Copycat Cafe Yumm Sauce
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 2.5 oz chickpea flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not needed if using chickpea flour)
- 2.5 oz almond flour finely ground, or 2/3 cup spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil or extra light olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 3/4 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.
My kids plow thru jugs of CY! sauce, and it is a bit expensive. This is the closest so far from my trials. I used almond flour and garbanzo flour, separately pan-toasted each lightly in a cast iron skillet. I do think the water amount of 1/4 cup as listed in recipe is way low and possibly a mistake. 5 oz of flours with spices to 1 1/4 cup of combined liquid from LJ, oil, & water is too little.
FWIW, IMHO the Goddess dressing from Trader Joe’s is a reasonable substitute for CY! sauce on bean&rice bowls. Not the same…but acceptable.
Thanks for posting this recipe!
I can’t believe there are ANY bad reviews on this. Too much lemon juice? No. also, if you mix the can of chickpeas with 1.5tsp of baking soda and heat them in a pan for 2-3min, rinse them multiple times while rolling them around in your hands, the skins sluff off. Easy! The only alteration I made was using avocado oil instead of vegetable oil because it’s inflammatory. This recipe beats paying $8 for 6oz of sauce. Thank you!
You’re amazing, Jessica, thank you so much for sharing!
Spent waaay too long peeling skins off (20ish min?)! Won’t be doing that again. It also came out super thick. Had to keep adding water to get the Vitamix vortex action. Felt it was missing some oomph. Saw the post about adding 2tsp basil, 1tsp smoked paprika, & 1 tsp garlic powder. After adding basil and smoked paprika it had much more too it. I went ahead and added the 1 more tsp of garlic powder. Going forward I would do the 2tsp basil & 1tsp smoked paprika without additional garlic powder beyond the posted recipe amount of 3/4tsp.
I’ve tried making this twice now and it is just terrible. There is way too much lemon juice, and when I reduced the lemon juice it just tasted like canola oil. I moved to the east coast and desperately miss Cafe Yumm. I really wish there was a good recipe out there!
Hi Cheryl, sorry you feel that way
I only use 2 TBSPs of lemon juice and and I use avocado oil instead of canola. My family really likes it. Still not quite Cafe Yumms but close enough for us.
I would not call it a copycat. It’s about 80% there. It doesn’t have the same flavor oomph as the original. One thing I noticed is that they use basil (listed in ingredients list) but this recipe does not. Also theirs is more orangey and this one is pale yellow. I think it’s missing some key spices to be a true copycat.
Absolutely OBSESSED with Yumm sauce and being able to make it at home like this is a GAMECHANGER. Thank you for making such delicious, accessible recipes! Delightful!
YES! SO much more affordable! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for sharing!
I made some modifications based on others’ comments and found this to be great in a rice bowl. It may not taste exactly like Cafe Yumm’s version, but it’s great! I don’t find much difference in taste after Day 1. I just keep this refrigerated, then when I’m ready for a bowl I add some hot water to thin the sauce. Works great, but sadly this means I’ll have to make more Yumm Bowls at home instead of ordering DoorDash. 🙂 My changes: 2 tsps dried basil; 1 tsp smoked paprika; and 1 tsp garlic powder for the spices. Nice mild flavor, and the paprika adds a nice color.
Great to hear, Jane! Thanks so much for sharing 😀
This was so delicious! I used the chickpea flour, and it was so easy too. I will definitely be making this on repeat; thanks for the recipe!
Love to hear it, Stephanie! Thanks so much for sharing!
I live in Oregon and love me some Cafe Yumm, so I was heartbroken when I became allergic to almonds a few years ago. I’ve been trying to find a recipe I could work with to customize a sauce safe for me, and yours was the perfect jumping off point. The main thing I did was replace almond flour with ground up walnuts. It’s the closest I’ve had to real Yumm Sauce since developing allergies and I’m so, so happy!