This Vegan Yum Sauce is my take on the sauce made popular at Cafe Yumm. It’s ultra-creamy, full of flavor, and has 10 grams of protein in just 2 tablespoons!
My sister’s best known dinner recipe is dino nuggets. As in, the frozen dinosaur shaped chicken nugget-flavored product.
But when I was visiting her in Hawaii this summer, she offered to make this vegan yum sauce to go on our veggie buddha bowls and I was, as the kids say, shook.
After standing over the blender throwing in the most random assortment of ingredients—chickpeas, tofu, nutritional yeast, and the like—the result was the creamiest, richest sauce that paired perfectly with our sweet potato and kale vegetable bowls.
She picked up the recipe in Portland, inspired by the infamous Yumm Sauce at Cafe Yumm. But for us folk who can’t get our hands on the real stuff, this Vegan Yum Sauce packs in all that flavor with a quick blitz of the blender!
How to make yum sauce video
Ingredients in yumm sauce
Yum sauce ingredients create a sauce that is so dreamy and creamy while also being insanely healthy. The good news is that the only “uncommon” ingredient is chickpea juice. But, if you have a can of chickpeas, you have chickpea juice!
- Chickpeas: The bulk ingredient in vegan yum sauce is ½ cup of chickpeas. This adds thickness while also supplying some protein (chickpeas are so nutritious)!
- Nutritional Yeast: Next, ½ cup of nutritional yeast will add flavor to the sauce (what the heck is nutritional yeast, anyways?)
- Tofu: Next up is the silken tofu. You’ll need ½ cup. Tofu loads up your sauce with anti-inflammatories and antioxidants! (The difference between silken and firm tofu here!)
- Almonds: ¼ cup of slivered almonds adds subtle earthy undertones.
- Lemon Juice: Add a splash (2 tablespoons, to be exact) of lemon juice for a slight zing.
- Seasonings: As for the spices, you will need ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ teaspoon of curry powder, and 2 cloves of garlic. If you don’t have fresh cloves, you can use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Chickpea Juice: Finish off the sauce by including ¼ cup of chickpea juice for texture!
How to make homemade yum sauce
When I say this recipe couldn’t get easier, I quite literally mean that. The only way to make it easier is to… not make it, and that’s because it only requires one step!
Add all of the ingredients except the chickpea juice to a blender. Blitz until smooth, and slowly add the chickpea juice until you reach a thick, pourable consistency. That’s it!
Recipe tips
Chickpea Juice
Chickpea juice is what you get when you simply soak chickpeas in water. For this recipe, you can use some of the liquid that comes in the can with the chickpeas!
Extra Flavor
To add even more oomph to your sauce, feel free to add additional flavorings like paprika, onion powder, or even sriracha.
Storage
For best results, yum sauce should be kept refrigerated and enjoyed within about a week.
How to use vegan yum sauce
When a sauce is this good, food is simply a vehicle for the sauce. Some of the “vehicles” that pair well with the flavor of yum sauce are listed below!
- Top your roasted veggie Buddha Bowl with the creamiest sauce around!
- Add a spoonful to a bowl of Tempeh Vegetarian Chili for the perfect final touch.
- Enjoy it in Eggplant Curry for an extra flavor component.
Lastly, simply use yum sauce as a dip for your favorite dippable veggies (carrots, celery, etc.) or fries!
Ingredients
- ½ cup canned chickpeas 100 g, keep juice from the can
- ½ cup nutritional yeast 50 g
- ½ cup silken tofu 100 g
- ¼ cup slivered almonds 40 g
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice 30 mL
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp curry powder
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup chickpea juice 60 mL
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except chickpea juice to a blender. Blitz until smooth, slowly adding chickpea juice until you reach a thick, pourable consistency.
Dan says
Just made my first patch of yum sauce! Holy cow is it good!! I put it over salad, quinoa and tuna and it was insanely good, though it really doesn’t matter what you put it on. It’s even great straight off the finger.
Sarah says
Awesome, so happy to hear Dan! 😀
Sadie says
How long does this keep?
