A truly magic cheesy sauce that comes together in the blender in under 10 minutes, has just eight ingredients, and tastes awesome, whether you dunk in a baked vegetable fry, or drizzle it on a salad. I could just slurp it all up with a spoon.
If you dream of smooth, creamy sauces that you can drizzle over just about everything to make them uber-delicious, you are in the right place.
Because this sauce, guys, is the cheesy sauce to end all sauces. It’s even better than dessert.
We are so addicted to it in our home right now that the other day, when Desi packed his brown bag lunch of vegetable pilaf, he drizzled this magic cheesy sauce over it. Sounds strange, I know, but it works.
I came up with the recipe one day trying to find a savory, smooth dressing for my salad that would also do double duty as a dip for roasted veggies or the occasional chip. I really am not a big salad eater, but give me a good dressing and I can chow down like a cow.
Not just any dressing, though: it has to be savory and creamy, not oily or sweet. Cheesy is even better.
This dressing/dip hits all the right spots. It’s cheesy, yes, and also savory, salty, and creamy. And it has umami from the miso. The sauce has no added fats, although cashews do pack in a good deal of fat — heart-healthy fat, may I add? Don’t glug it straight from the blender, and you will be fine. Although, I confess, you might want to.
Magic Cheesy Sauce for Dipping, Dressing, and More
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 30 minutes in cold water
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp white miso
- 1 tbsp tamari (can sub with soy sauce)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Drain the cashews, and add to the blender with all other ingredients. Blend until really smooth. If you like the dressing salty, you might want to add more salt.
- You can make the sauce runnier, if you wish, by adding a little more water.
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A conversation I recently had with a neighbor while walking Leo:
She (smiling): “What a cute puppy! We are adopting a puppy too!”
Me (smiling): “Congrats! That’s great news!”
She (smiling): “We’re SO excited! But with three kids at home, it’s going to be a riot!”
Me (smiling): “How old is the puppy?”
She (smiling): “Six weeks.”
Me (surprised): You’re adopting a puppy from the shelter who is just six weeks old? I didn’t realize shelters adopt out puppies so young.
She (still smiling, a tad impatient): No, no, we’re adopting him from a breeder.
Me (definitely not smiling): “You mean, you are buying him from a breeder.”
She stops smiling and walks away.
So I now have one neighbor who will never talk to me again, but honestly people, if you’re buying a puppy from a pet store or a breeder, please do not say you’re “adopting” him or her. Better still, do adopt– from a shelter. Millions of cats and dogs who would make perfectly wonderful companions are put down each year because so many “dog lovers” are still buying puppies.
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More sauces and dips from the archives:
The Best Vegan White Pasta Sauce
Roasted Squash Dip with Za’atar
Ruth Eisenbud says
March 30, 2017 atHomeless dogs and cats in the many kill shelters throughout the USA are not ‘put down’… They are killed… Using polite language to cover up a national tragedy…. millions of homeless dogs and cats killed every year, undermines the a grim reality.
What we need is legislation to outlaw the killing of all dogs and cats who are healthy or treatable… true euthanasia is a medical procedure used only as a last measure to alleviate terrible pain and suffering which cannot be cured.
The law in India is explicit: it is against to law to kill a dog or cat who is not terminally ill or injured. Of course there are cruel individuals in India, as they are in every nation, but at the very least they are breaking the law. All the killing of dogs and cats in shelters here in the USA would be criminal in India.
Thank you for speaking up to your neighbor… what you told her has to be said.
Asantewaa says
April 11, 2017 atGreetings Vaishali.
We could take it a step further. That would also mean/include the hunting or killing of all animals (& humans) as a sport, would be outlawed! Yes? Yes!
I love Your blog! Yummy!
More Peace~
Dan says
April 8, 2017 atFor the last 20 years, all my dogs have been rescues. They really do make the best pets. And, I didn’t have to deal with potty training.
Now, about that Magic Cheesy Sauce…
Use at your own risk – it may be habit forming! Do not drive or operate machinery – you may be daydreaming about this stuff. Seriously, it’s that good. I was a little doubtful at first, but then I licked the rubber spatula after scraping the food processor. Game over, you win!
Aeli says
April 11, 2017 atThis sauce is delicious! My husband and I gobbled it up in no time. I have a feeling there’s even no need to soak cashews if using a high performance blender.
Vaishali says
April 17, 2017 atAwesome, so glad you liked it. I agree about the blender– you do need it to be really smooth.
Nancy says
April 14, 2017 atHoly guacamole, this sauce is AMAZING! Made it this past weekend and hubby and I are making up things to cook so we can put this sauce on it! Thank you, Vaishali!
Vaishali says
April 17, 2017 atNancy, that’s awesome. Thanks for letting me know!
Aya says
February 23, 2018 atI tried this the other night with sunflower seeds (more in line with my budget) after soaking them for 8 hrs. I could not get it smooth, it was more like a pesto, but still very tasty! I used my miniprep instead of a blender, too, so that may be why. Next time I’ll try my blender, but even grainy, it makes a very tasty sauce I had to stop myself from drinking!