If you live in or have visited the Pacific Northwest, then you're likely familiar with the fast-casual restaurant chain, Cafe Yumm! which serves clean fresh bowls with their signature vegan, gluten-free spread/dip/dressing sauce. This sauce is so versatile and is packed full of flavor and bright lemon. With this recipe, you can make your own Copycat Cafe Yumm Sauce at home, at a fraction of the price!
Use it for our Chicken Burrito Yumm Bowls!
This is one that my husband and I have been talking about recreating for years, friends. Years! Cafe Yumm! has been a go-to favorite of my husband's for a long time and we have been buying their signature Yumm Sauce for just as long. It makes the best dressing and dipping sauce for sooo many things, but let me tell you, it is not cheap. Which is why we have finally recreated this delectable multipurpose sauce at home and now have our own Copycat Cafe Yumm Sauce recipe!
What Is Yumm Sauce
This Yumm Sauce is specific to the brand, Cafe Yumm! and should not be confused with the popular Yum Yum Sauce that can be found in many Japanese steakhouse restaurants. Yum Yum sauce is made up of mayo, ketchup, and vinegar, whereas this Cafe Yumm sauce is a vegan and gluten-free sauce that's made up of chickpeas, almond flour, and nutritional yeast. With the right amount of almond flour, it cuts the chickpea flavor and adds a nice nutty note with the additional savory flavor from the nutritional yeast, plus tons of bright acid from the lemon and just the right amount of savory from the herbs.
We tested this Copycat Cafe Yumm Sauce recipe over a dozen times with the original to get all of the right flavor notes and balances and let me tell you, it is darrrrrn close to the OG and soooo so good.
Ingredients Needed
- Chickpeas - The base of this sauce, when prepared right, is creamy and relatively neutral. Plus the added nutritional value (hello protein and fiber!) all while being gluten-free and vegan. Even easier - you could use some chickpea flour, instead!
- Almond Flour - Not only does this add substance to the sauce, but it helps offset the "chickpea" flavor and adds a light nutty note. Plus, it keeps it gluten-free!
- Nutritional Yeast - This adds so much delicious savory, almost cheesy flavor while remaining vegan.
- Lemon Juice - This adds the right amount of acidity and brightness to this sauce, which is absolutely key.
- Vegetable Oil - You can use another neutral-flavored oil like canola or even avocado.
- Herbs - Garlic Powder, Sage, Oregano, Ground Coriander. Just the right amount of savory.
- Kosher Salt - We always use kosher salt, but you can also use regular table salt, just be sure to see the recipe notes for the conversion.
- Water - This will help loosen the sauce, otherwise you'll end up with a thicker dip that more resembles hummus than a sauce, which is delicious, too!
Easy to Make
Could it get any easier than mixing it all in a blender until creamy? Nope!
We used our Vitamix for this recipe, but because the chickpeas are cooked, there's really no need for a high-powered blender. You can also use a regular blender or an immersion blender.
It's creamy and dreamy! We tried a lot of different methods to create the best texture. Here are our tips!
Tips for the Best Texture
Using chickpeas straight from the can will of course work, but by taking the extra step of boiling the chickpeas for just a couple of minutes in a little bit of baking soda, you'll soften them even more to get that nice creamy texture.
This is much easier to do after you've boiled the chickpeas because when you drain them, you'll see that most have separated and you can give them a quick rinse and/or use a fork or a spoon to gently pick them out. The alkaline (or pH level) of the cooking liquid created by the baking soda will help soften the bean's skins and allow them to easily separate during the cooking process.
This is what truly creates the creamiest texture, not only for this sauce but also for any hummus. While it takes some extra time, the resulting texture is totally worth it!
Thanks to a genius suggestion from a reader, we've updated the recipe to include an option to use chickpea flour instead of whole chickpeas to save time and guarantee a creamy dreamy texture.
How to use Yumm Sauce
The possibilities are endless! Here are some of our favorite options:
- Salad Dressing - This is such a great dressing for your favorite green salads!
- Dipping Sauce - This sauce is a great addition to any crudités platter!
- Sandwich Spread - Spread it on your favorite sandwiches!
- Mayo Replacement - We'll often use this to replace mayonnaise in our egg and tuna salads!
- Yumm Bowls! - Yumm! Cafe's signature dish! Stay tuned for our version...
- Avocado Toast - See this reel for my new favorite breakfast!!
- Roasted Veggies - Roast up your favorite veggies and then finish them with this sauce!
You Also Might Like
- Easy Caesar Dressing
- Vegan Green Goddess Dressing
- Super Easy Lemon Vinaigrette
- Fry Sauce From Scratch
- Fresh Salsa Verde
- Homemade Chimichurri Sauce
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
If you want to see more, be sure to sign up for my 5 Easy Ways to Start Cooking From Scratch!
Copycat Cafe Yumm Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chickpeas 1/2 can or an overflowing 1/3 cup of dried chickpeas, or chickpea flour (see recipe notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not needed if using chickpea flour)
- 2.5 oz almond flour or 2/3 cup spooned and leveled
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 6 tablespoons water
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- .55 oz nutritional yeast 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons, or 15 g
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot, add chickpeas with 3 cups of water and baking soda. Heat to high until it reaches a boil. Let boil for 2 mintes.
- Drain in a colander or sieve. Use a spoon or a fork to gently remove the skins of the chickpeas that have separated.
- Let chickpeas cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Add chickpeas to a Vitamix, blender, or food processor.
- Add everything else to the blender and blend until creamy.