Sarah says
About 1 week in the fridge 🙂
Shelly Galvin says
Hi Sarah,
I wonder if there is a replacement for the tofu for those who don’t eat soy. Any ideas?
Thanks!!
Sarah says
Hi Shelly! Oof that’s a good question. I would probably just substitute it for more chickpeas and coconut milk (an extra 1/4 cup of each). I haven’t tried this, but the tofu doesn’t add much to the flavor so you should be fine without it!
Goose says
Avocado
Amy says
Chickpea juice? Is this the juice in the can with the chickpeas?
Sarah says
Exactly! 🙂
Dorene Null says
Isn’t there some oil in it?
Sarah says
Not in this version! 😀 The coconut milk adds the necessary fat to make it creamy.
Laura says
I’ve been trying to find the perfect yum sauce, and this is it! I replaced the lemon and salt for umi plum vinegar. Thank you!!!!
Sarah says
Yay! So happy to hear, Laura! 😀
Sam says
Just an FYI, cafe yumm does have spots located in Portland, but it’s definitely a Eugene, OR creation and a decades long institution of that college city two hours south. Just giving credit where credits due. Cheers.
Sarah says
Thanks so much for the tip, Sam!
Corinne says
Absolutely fabulous! This recipe allows for flexibility (i.e.- ran out of tofu doubled the garbanzos instead, etc.) and still comes out great every time. Feels very rich and decadent. It’s a new staple!
Sarah says
YAY! So happy to hear, enjoy! 😀
Shanna says
I don’t see where there is coconut milk added. Am I missing something?
Sarah says
Hi Shanna! I recently modified this recipe to remove the coconut milk. It doesn’t need it (thought you can add some in if you want a more liquid consistency). Apologies for the confusion!
Kristen says
Could I use cashews (or a different nut) instead of almonds? Sadly I am allergic to almonds.
Sarah says
Hi Kristen! I haven’t tried cashews but I think they would work! 😀
Heather Susemihl says
I replaced the almonds with raw cashews soaked for ten minutes in hot water and it worked great. This recipe is fabulous and so much less oily than the one I’ve purchased at cafe yumm.
Sarah says
Such a great idea, thanks for letting us know how it went with the cashews! 😀
donelle kemmer says
I was told not to eat raw cashews with out toasting them.
Diana Olivet says
Hi I am a breast cancer survivor so I am not allowed to have any tofu. Can you suggest a substitute?
Thanks,
Diana
Sarah says
Hi Diana! I would probably do 1/2 cup of coconut milk (though an avocado may also work – haven’t tried it though). Would love to hear how it works out for you! 😀
Jackie Delaney says
Hi. I would like to try this Yum Sauce but can’t have soy. What would you consider using in place of the tofu? Thank you!
Sarah says
Hi Jackie! I would probably just substitute it for more chickpeas and coconut milk (an extra 1/4 cup of each). I haven’t tried this, but the tofu doesn’t add much to the flavor so you should be fine without it!
Tiffany R says
Wowza this is delicious! I like the use of the silken tofu since it adds an extra layer of protein and richness to the sauce. The nutritional yeast gives it that slightly cheesy flavor without actual cheese, which is always fun. This is going to be a sauce I end up keeping around the house because the possibilities with it are endless. Salads, roasted veggies, tofu bites, burgers, so many tasty combos.
Sarah says
Yesss I love it on all of those things! Enjoy!!
chloe says
The flavor is quite good. This recipe has a tad too much curry in and to be more originalYUM! the recipes does need to add liquid. I notice that there is no oil in this recipe, yet one of the first ingredients in the original YUM! sauce is canola oil (personally, I do not recommend canola or rapeseed oil). I added a chug of olive oil and liked it better. Thanks for ciphering the recipe.
Sarah says
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, Chloe! 😀
Kendra says
Hey there, I would love to make this but my husband can’t really have nuts, is there anything you sub out the almonds for?
Sarah says
You could just omit the almonds here, or substitute them for a seed (like pumpkin or sunflower seeds).
Jennifer Wollin says
This is my new favorite sauce! I make it with cashews and sub apple cider vinegar for the lemon juice (because I am too lazy to squeeze lemons!) and it is so good! I use it on salads, as a dip and even on pasta (with sautéed mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, etc)! I live it and anticipate making this a lot!
