It’s hard to believe this chocolate sauce is sugar-free and free from butter or coconut milk. It’s silky smooth, sweet, and chocolatey. I love it on nice cream, rice pudding, and all sorts of pies and cakes. It’s also a snap to make – takes just minutes. Date syrup is the key – see notes for buying tips.
Read MoreCheck out this step-by-step guide for making soymilk yogurt in your Instant Pot. At first it takes a little thought and effort to find the right two ingredients. But these ingredients can be bought and stored in advance, and once you’ve nailed the process, it becomes second-nature. A source of probiotics, this plant-based yogurt is great for microbiome health. It tastes awesome, too.
Read MoreThis is my go-to plant-based gravy for special occasions. It’s a must on Thanksgiving and goes so well over mashed potatoes and my quinoa cakes as well. The herbs (rosemary and thyme) and the final flavor additions (sherry, tahini, and miso) make a huge difference in this recipe. I like to blend it until ultra-smooth, but others like to leave it chunkier. It’s hard to believe it’s vegan, without oil or butter.
Read MoreEnjoy the indulgence of mascarpone cheese without dairy! This plant-based, oil-free version achieves its rich, silky texture from cashews, which are blended until they are completely dissolved. The maple syrup lends sweetness, and the lemon juice and zest provide the tang. Small amounts of nutritional yeast and miso give it just a hint of cheesiness. Suggestions for ways to use this vegan mascarpone are included.
Read MoreTry this recipe for the ultimate plant-based, oil-free sour cream. I use a combination of silken tofu and cashews as the base: not too thick, but with a little richness and silkiness. The lemon juice and vinegar provide the acidic tang, and the garlic powder and dill weed add the sour notes. Suggestions for ways to use this vegan sour cream are included.
Read MoreThis plant-based mayonnaise is oil-free but tastes thick and creamy. It also lasts a long time in the refrigerator. The flavor can be adjusted to your liking with more lemon juice, vinegar, maple syrup, and/or salt. The secret ingredient is aquafaba, the water that canned chickpeas are stored in. You wouldn’t know it—there’s no chickpea aftertaste—and the aquafaba helps as a thickener.
Read MoreThis versatile sauce has a healthy edge over most recipes for mango chutney: it contains no refined sugar. It gets its sweetness from orange juice, raisins, dates, and a little maple syrup. A bit of balsamic vinegar gives it a hint of smokiness, too. Delicious on Indian appetizers, curries, breads, rice, and vegetables.
Read MoreThis delicious plant-based sauce is a core ingredient for healthy vegan tacos, tostadas, nachos, and burritos at our house. No one misses grated cheddar cheese any more. The cashews and carrot give this sauce creaminess and heartiness. Goodbye, gummy vegan cheese sauces — hello, heavenly, creamy, drizzly Nacho Cheese Sauce.
Read MoreThis plant-based mac ‘n’ cheese sauce uses cashews and carrots, which prevents the sauce from getting gummy and provides a richness and heartiness that many vegan cheese sauces lack. Very low in cholesterol and saturated fat, and free of processed ingredients, this sauce is a double feel-good comfort food. See suggestions for how to use this sauce beyond cooked macaroni.
Read MoreMost Indian restaurants serve tamarind sauce as a dipping sauce with appetizers. It has a delicious sweet and sour tang and makes any appetizer more interesting to eat. It goes very well on samosas, pakoras, flatbreads and, in my opinion, as a drizzle on curries as well. This oil- and sugar-free version helps keep the sauce light and healthy.
Read MoreThis plant-based BBQ sauce goes with everything and makes a lovely gift for friends and family. It’s smooth, thick, and doesn’t have a dominant tomato flavor. With no added oil or sugar, it’s also healthy and can be slathered onto so many foods guilt-free. You can also stir it together with mayonnaise or hummus for fusion sauces and spreads for vegetables, sandwiches, bowls, and more. There’s just so many ways to use it.
Read MoreThis vegan universal stir-fry sauce, made without oil, goes with so many different vegetable and tofu/tempeh combinations. You can play with flavors using this as a base — you can add sesame flavors, peanuts, chilis, more garlic, etc. Have a jar of this in your fridge, and you’ll be able to whip up a stir-fry in no time!
Read MoreIt’s hard to imagine cilantro, peanut butter, and flaked coconut coming together into such a tasty sauce, but they do. With no oil, this sauce is also super healthy. It goes with everything, including rice, noodles, proteins, baked potatoes, and other vegetables.
Read MoreThis super-fast alternative to marinara sauce has a fresh taste and a skinny profile. No oil or butter here—just clean flavors that stand up to a mound of pasta or vegetables.
Read MoreMost homemade tahini recipes call for several tablespoons of added oil. They aren’t necessary—you just need patience, not extra oil.
Read MoreThis cousin of tahini is crucial for favorite Chinese-inspired dishes and is a great whole-food substitute for sesame oil, which I try to avoid because it’s processed.
Read MoreThere are many copycat recipes out there, but they contain a lot of oil. I use aquafaba instead of oil and it works marvelously.
Read MoreWithout oil and coconut milk, this sauce is healthy and very tasty. It goes with many things: roasted vegetables and rice, baked potatoes, pasta, any kind of grain, you name it!
Read MoreThis is “New York-style” pizza sauce because of its seasoning and the fact that it’s cooked, not raw. It’s a classic sauce that holds its own against any and all toppings.
Read MoreA good peanut sauce is quite versatile. You can use it over vegetables, pasta, grains, seitan satay, or as the finishing touch for bowls. Peanut sauce makes everything taste better.
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