products people rely on. So this one is less about willpower and more about label-reading, and once you know where cashews hide, it gets a lot easier.

What follows are the low oxalate swaps I actually use, matched to the jobs cashews were doing, with coconut and rice doing most of the heavy lifting.

What can you use instead of cashews?

The swap depends on what the cashew was doing, and the good news is the low oxalate replacements are usually coconut-based or grain-based.

For dairy-free cheese and cream: coconut-based cheeses and coconut cream are low oxalate and give you that rich, creamy texture without the cashew load. Check the label, since some coconut cheeses still blend in cashews or almonds.

For cashew milk: coconut milk and rice milk are far lower in oxalate. Dairy milk, if you tolerate it, is essentially oxalate-free and brings calcium.

For gluten-free baking: rice-flour-based gluten-free breads and mixes are the safer low oxalate route. Watch for almond and cashew flour on the ingredient list, which are the high oxalate ones.

For snacking: there is no perfect low oxalate nut, since most nuts run high. If you want a crunchy snack, a small portion of seeds you tolerate, or a non-nut option, is the lower-oxalate move. Check anything specific against the food look-up tool.

Can you keep any cashews in your diet?

Cashews are high enough that they are best treated as a food to leave behind rather than manage, but if you are not in a strict reduction phase, a few rules help:

Read every label. The biggest cashew exposure is usually hidden, in cheeses, creams, and gluten-free products, not in the bowl of nuts. Knowing where they are is most of the battle.

Keep any whole cashews tiny and rare. A few cashews occasionally is a different thing from a handful as a daily snack or a cashew-cheese habit.

Pair with calcium. If you do eat cashews, having them with a calcium source helps bind some of the oxalate in the gut.²

How do you cut cashews?

1. Check your dairy-free cheese. This is often the biggest hidden source. Switch to a coconut-based one or go without.

2. Read your gluten-free bread label. Move to rice-flour-based options if cashew or almond flour is listed.

3. Swap cashew milk and cream for coconut or rice-based versions.

4. Retire the snack handful. The casual daily cashews add up fast.

So are cashews off the table?

For everyday eating on a low oxalate diet, yes. Cashews are a high oxalate food that happens to hide inside many of the products marketed to health-conscious eaters, which is exactly the combination that makes them worth dropping.

Lean on coconut-based cheeses and creams, rice-based milks and breads, and read your labels. You keep the creamy, dairy-free, gluten-free foods you like without the hidden oxalate.

Frequently asked questions about cashews and oxalate

Are cashews high in oxalate?

Yes. Cashews are high in oxalate, at roughly 64 to 77 mg per ounce, so a single small handful can exceed a typical low oxalate daily target. They are a clear food to avoid on a low oxalate diet.

Is cashew cheese high in oxalate?

Yes. Most dairy-free cashew cheeses are built on a cashew base, so they carry cashews’ high oxalate content. Coconut-based cheeses are a lower oxalate alternative, but check the label.

Is cashew milk high in oxalate?

Cashew milk is among the higher oxalate plant milks. Coconut milk and rice milk are far lower, and dairy milk is essentially oxalate-free if you tolerate it.

What can I use instead of cashews?

For dairy-free cheese and cream, use coconut-based options. For milk, choose coconut or rice. For gluten-free baking, use rice-flour-based products and avoid cashew and almond flour.

Read These Next

• The High Oxalate Foods List, The complete reference for what is high and what to limit, cashews are one of many worth knowing about.
• 8 Surprising High Oxalate Foods (And What to Reach For Instead), Seven more foods that regularly surprise people, including other popular staples that fly under the radar.
• The Low Oxalate Foods List: What You Can Actually Eat (And Enjoy), What to reach for instead, a full list of foods that work with your body rather than against it.

Sources

1. Cashew oxalate content (about 64 to 77 mg per ounce; around 265 mg per 100 g). OxalateGuard and Kidney Stone Diet. oxalateguard.com and kidneystonediet.com
2. A low oxalate diet generally targets about 40 to 50 mg of oxalate per day, and calcium taken with a meal binds oxalate in the gut. University of Chicago Kidney Stone Program. kidneystones.uchicago.edu
3. Case report of oxalate nephropathy (kidney injury) associated with heavy cashew intake. National Library of Medicine. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The information on this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Oxalate sensitivity and related conditions vary significantly between individuals. Always consult your healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes or starting any supplementation, especially if you have kidney disease, a history of kidney stones, or any other diagnosed health condition. Read our full medical disclaimer for more information.