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Vegan Taco Sauce

Name: Easy Vegan Taco Sauce (Creamy & Flavorful!)
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 cup water (or for an extra creamy version use cashew milk); 1½ cups raw cashews (see note); 5 teaspoons fresh lime juice; 14 teaspoons distilled white vinegar (¼ cup plus 2 tsp); 4 teaspoons chili powder; 3 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon sea salt

By Sophia DeSantis, Reviewed by Anjali Shah on September 28, 2024

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My creamy vegan taco sauce is a flavorful blend of wholesome ingredients that elevates any dish! I combined raw cashews with fragrant spices and zesty lime juice, creating a rich, tangy sauce that’s perfect for tacos, burritos, salads, and more. This quick and easy recipe comes together in just 5 minutes, offering a delicious way to enhance the flavors of your favorite meals with minimal effort.

Creamy vegan taco sauce in a glass jar with wooden spoon inside.

Taco Tuesday just got a major upgrade with my vegan taco sauce recipe! Grab some tortillas, load them up with your favorite vegan meats, beans, rice, and veggies, and drizzle this flavorful sauce on top. It’s so delicious, I have to resist licking it straight off the spoon!

Table of Contents hide

🌟 Why I Absolutely Love This Recipe

🥘 Ingredients

👩🏽‍🍳 How To Make Vegan Taco Sauce

💭 Expert Tips

📖 Variations

🍽 Serving Suggestions

🫙 Storage Directions

❓Recipe FAQs

🌮 More Vegan Mexican Recipes!

Like all my sauces, this one is incredibly versatile. It’s a ‘throw everything into the blender’ kind of recipe—my absolute favorite! Perfect for adding a little extra oomph to dinner, even when I am short on time.

If you like things a bit spicier, you’ll also love my smoky red pepper crema! And for the ultimate taco night experience, check out my list of 50 vegetarian taco toppings to customize your meal to perfection.

🌟 Why I Absolutely Love This Recipe

This sauce is rich and creamy without a drop of dairy! I made it completely vegan and gluten-free, so everyone can enjoy it, regardless of dietary preferences.

Plus, it’s made from clean, wholesome ingredients—unlike many store-bought sauces filled with added sugars and oils. My version keeps things healthy without sacrificing flavor.

While store-bought sauces might be convenient, my recipe is fast, simple, and only requires basic equipment—a blender and a knife to slice the limes.

And it’s not just for tacos! I love to use it as a spread for my spicy black bean burgers, a topping for vegan chicken sandwiches, or even a dairy-free taco salad dressing. It’s a quick, easy way to boost all your favorite dishes.

Get creative with it—the possibilities are endless! Keep reading to discover how to make this sauce and explore my expert tips and easy variations.

🥘 Ingredients

I use basic ingredients for this taco sauce, many of which you may already have on hand! See the recipe card below for exact measurements.

Water: I use water as the liquid base for this recipe, helping to blend everything up into a nice consistency.

Cashews: To keep this taco sauce vegan and creamy, I use my special ingredient – cashews! They have a mild nutty flavor that won’t overpower the spices and lime.

Lime Juice: I like to include fresh lime juice in my sauce as the citrus pairs so well with taco ingredients like black beans, rice, and veggies!

Distilled White Vinegar: Using a dash of vinegar helps me to achieve the perfect level of tang in this sauce. Alternatively, use apple cider vinegar.

Spices: I use a blend of chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder to lock down the best balance of Mexican flavors. For more of a smoky flavor, I’ll sometimes add smoked paprika too.

Sea Salt: I love using a touch of sea salt to enhance all the ingredients in this sauce and make it taste even more delicious.

👩🏽‍🍳 How To Make Vegan Taco Sauce

Making vegan sauce for tacos is super easy! When prepared, this recipe makes about 2 cups of sauce, with a serving size of 2 tablespoons. Here is how I whip up this sauce:

Blend Ingredients: First, I place water, cashews, lime juice and vinegar into a blender and blend until smooth.

Add Spices: Then, I add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and salt. I blend again until mixed well.

Serve: I serve the sauce overtop of tacos or as part of other Mexican-inspired recipes!

Vegan taco sauce served as part of a 7 layer dip, being scooped up with a tortilla chip.