Sarah says
Aw yay! So happy to hear it! I’ll have to try it with apple cider vin, that sounds delish 😀
Carrie says
Can this sauce be stored frozen?
Sarah says
I haven’t tried it so I couldn’t say for sure. I’m leaning towards no – I think the texture will be impacted by the freezing due to the fat.
Emilia says
I’m confused because…the original Yumm sauce is already vegan. Its also sugar free. A lot of these ingredients are the same? I just don’t understand the point of this recipe. Yumm sauce is 5$ a jar.
Sarah says
The point is so you can make it at home 😀 Many people do not have access to the store bought stuff.
Jennyc says
I think $5 a jar says it all 🤣
I just made it 100% organic, tripled recipe – about 4x the yumm jar volume,
I always soak dry beans… I’d be surprised if it cost max $4-5 for 4x the amount. $1 a jar!
Patricia Tuttle says
I can’t get Yumm sauce on the east coast, shipping something from PNW to hot South Carolina was going to cost $80 in shipping a cold item overnight.
I can’t wait to try this.
Sherri says
I live in Eugene, OR and can’t find Yumm! Sauce anywhere for less than $7/jar now. And those little jars only last 3-4 meals if I’m being stingy with it, which I’m usually not. I love it and can just eat it out of the jar with a spoon, so I’m eager to try this recipe. And bonus for not having oil as the first ingredient, like the original.
Anon says
Excellent base! I added more lemon juice for more of a bite (that you would have with Cafe Yumm). Turned out a little salty because of the salt in the can of chick peas as well as the added salt in the recipe. I would either cut the added salt or get no salt chick peas next time!
Sarah says
Thanks for your thoughtful review! Enjoy! 😀
Jill Ackiron-Moses says
Hi can this be frozen?
Sarah says
I haven’t tried freezing this, but my gut says no. I think the texture would be impacted by it.
Amanda says
Thank you for this recipe. Im on WW and altered the recipe to make it only 1 point vs the 4pts for the jarred version. I did this by eliminating the nuts.
I agree with others that the curry powder is a bit too much, much, but other than that its a very close approximation of the original.
Kristina Mouton says
What would you substitute for the chick peas?
Sarah says
You could replace them with a similar amount of tofu 😀 Then just use water instead of chickpea juice.
Jennyc says
White beans worked for me!
Connie says
Does eating raw tofu causes digestive problem?
Sarah says
In most people it shouldn’t, but if you have a sensitive gut it might.
Kerry McCarthy says
How long will this last in the refrigerator?
Sarah says
About 1 week in the fridge 🙂
Cassie says
Hi! Is there a good replacement for the nutritional yeast? TIA!
Sarah says
Hi Cassie! Most of the flavor is coming from the nutritional yeast, so that would be a bit hard to replace in this one!
Ace Malik says
Can i use any tofu, i have some regular tofu that i froze, do i have to sliver the almonds, is there an expiration date for this after its made?
Sarah says
Yep regular tofu would work, but may need to be blended for longer. Same goes for almonds! And should last about 5 days in the fridge 😀
Carrie Jones says
turned out just like the YUMM sauce. perferct.
kRISTEN says
I want to make this for a friend who is allergic to nuts. What should I use to replace the almonds?
Sarah says
Sunflower seeds might work well! 😀
Jennyc says
I omitted almonds and had no substitution available. Still worked great!
Just reduce bean water to compensate for lack of that thickener. I’m sure almonds would be nice but it worked fine. (Wonder if some crustless bread or breadcrumbs blended in would replace the thickening of the almonds?)
Jennyc says
Really solid recipe, delighted! It survived my substitutions and omissions and STILL tasted like yumm sauce! (I’m in PNW so I can compare to original)
Clean out of garbanzo beans, so soaked and cooked great norther white beans instead. They have much less flavor than garbanzo but still yumm!
Didn’t have almonds or any good replacement thickener, so just omitted without substitution. Should have compensated by omitting bean water, but it just ended up runnier. still yummy! Liked it runny too (original yumm is quite thick though pourable)
Only had garlic powder. Oh well. The cur powder was just right; flavor stayed way in the background without “currying” it.
