This creamy vegan Cashew Cilantro Sauce is a great for tacos or a flavorful appetizer dip! It's made with garlic, jalapeno, and lime juice.
This Cilantro Lime Sauce makes for a tasty all-purpose topping for tacos or any Mexican inspired meals. It's also perfect as a dip served with chips or fresh veggies.
I love recipes that serve double duty when it comes to how they can be utilized. This sauce is one of those recipes. It serves as a topping for tacos, an appetizer dip, or a spread for sandwiches or burgers.
Another great thing about this sauce is that it's dairy free, gluten free, and vegan. The 'creaminess' of the sauce comes from cashews that are soaked in water and then pureed in a blender with garlic, jalapeno, lime, and cilantro.
It's great when you want to add a lot of fresh flavor to a dish, without overloading it with a lot of heavy ingredients.
There's really no 'wrong' way to enjoy a sauce like this one. It lasts for a few days in the refrigerator and is great to have on hand when you're looking to add a healthy flavor boost to any dish!
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What Is Cashew Sauce?
In general, I'm a huge fan of sauces and adding sauce to whatever it is I'm eating. Sauces are an easy way to add great flavor to almost any dish.
This Cashew Cilantro Sauce is great, because it's made with only a few simple and healthy ingredients.
Cashew sauce is similar in appearance and texture to creamy sauces that are traditionally made with dairy or heavy cream. Cashews are naturally creamy and provide a 'creamy' base for a sauce, without the use of dairy.
The key to creating a cashew sauce is to soak raw, unsalted cashews in water for a few hours, drain them, and then puree them with some water and salt.
The great thing about cashew sauce is that the flavor can be adjusted by adding any number of other ingredients. This version has a Mexican twist and is flavored with the addition of cilantro, garlic, jalapeno peppers, and lime juice.
The result is a thick and rich concoction that can be drizzled onto any of your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes, or used as a dip for tortilla chips or any crunchy veggies.
Ingredients For Cashew Cilantro Sauce
Here's what you'll need to make it.
- 1 cup Cashews (raw, unsalted)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ cup Water
- 4 Tbsp. Lime Juice
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper (seeds removed for less heat)
- ½ cup Cilantro
- ¾ tsp. Kosher Salt
- ¼ tsp. Pepper
What Does Soaking Cashews In Water Do?
This recipe calls for raw, unsalted cashews that are soaked in water prior to use. It's important to soak the cashews for optimal texture when making this sauce.
Soaking cashews allows them to absorb more water, creating a 'creamier' texture when they're pureed in a food processor or blender.
It also helps to remove phytic acid, which aids in nutrient absorption.
The cashews need to soak in water for 2 hours, so it's important to plan ahead when making this recipe.
- To soak the cashews, simply place 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews in a small bowl. Top with enough water to cover the cashews.
- Allow the cashews to soak for 2 hours (it's fine if the cashews soak for a few extra hours, but they can become slimy if soaked too long).
- After 2 hours, drain and rinse the cashews with cold water.
Make sure that the cashews used are raw and unsalted and that the brand is gluten free if gluten is an issue for you.
How To Make Cilantro Cashew Sauce
Once the cashews have soaked in water for a few hours, they are then pureed in a blender or food processor with a few other ingredients until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- To make the sauce, peel 2 cloves of garlic and cut them in half.
- Cut 1 jalapeno pepper in half and remove the seeds and membranes. Chop the jalapeno into chunks.
- Roughly chop a heaping ½ cup of fresh cilantro.
- Squeeze 4 Tbsp. of fresh lime juice.
- Place the rinsed cashews, garlic cloves, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, lime juice, ¾ tsp. kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper into a high speed blender or food processor. Pulse all of the ingredients a few times.
- Place the cover securely on the blender. Slowly pour ½ cup of water through the opening of the cover and puree the mixture at a high speed until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency (you may need to use the tamper to scrape and push the ingredients to the bottom of the blender).
