Sriracha is spicy with a touch of sweetness making it irresistible to those who try it, and this cashew cream sauce is another way for us sriracha fans to get our fix.
This recipe is so simple, versatile and can be used in many different ways. Use it as a pasta cream sauce or as a sauce to drizzle on roasted vegetables and baked sweet potatoes. You can use it as a dip or as a salad dressing. This is also fantastic as a spread on burgers, sandwiches, tortas or any place you may use mayo type products. Even tacos, burritos and quesadillas would benefit from a drizzle of this sriracha cashew cream sauce. And don’t forget to add it to vegan sushi rolls, this makes for a great dragon sauce!
Make the sauce as spicy as you like or keep it on the mellow side with the amount of ingredients I have listed below. I found that one teaspoon of sriracha was just the right starting point to taste the flavors while adding a nice subtle punch to your meals, on a scale from 1 -10 the 1 teaspoon of chili sauce ranks in at about a 2, mild. I made it a second time using 2 teaspoons of sriracha and it kicked it up to 3-4. This is one of my favorite cashew sauces so far as it is so versatile and so good!
Here are a few options for using this flavorful cream…
- Baked Stuffed Sweet Potato + Sriracha Cashew Cheese Sauce
- Avocado and Black Bean Torta (in recipe as spread)
- Portabello & Kale Calzone (replace the garlic-miso cream)
- Street Tacos (drizzle on top)
- Mac & Cheese Bake (would be great as the base)
- Vegan Sushi Rolls (add some to the center or drizzle on top)
- Tofu Scramble Stuffed Poblano Peppers.
Have fun finding uses for this versatile sauce!
SRIRACHA CASHEW CREAM SAUCE
A versatile spicy cream sauce to use as a base or on top of some of your favorite foods.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for 2-3 hours
- 1/2 cup water, + 1-2 tablespoons as needed for thinning
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons sriracha chili sauce, + more to taste
Instructions
Place all ingredients into a small blender (I used a magic bullet for this job). Blend until creamy, taste for flavor adding extra chili sauce if needed. Thin with water to desired consistency using one tablespoon at a time. If you find it’s too watery add a few cashews and blend again until smooth. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to six days.
Makes about 2/3 cups or 3 servings.
NOTES:
Add as much sririacha as you like to suit your taste. The one tsp I have listed here is a good starting point for a mellow flavor. I also didn’t add in any salt but feel free to add salt to taste. Lastly, I usually use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in my cashew creams but didn’t add any in this recipe, I didn’t feel it needed either. You may try adding 1 tablespoon if you have it on hand for another layer of flavor.
Serve however you like! I hope you find many uses for this sauce. I have many in mind and will be sharing within the recipes as they come up.
Edit: I’ve updated the ingredients, making it double of what it originally was so it can be made in a larger blender or food processor. Plus you may have a little extra leftover for another use!
TalonQT says
Mmmm…this sounds great!! Thanks for sharing!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Your welcome! Enjoy :)
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
Oh man, you have just answered my boyfriend's prayers! He loves Sriracha and alfredo like sauces, so he will LOVE this!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Perfect! He will love this, it's a nice twist on alfredo sauces. Double the recipe if needed. :)
Johanna says
I might add some sriacha to the batch of cashew cheese that i just started using rejuvalac to ferment it. Thanks!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Now that sounds wonderful! Cheers
Em Kathryn says
I love this! And I love sweet potatoes so the combination of the two sounds fantastic!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Yes, it's fantastic…sweet and spicy is such a great combo!
Molly says
We loved this sauce! Put it on some black bean sloppy joes & it was heavenly!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
That sounds delicious! I must put black bean sloppy joes on my to try list. There's so much great food out there to try. I have over 200 + drafts of things I want to make and share with everyone (if it comes out good that is). Thank you so much for stopping by to share your experience. :)
Veganosaurus says
Ok I found myself leaning in towards the computer screen to lick that creamy sauce! YUMMO!
N Laurie says
Is it ok to eat the raw cashew like this? or does the soaking remove any remant membrane that is poisonous?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
It's ok if you don't soak your cashews, I have eaten cashews time and time again without any soaking. On the other hand, soaking breaks down the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. This in turn make the nutrients a lot more readily available. It can also help with digestion. The benefits of soaking are good but if you find yourself in a pinch and can't you should be fine eating them raw (although we all have a different chemistry makeup and react differently to foods).
Anonymous says
I made this…it was a amazing !!! New staple dressing thank you! Perfect sweetness with a kick!
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Yes, eat it up…yum! :)
Louise Placek says
I looked at t bottle of Siracha the other day and it had fish sauce in it. Not something a true vegan would want to eat.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I can assure that the Huy Fong brand sriracha is 100% vegan. You must've looked at a knock off. There is nothing like the real Huy Fong Sriracha! You can find more about it here: http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/sriracha.htm ….and here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce_(Huy_Fong_Foods)
Back to the store to find the real sriracha. You will love it! Cheers :)
Anonymous says
This will work as a sauce even without the sriracha? Thanks :)
Erin Greener says
The sriracha gives the sauce the zip and zing and carries the body of the flavor. But if that isn't your thing then you can try out other flavors like garlic, lemon, chili powder, or dill in the place of sriracha.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
Thank you Erin for chimming in. I missed these comments. Cheers :)
Anonymous says
Hi I'm Renee! Do you have a good recipe for homemade pasta noodles! I am new to the vegan diet and would love to still be able to make wonderful homemade pastas!
Erin Greener says
Traditional pasta is pretty much dependent on egg, especially the yolk, but lately I've been very pleased with running sweet potato, zucchini, or squash threw a spiralizer to get noodles. It's definitely very different from traditional pasta but the great thing about a vegan diet is that it encourages you to get creative with produce.
julie@thesimpleveganista says
I love your way of thinking Erin! Vegetable noodles are amazing. If you don't have a spiralizer a simple less cumbersome julienne tool will be great. I haven't attempted homemade pasta just yet! But please check out this post at Slow Club Cookery. She has a vegan pasta and some other really fantastic recipes that might inspire you!
http://slowclubcookery.blogspot.com/2012/12/vegan-fresh-pasta-dough.html
JEA says
You're right! this was an amazingly versatile sauce. I've used it as a base for dressing and dips – perfect.
Anonymous says
I was wondering why is the nutritional yeast
needed in this recipe?
julie@thesimpleveganista says
It just adds another slight layer of flavor but is completely optional. One can add more if they like as well.
Jessica B. says
I just made this to go with the lentil patties I’m making for meal prep! I added a lot more sriracha for my taste and I also wanted a layer of sweetness so I added about 1/2 tsp of agave nectar and a pinch of salt!! Will definitely be making again in the future! Thanks for the great recipe!
Julie | The Simple Veganista says
You are a sriracha aficionado for sure! Love your take on this with the hint of sweet. So glad you loved the recipe and made it your own! Cheers :)
Laura says
Oh wow, looks like a great recipe. I do not use liquid Siracha, it has gluten, but I use McCormick’s Siracha powder which is GF, for this recipe I will use 1/8 tsp probably. Thanks, take care…