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This vegan Yumm Sauce is my take on the popular Café Yumm Sauce. It’s ultra-creamy, full of flavor, and packed with protein (we’re talking 10 grams in just 2 tablespoons!). With dozens of 5-star reviews, it’s guaranteed to become your new go-to for bowls, sandwiches, and everything in between.

Yumm sauce in a jar with a spoon.
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If you’ve ever been to Café Yumm! in Portland, you know their original Yumm Sauce is next-level delicious. If not, prepare to have your taste buds blown away with this vegan Yumm Sauce recipe (trust me, it’s every bit as mouthwatering and addicting as the real deal!).

With a surprisingly simple mix of ingredients—chickpeas, tofu, nutritional yeast, and the like—the result is the creamiest, richest sauce that pairs perfectly with roasted veggie glow bowls, sandwiches, wraps, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

Reader rating

★★★★★

“Oh my goodness! I moved from Oregon over 2 years ago and I missed my Yumm bowl so much! I am NOT a cook by any means and this sauce was really easy to make… and so delicious! 100% recommend!!” —Kelsey

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Ingredients for yumm sauce.

Save The Chickpea Juice: It’s a good idea to reserve a little extra chickpea juice/brine. This way, you can adjust the thickness if needed, especially if the sauce thickens after chilling in the fridge.

Experiment With Flavors: To give your sauce even more oomph, add extra seasonings like paprika, cayenne, curry powder, onion powder, or even Sriracha.

Get Toasty: For a richer, nuttier flavor, you can try lightly toasting the slivered almonds in a dry skillet for a few minutes before blending.

A mason jar filled with yum sauce and labeled.

Pairing Ideas

When a sauce is this good, the rest of the meal simply becomes the vehicle. Here are some delicious “vehicles” that pair well with vegan Yumm Sauce!

  • Buddha Bowl: Your favorite Buddha bowl isn’t complete without the creamiest, dreamiest sauce around!
  • Veggie Loaded Wraps: Swap the hummus in the wrap recipe for this yumm sauce!
This Vegan Yum Sauce if my take on the sauce made popular at Cafe Yumm. It's creamy, full of flavor, and has a healthy dose of protein!
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Homemade Yumm Sauce (Copycat Cafe Yumm Recipe)

4.72 from 64 ratings
By: Sarah Bond
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Servings: 16 servings (2 Tbsp each)
This vegan Yumm Sauce is a protein-packed twist on the Café Yumm classic—ultra-creamy, full of flavor, and loved by 60+ five-star reviewers. Perfect for bowls, wraps, and more!

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
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Instructions 

  • Add all ingredients except chickpea juice to a blender.
    Ingredients for yumm sauce in a blender.
  • Blitz until smooth, slowly adding chickpea juice until you reach a thick, pourable consistency.
    Swirling yumm sauce in a blender.

Notes

Storage: For best results, vegan Yumm Sauce should be kept refrigerated and enjoyed within a week.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tbsp | Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.2g | Protein: 9.9g | Fat: 3.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 200mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 5.2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1.4mg

Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.

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4.72 from 64 votes (38 ratings without comment)

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111 Comments

  1. 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.

    Reply
    1. Sarah says:

      Awesome, so happy to hear Dan! 😀

  2. Sadie says:

    How long does this keep?

    Reply
    1. Sarah says:

      About 1 week in the fridge 🙂

  3. 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!!

    Reply
    1. 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!

    2. Goose says:

      Avocado

  4. Amy says:

    Chickpea juice? Is this the juice in the can with the chickpeas?

    Reply
    1. Sarah says:

      Exactly! 🙂

  5. Dorene Null says:

    Isn’t there some oil in it?

    Reply
    1. Sarah says:

      Not in this version! 😀 The coconut milk adds the necessary fat to make it creamy.

  6. 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!!!!

    Reply
    1. Sarah says:

      Yay! So happy to hear, Laura! 😀

  7. 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.

    Reply
    1. Sarah says:

      Thanks so much for the tip, Sam!

  8. Corinne says:

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
    1. Sarah says:

      YAY! So happy to hear, enjoy! 😀

  9. Shanna says:

    I don’t see where there is coconut milk added. Am I missing something?

    Reply
    1. 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!

  10. Kristen says:

    Could I use cashews (or a different nut) instead of almonds? Sadly I am allergic to almonds.

    Reply
    1. Sarah says:

      Hi Kristen! I haven’t tried cashews but I think they would work! 😀