FYI tripling the recipe uses 1 full box (12oz) silken tofu, and I’m so pleased with having this in the fridge to pour on EVERYTHING, that I’ll triple it again next time when I’ll have actual (dry) garbanzo beans, fresh garlic, and maybe even some almond flour!!
Jennyc says
Just a note you don’t have to post; the ingredients list does not show up on iOS screen reader view, so possibly this page my not be ADA compliment for folks with vision loss.
Sarah says
Thanks for letting us know, Jenny!
Nancy says
I haven’t yet made this because I’m a bit confused. Your recipe does not call for coconut milk yet you suggest, “increasing the coconut milk” in a couple of your responses to questions. Is there or is there not supposed to be coconut milk in the recipe?
Sarah says
Hi Nancy! I recently modified this recipe to remove the coconut milk. It doesn’t need it (though you can add some in if you want a more liquid consistency). Apologies for the confusion!
Jess says
I don’t see coconut oil listed anywhere in this recipe? What am I missing?
Jess says
Nvm. I see it was addressed earlier today!
Sarah says
You’re not missing anything, coconut oil is not an ingredient 😀
Sarah says
Absolutely delicious! I have tried several other yumm sauce recipes and this is the one I am returning to. Thank you.
taylor says
This recipe was good, but it doesn’t really taste like Yumm Sauce. It doesn’t have much of the nuance of the real stuff. I’ve tried several recipes so far, and this one is middle of the road.
Jenny says
Made this before, excellent!
Today I didn’t have almonds or chickpeas or curry powder… still excellent… here’s how
1. Double the tofu to substitute for missing chickpeas
2. Water as substitute for chickpea juice
3. Had some tahini, used 2T – but it would have worked without this
4. Added 1/4t turmeric and 1/8t each of ground cumin and coriander. All of these optional.
Main flavor profile is from the yeast salt lemon juice. Tofu provides enough thickness for texture. Just adding this so folks can simplify if needed
Nuts and chickpeas definitely adds extra nutrition and fiber. curry & garlic extra yum.
Christine says
I made this expecting to have a nice sauce to change things up for some vegetables, bowls etc. But WOW, this stuff completely blew all my expectations out of the water. It is AMAZING. It’s healthy but tastes like it should be unhealthy. Super versatile, it tastes good with everything. Super easy and quick to make and tastes unreal.
The only change i made was using a mix of cashews and almonds as I didn’t have enough almonds on hand.
Sarah Bond says
YAY! I’m so happy to hear you had the same reaction I did to this sauce! Enjoy! 😀
Jenny says
Love this, made a few times, it is now a staple!!! (without almonds which I never have). Love that it has no oil yet still tastes fulfilling!
My variations:
1. White beans of any type can substitute for chickpeas (pinto may work too, haven’t tried)
2. I make my own beans (soak & cook)m – so cheap so easy) so I use water rather than bean can juice. Often add a bit more water for a runnier sauce
3. Curry powder is optional. sometimes I add extra turmeric (1/2t) or replace curry with turmeric
4. Add Mexican Salsa Cremosa to taste for a warm latinised version. (Eg Chipotle flavor) makes a great dip too!
5. Add 1T tahini – adds a nice note! (which I keep in stock for hummus)
At its base this recipe can be made with the essentials :
Beans, tofu, yeast, salt, lemon, water.
Sarah Bond says
Those variations all sound AMAZING! Def trying the tahini! 😀
Jason says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe- I LOVE Cafe Yumm sauce but am on a low sodium diet. Making this myself, I rinse the chickpeas and use half juice/half water, then substitute 1/2 tsp of rice vinegar instead of salt- all that knocks the sodium way down and tastes amazing. (And I took your suggestion of adding a little paprika. Thanks again!
Kathy says
I LOVE that you did it without the oil – thank you!
Sarah Sydney says
Followed this recipe exactly but was greatly disappointed. There is just a hint of Yumm sauce flavor. I won’t make this again.
Donna Borick says
DELISH!!!
Janis Evans says
Loved it on a rice bowl!