How To Get The Best Consistency
The hallmark of cashew sauce in any form is that it's smooth and creamy, much like sauces made with dairy.
There are a few factors that can contribute to a cashew sauce that is creamier or more on the grainy side.
A high speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec is essential to achieving a super creamy texture. A less powerful blender or food processor will work, but you likely won't achieve optimal creaminess.
This sauce can absolutely be made using a regular blender or food processor, but the texture will be grainier. You can puree the sauce longer to achieve a creamier texture, but it likely won't be completely creamy without the use of a high speed blender.
What To Serve With Cashew Sauce
As mentioned, this is a great all-around sauce that can be used in any variety of ways. The cashews themselves don't have a lot of flavor, but the flavors of the cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, and lime shine in this sauce.
As a result, this sauce is perfect served with Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes like tacos, burritos, or enchiladas. It's a great way to add richness to vegetarian or vegan tacos like these Roasted Veggie Tacos or Sweet Potato Tacos.
I love sauces like this one served on top of a Mexican shrimp rice bowl, vegetarian fajita bowl, or any type of taco bowls.
It can be used as a topping for nachos or as an appetizer dip for tortilla chips, or fresh veggies like bell peppers, carrots, or jicama.
This sauce can be used to drizzle over roasted or grilled vegetables like cauliflower, zucchini, or eggplant.
It might be vegan, but this sauce makes a tasty topping for chipotle chicken tacos, shrimp tacos, barbacoa, and carnitas.
This cashew sauce is spreadable and adds a pop of flavor to any sandwich or meaty burger or vegetarian burger.
How Long Does This Sauce Last In The Fridge?
This sauce lasts 5-6 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Can It Be Frozen?
I have not tested freezing this sauce, so cannot recommend that it be frozen. For the best texture and flavor, I recommend using this sauce right away or within a few days.
Love sauces? Check out these recipes!
- Harissa Tahini Sauce
- Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce
- Poblano Avocado Sauce
- Lemon Tarragon Sauce
- Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing
- Spicy Thousand Island Dressing
- Herb Ranch Dressing
- Dill Pickle Tartar Sauce
Looking For More Healthy Sauces and Dip Recipes? Don't Miss These!
Pico de Gallo
Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip
Spicy Black Bean Dip
Cashew Cilantro Sauce
Equipment
- High Speed Blender such as a Vitamix
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews raw, unsalted
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup water
- 4 Tbsp. lime juice equals 2-3 limes
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed for less heat
- ½ heaping cup cilantro
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
Instructions
To Soak The Cashews:
- Place 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews in a small bowl. Top with enough water to cover the cashews.
- Allow the cashews to soak for 2 hours at room temperature.The cashews may soak for a few extra hours if needed. Do not allow them to soak too long, or they may become slimy.
- After 2 hours, drain the cashews and rinse with cold water.
To Make The Sauce:
- Peel 2 cloves of garlic and cut them in half.
- Cut 1 jalapeno pepper in half and remove the seeds and membranes for less heat. Chop the jalapeno into chunks.
- Roughly chop a heaping ½ cup of fresh cilantro.
- Squeeze 4 Tbsp. of fresh lime juice (equals 2-3 limes).
- Place the rinsed cashews, garlic cloves, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, lime juice, ¾ tsp. kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper into a high speed blender (such as a Vitamix). Place the cover securely on the blender. Pulse all of the ingredients a few times.
- Place the cover securely on the blender. Slowly pour ½ cup of water through the opening of the cover and puree the mixture at a high speed until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency (you may need to use the tamper to scrape and push the ingredients to the bottom of the blender).The amount of time it takes to achieve a creamy texture may vary depending on the type of blender or food processor used.
- To Serve: Serve on top of tacos or any of your favorite Mexican inspired dishes. Alternately, this sauce can be served as a dip with chips or fresh veggies, drizzled on roasted vegetables, or used as a spread on a sandwich or burger.
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