Shirley
We have a nut allergy in the house. Could regular flour be used instead of the almond flour?
Also, I'm in Canada where this sauce is unheard of. I can't wait to try it.
Susan L
I'm going to give your recipe a try but I do have to say the original has basil not sage.
Suzan
Thank you so much for your recipe! I use this so often and am asked to share the recipe! I had a question. Do you have any ideas of what I could do to make a nut free version for a friend? I take this to our church small group potluck and 2 friends have nut allergies. I hate for them to not have the sauce and to have to alert them to not eating it. Any ideas? Thanks again!
Anne
My son has a nut allergy…For nut sauce recipes you can usually swap pine nuts, or unsalted sun flour seeds. Soak 10 minutes then drain and blend.
Good luck!
stacey
This was super fun to try. I live in Portland and while I can buy yumm sauce at whole foods, I've been curious to try making it. I used canned chickpeas and roasted the other half of the can for salad/ bowls. I didn't peel the canned chickpeas, I usually do this with dry ones I soak for hummus, but I wanted to be quick. I used my ninja blender- do not recommend unless you add more water. It exploded when I opened it (it's never done that but now i know) , I'll use the food processor next time. I didn't have all of the exact dried spices and tried some penzey's mixes and a little trader joe's ranch seasoning. I wasn't looking to 100% recreate yumm sauce, this is a good base recipe to play with. Delicious and I'll make again- especially once I have fresh herbs in the garden instead of dried.
Tracy
I love to hear it, Stacey!! Thanks so much for sharing and great tips!
Linda
I lived in Oregon for six years while attending grad school at OSU and we had a Cafe Yumm across the street from campus. So good! I'm now back on the east coast where I grew up, and I'm sure I could have the sauce shipped, but it would be expensive. I've tried a few different copycat recipes and this one tastes pretty close - I do add a little extra water because it come out a bit thick for my liking. But it's smooth and delicious! A different recipe called for curry powder rather than corriander, so I've also tried that here and I think I like it a little better with the curry. I also made a version with Better Than Bullion chipotle to see if I could mimic their chipotle version- it's not quite there, but still has a nice smokey flavor that's satisfying.
Cora
This is a very good sauce! It’s not exactly the same taste. I think this recipe has too much oregano and could possibly use some onion powder. I had to add more water because my beans would not get any softer no matter how much I cooked them. The texture was very thick so I just added more liquid. Still a great sauce tho! I love it!
Tracy
Hi Linda! Thank you so much for all of those notes! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Al
want to give a huge thank you for this recipe! moved to TN a year and a half ago. been wanting Yumm sauce for awhile but didn't want to pay for the high price bottles and shipping. tried your exact recipe last week. I thought it was slightly off, missing some brightness is the only word I have for it. made another batch today and added 3/4 tsp of mustard seed powder and 1/4 tsp more of coriander and felt like it was a really solid match that I could enjoy. I say, try that first. and if you go heavy on anything I would try a bit more water and lemon juice, pretty close to 1/2 c each. thanks again! great job on this one.
Tracy
Al! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy it and that you were able to adjust it just right for you! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 😀
Tbird
this is a very close recipe. I added more lemon juice and water because it was very thick. used parsley instead of coriander and that was what made it taste more like the real stuff. backed off one the salt until it was mixed then added a little at a time to taste. thank you so much for this. it is difficult to ship the sauce to southern Arizona any time of the year.
Tracy
Tbird! Thanks so much for sharing, so glad you enjoyed it and adjusted it to your tastes 😀
John Echeverri
Hi Tracy!
I live in Portland and decided to give your recipe a shot and I must say you nailed it! I added a 1/4 cup more of water and blended for like 5 minutes just to loosen it up to my liking, but other than that I measured everything to the T and it turned out fantastic. Thank you!
John
Tracy
John! Thank you SO much for sharing, I LOVE to hear it! It was aa fun one to recreate, so glad you enjoyed it as much as we do!
Cheryl
The flavor of this is okay, but it’s definitely not Yumm Sauce. The flavor is off and the texture is way off. I’m thinking there might be too much almond flour and not enough yeast. I moved to the East Coast and miss Cafe Yumm!!!
Tracy
Hi Cheryl, sorry you feel that way. Did you weigh your flour and yeast? That's the best way to ensure that you have the accurate amounts. Also, if you used whole chickpeas and they weren't blended enough that would definitely have an effect on the texture. Maybe someday they'll expand to the East Coast, because they would do well out there, too!
Joyce
Oh my Yum yum thank you for sharing this recipe. Every recipe I’ve tried from you has been wonderfully delicious. I’ll try to do better about leaving reviews. Thank you again
Tracy
Joyce! That just made my day, thank you so much for sharing!! I can't wait to hear what other recipes you enjoy! 😀
Natasha
I think this works great when using canned or cooked chickpeas, and I agree that it's best the first day. I'm not on board for the chickpea flour. I just made some and to me, it tastes different and maybe slightly more grainy. The chickpea flour I have is raw, so of course it has a bit of a different flavor. I read online that some is roasted, so that probably works better (mine is just homemade with some chickpeas and a vitamix). I live in Oregon, but Yumm sauce has gotten ridiculously expensive, so I love your recipe and make a half sized one so we don't have leftovers the second day. Thanks!
Tracy
Hi Natasha! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! Yes, I agree, with chickpeas is best and great idea to make a half size. SO expensive, right?! I'm so glad you enjoy the recipe, it was a fun one to recreate!