💭 Expert Tips

My #1 Secret Tip for this recipe is to soak the cashews overnight for a creamy smooth texture.

I really recommend soaking your cashews overnight to help soften them before blending. If you are in a hurry or forgot to do this ahead of time, I have also had success with soaking them in hot water for 2-3 hours or boiling for 30 minutes.

Soaking can be skipped if you have a good quality high-speed blender, but I honestly still recommend following this step if you have the time!

Other Tips To Keep In Mind:

Soaking Alternative: If you forget to soak the cashews or don’t want to wait, my best tip is to grind them dry with a coffee or spice grinder. This will allow easy blending when combined with the other taco sauce ingredients.
Extra Creamy: For an extra creamy version I use cashew milk or almond milk, but since we are already blending up cashews I find that water gives the most ideal consistency for drizzle over tacos!
For Dressings: If you plan to use this as a creamy vegan taco dressing it may need to be thinned out just a bit. I usually add an extra dash of water so that it can be more evenly dispersed on the greens.

📖 Variations

Whether you are looking to adjust the flavor or accommodate more dietary needs, my vegan taco sauce can be easily modified. Here are some of my most popular variations:

Make It Spicy: When I want a spicier taco sauce I mix in some cayenne pepper, chipotle chili powder, or a dash of hot sauce.

More Versatile: Sometimes I need a creamy sauce for other recipes so I use this taco sauce as the base and skip the chili powder and cumin. The end result is a delicious garlic sauce, similar to an aioli.

Nut-Free Version: While I prefer cashews and find that they give the creamiest texture, this recipe can be adapted into a nut-free taco sauce. I recommend swapping the cashews for sunflower seeds, tofu, or a blend of these two options.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

My dairy free taco sauce can be served in so many delicious ways! I love to use it as a topping, drizzle, dip, or for a vegan taco dressing recipe. Check out some of my favorite pairings:

For Tacos: Of course, my favorite way to use this sauce is for tacos! It is so tasty with my crispy potato tacos or sweet potato tacos as a topping along with some vegan cheese, fresh vegetables, cilantro, diced tomatoes, avocados, and romaine lettuce.

With Bowls: I love to drizzle this taco sauce over Mexican-inspired bowls like my BBQ jackfruit burrito bowl or vegetarian fajita bowl. It is also tasty on top of some vegan refried beans served with tortilla chips for a quick snack.

Dipping Sauce: My taco sauce is so yummy when used as a dip for vegan taquitos or air fryer quesadillas!

Salad Dressing: This recipe also makes for the best vegan Mexican salad dressing. I like to use my spinach and arugula salad as a base, adding in black beans, sauteed bell peppers, and corn salsa, and mixing it all together with the vegan taco salad dressing!

More Ideas: This sauce can also be the perfect addition to the following recipes:

🫙 Storage Directions

Fridge: Place leftover sauce in an airtight container or glass mason jar, and store in the fridge for about 5 days. When you’re ready to use, just give it a stir and use it on top of any of your favorite recipes! This sauce doesn’t freeze well.

❓Recipe FAQs

WHY IS MY TACO SAUCE GRITTY?

If the cashews have not been soaked or ground into a powder before blending, you may notice a more gritty texture. While the sauce still tastes delicious, I personally prefer a really smooth consistency. Be sure to follow my tips, soaking the cashews overnight or in boiling water for 30 minutes, to avoid the grittiness.

HOW CAN I ADJUST THE THICKNESS OF MY TACO SAUCE?

Everyone has a personal preference with how thick or thin they like this sauce. By following my recipe exactly, you will get a nice base but it is easy to adjust if needed. I suggest adding a touch more water to thin it out. For a thicker sauce, use more cashews and opt for cashew milk instead of water.

CAN I MAKE THIS SAUCE WITHOUT A BLENDER?

This recipe is best when prepared with a high-speed blender, but I do have a couple alternatives. First, you can use a food processor if you have access to one. Just note that it may hold a different capacity to that of a blender so you might have to make the sauce in batches. Alternatively, you can try using cashew butter and mixing together with the other ingredients using a whisk or spoon. I have not personally tried this method so you’ll have to test out the proper measurements to get the right consistency. The texture might be a little more gritty with a stronger nut flavor, but still yummy!

🌮 More Vegan Mexican Recipes!

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