The perfect tangy, subtly spicy, cilantro cream sauce for any meal. Dip it, coat it or drizzle it on top. The flavors of every ingredient really come through!
Creamy vegan sauces
The one thing I love doing is showing how creamy I can get a vegan sauce to be. It's second nature to me now, I would like to say I'm kind of an expert. Have you seen my cookbook? It has sauces GALORE.
The key to creamy is cashews. Sorry nut free peeps but this is the truth. There are other ways, for sure, but cashews are hands down the best flavor. I often add a touch of potato, or maybe some white beans for protein. But always, cashews.
So when I created these amazing easy enchiladas, I thought...but first sauce. And a Mexican flared creamy sauce at that.
Hello there creamy cilantro sauce with sriracha. It pretty much screams enchiladas.
How do you make cilantro cream sauce?
It really doesn't get much easier than a creamy vegan sauce. It's even easier than a dairy filled sauce that you have to stir on the stove for years on end waiting for it to get it's cream on.
- Dump all the things into your high speed blender (regular blenders work too, but you need to soak the cashews overnight or boil them for a bit).
- Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.
What can you put cilantro cream sauce on?
The question should read, what CAN'T you put it on!
Try these other delicious recipes on your next Mexican dinner night!
Spicy Cilantro Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews (see note)
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (add 1 teaspoon for little to no spice, add more for more spice)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup cilantro
Instructions
- Put all ingredients, except the cilantro, into a blender and blend on high until nice a smooth.
- Add cilantro and pulse until chopped but not pureed in.
Notes
- If you are not using a high speed blender, you can grind the dry cashews into a fine powder using a coffee grinder (do not boil them for this method). You can also soak them overnight or boil them for 30 minutes.
- Sauce thickens in the fridge, allow to cool a bit before serving.
- Makes 2 cups, serving size is ¼ cup
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Isa
Thanks for sharing. I love this sauce!!!
veggiesdontbite
So happy you liked it!!
Nicole
Made this sauce just now since I cooked all kinds of Mexican sides for a big bowl and wasn't sure what to put on it. Found your recipe and the sauce is absolutely delicious! What a great flavour! Thank you for this great recipe! I will keep this in my recipe books 🙂
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you liked it Nicole!! It's one of our favorites!
Carmen
This is my first time ever leaving a recipe review, but I knew I had to thank you for this amazing sauce! Wow. The texture, the taste, the way it forms a crust in the oven, everything is perfect! The only change I made was using a lime instead of lemon since I think it pairs better with the Sriracha and cilantro. Seriously, thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Wow Carmen! Thank you so much for the great review. I am so happy you liked it. I sometimes swap out lime too, just depends on what I have! I love them both.
Janei
Didnt have much flavor. Really thin. Will let sit overnight. hopeit's better. Add chili powder. .
veggiesdontbite
Hi Janei, I am shocked that flavor was an issue. This sauce has a ton of flavor as written. Perhaps you accidentally used too few cashews or too much liquid? Or maybe your hot sauce isn't very flavorful? It is a touch thin after you make it due to the heat of the blender, but thickens a lot once it is cooled as I state in the recipe info.
Shiva Madaan
Hey, that's nice, gonna try that this weekend. One question - for how long can I keep it refrigerated? I like to make the stuff in bulk and store them.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Shiva, I usually eat this within the week. I'd say 7-10 days is max. If you want to make it in bulk, you can try freezing it. When it defrosts it's going to need a quick blend to get the consistency back but it works. I'd suggest not adding the cilantro to the batch you freeze. Then let it defrost on the counter to room temperature and blend for consistency then pulse in the cilantro. Hope that helps!
Abbie
Love it!! Tastes so good on so many different things! Just a question though: how long does this keep in the fridge before expiring?
veggiesdontbite
Yay! So happy you like it! I keep it about 5-7 days. You can also freeze it. It will need to be whisked up when defrosted but still good!
elise
Absolutely delicious!!! I've been looking for a good vegan sauce for a while and this is exactly what I wanted!! Thanks for the recipe!
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it!! Thanks so much for the great review!