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!
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!
- 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
- 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.
- 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 1/4 cup
Trish says
DELICIOUS! Thank you for this recipe. This is the best sauce!
I halved the recipe initially, just in case I didn’t prefer it … But we ended up LOVING it !
I will double or triple it next time. It is absolutely delicious, fresh and creamy! The cilantro and sriracha blended with the cashews …perfect flavor! We had it over cucumber, tomato, and bell pepper salad, served on pita bread. I can’t wait to pour it over enchiladas, burritos, rice, potatoes, etc. I followed the recipe exactly, except cut in half. Thank you!
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so happy you like it!! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Alexandra Amaral says
It is delicioussssssssss!
I was looking really bad for an amazing sauce without eggs or avocado, and this one is just AMAZING! Thanks for sharing
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so happy you liked it!! Yay! Thanks for letting me know!
Lue says
I’ve been eyeing this recipe since it was posted. Finally made it tonight. Like a couple other reviewers, I am not a fan of sriracha, but do like spice (a lot of heat is good). I used part of a chipotle pepper and some of the adobo sauce as someone else suggested. FANTASTIC! We ate it on burritos and I have a friend over who has been thinking about exploring cashew based sauces. Won her over first taste. You are the best Sophia!
Mary says
Yes, you really are the queen of sauces and this latest one is delicious. Can’t wait to drizzle it over our Mexican Buddha bowl tonight. Keep those sauce recipes coming!!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Oh my gosh thank you so much!! I’m thrilled you like it!
Wong says
Hi there, do you think there’s any replacement for the sirrancha? I know you’ve replied to someone, saying to use hot sauce. But I don’t really like the taste of hot sauce as I don’t find them spicy and instead sour(lol), is there any substitute you can think of that retains that spiciness but is not hot sauce?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Wong! I definitely think you are trying the wrong hot sauce, so many out there have great flavor! That being said, if you can’t find one you like I’d try maybe using the adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers. That will give you plenty of spice and flavor! You could also just saute some spicy peppers and add those.
Liz says
I love this sauce. Thank you! I put in double the cilantro because I love the cilantro and instead of hot sauce, I added the sauce of the chipotles in Adobo sauce and about a quarter of a chipotle pepper. It was so very good. I drizzle it over roasted vegetables. This will forever be a go to sauce for me!
veggiesdontbite says
I’m so happy you like it Liz!! It’s one of our top faves too!
amy says
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! It look delicious and I have been obsessed with sauces lately. Cannot wait to try it!
veggiesdontbite says
I cannot wait for you to try it too!!
Jill says
I know you mentioned the importance of using cashews. Given a severe allergy to cashews, there’s no way I can use them. Any suggestions for a replacement?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Jill! So sorry to hear about the allergy. So yes, a creamy sauce is best done with cashews. But if you want to give it a shot, you could try another nut if you can have others, almonds may work ok. A different flavor profile but I think it would still be good. If you can’t have nuts, you could always try sunflower seeds. The flavor of them may come through so you could try adding more lemon or hot sauce to help. Another option is you could try using silken tofu. I know people use that for sauces when they need it nut free. I haven’t tried any of these though so I’m not sure of the end result! Let me know what you do!
Cathy says
My husband and I had these last night and we both agree that this recipe is going into the regular rotation! Used Franks as well as that is what I had. Yummy!
veggiesdontbite says
Yay!! So happy you liked it! And Franks is great!
Maria H says
Can you say YUM? Just scarfed this down after drizzling on the enchiladas!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Maria! So happy you love it!
Anne says
This is the first sauce I have made with cashews, and it’s gorgeous. Thanks for the recipe. It’s going to be a staple in our house, much better than the bottled sweet chilli sauce (full of sugar) that my daughter loves.
veggiesdontbite says
Yay! Thank you so much Anne! I am so happy you guys love it as much as we do.
Alocasia says
Absolutely delicious. My husband doesn’t care for Sriracha so I used Frank’s. I could eat this all the time on just about everything. Thanks.
veggiesdontbite says
Franks works great! Any hot sauce really. I am so happy you guys liked it!
Alocasia says
Can you suggest a good substitute for sriracha? Looking forward to trying this.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi! You can use any hot sauce you want!
Camille says
I am quite excited about your sauces, especially this one. I am not home home now but will be making it as soon as I get home. I do have a couple of questions. I live alone and would take a few meals to finish up 2 cups. How long will the sauces stay good in the fridge or could they be frozen?
Thanks. I have got your cook book and have loved the few thing I have tried so far. Everything looks wonderful!
veggiesdontbite says
Ha!! So happy you love sauces as much as I do! I freeze all my sauces. I make double and freeze them. The consistency can get a little weird but if you let them defrost on the counter, then heat them a tiny bit and whisk them fast they get back. They keep in the fridge about a week or so. Thank you for getting my book!!!
JD says
This is so easy and so flavorful!