Copycat Yumm Sauce Without Oil

By the Gracious Vegan

Many plant-based eaters in the Pacific Northwest love Café Yumm, especially the distinctive sauce that goes on all the delicious bowls they serve. There are many copycat recipes out there, but they contain a lot of oil. Someone suggested aquafaba instead of oil, so I’ve been playing around with that idea. I added a little tahini for creaminess and Braggs Liquid Aminos for umami. A lot of us don’t cook up soybeans regularly — this is a good excuse to. They are really tasty. This recipe is just not the same with tofu. This is a great all-purpose sauce that I hope you’ll love.

Note that Yumm sauce is not the same as “yum yum” sauce, a Japanese steakhouse sauce containing mayonnaise, ketchup, and seasonings.

Makes about 2.5 cups

In a high-powered blender, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Taste for salt, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Adjust as desired.

• 2 medium cloves garlic, chopped

• 1/2 cup aquafaba (from a can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans)

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/2 cup sliced, slivered, or chopped almonds (or almond flour)

• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans (canned are fine)

• 1/2 cup cooked soybeans (canned are fine — see note under “Timing” for cooking them yourself in the Instant Pot) or 1/2 cup crumbled soybean tempeh

• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast

• 1/8 cup (2 Tablespoons) tahini

• 1.5 Tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos

• 1.5 teaspoons dried cilantro

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/2 teaspoon coriander

• Salt to taste (may not need any)

The sauce is ready to use, or it keeps in the fridge for about a week. It can also be frozen. You may need to reblend it if you freeze it.

Timing: About 15 minutes (note that if you don’t have cooked soybeans, it will take longer — I cook them in the Instant Pot — don’t need to pre-soak; 40 minutes on Manual)

Gluten-free