{"id":26681,"date":"2025-04-15T10:26:33","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T14:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/frommybowl.com\/?p=26681"},"modified":"2025-06-16T18:20:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-16T22:20:17","slug":"yum-sauce-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/frommybowl.com\/yum-sauce-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Yum Sauce Recipe (Caf\u00e9 Yumm Inspired)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Yum Sauce recipe is a savory and umami-packed dressing you can use in grain bowls, salads, and more! Inspired by Cafe Yumm’s Yumm Sauce recipe.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve never had Yum Sauce<\/strong> before, you’re in for a treat! This savory and cheesy dipping sauce and dressing is made from simple and wholesome ingredients <\/strong>and comes together in your blender in no time at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This copycat recipe is inspired by Café Yumm’s incredibly popular Yumm Sauce! I love visiting Café Yumm for a Yumm Bowl, but the store-bought sauce is a little too expensive for me to purchase regularly. I’m so glad I was able to create a homemade copycat version that tastes just as delicious, but is a lot more affordable!<\/p>\n\n\n

Table of Contents<\/span><\/summary>
Recipe FAQs<\/a><\/li>
Yum Sauce Recipe (Café Yumm Copycat) Recipe<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/details>\n\n\n
$\"\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\n
What is Yum Sauce? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yum sauce is a savory, tangy, and cheesy sauce that’s most commonly used as a dipping sauce or a creamy dressing over grain bowls and salads. It was originally created by Café Yumm, a popular fast-casual chain in the Pacific Northwest! Their Cafe Yumm Sauce is always a fan favorite; so much so that they decided to bottle the recipe, and it’s available in a lot of local grocery stores here in the PNW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flavor of Yum Sauce is pretty unique, and a little hard to describe — it has a strong “cheesy” flavor that comes from nutritional yeast<\/strong>, but it also has slight nutty and tangy elements as well. It’s kind<\/em> of like a thinner and umami-rich mayo; it tastes delicious, and I guarantee that you’re going to love it! <\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
Ingredients for Homemade Yum Sauce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Café Yumm sells their Yumm Sauce near me, so it’s not very hard to figure out the ingredients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Ingredients are always listed in decreasing order by weight. That means by looking at the label, we can see that the savory sauce is mostly made up of oil, and has only a pinch <\/em>of basil. After a few rounds of experimentation in my kitchen, I was able to come up with an almost identical-tasting copycat recipe! I’m using mostly the same ingredients as the Yumm Sauce label, but am making a few household swaps (I doubt most people have Soy Lecithin and Ascorbic Acid on hand). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
*<\/strong>Please note: <\/em><\/strong>there is NO almond flour, curry powder, oregano, or cilantro in the original recipe! I have seen other copycat recipes online use these ingredients, and I’m not sure why. I’m sure those variations are also delicious, but they are not going to taste traditional \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Here’s what you’ll need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Oil: <\/strong>I used Canola Oil in my recipe testing because it has a neutral flavor, and that’s what Café Yumm uses. You can also make this recipe with avocado oil or olive oil, but it will slightly change the flavor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Water: <\/strong>This thins the sauce out nicely! Since we’re not using Soy Lecithin to thicken our Yumm Sauce, I use a little less water in my copycat recipe so the sauce isn’t too runny.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Almonds: <\/strong>I recommend using untoasted slivered almonds, as they will break down the best in your blender. If you are using whole almonds I would recommend chopping them first.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Nutritional Yeast: <\/strong>This is the STAR of our Yum Sauce and gives the majority of the flavor! After a few rounds of testing, I strongly <\/em>believe that Café Yumm toasts <\/strong>their nutritional yeast for a deeper umami flavor and darker sauce color – so we’ll be doing the same on the stovetop.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas): <\/strong>These creamy beans help to thicken our sauce slightly. I’ve seen a few other copycat recipes use a large amount of chickpeas in their recipes, but based on the ingredient label, you only need to use a few!<\/li>\n\n\n\n
White Vinegar & Lemon Juice: <\/strong>Store-bought Yumm Sauce has a very unique tangy flavor that I believe <\/em>comes from the use of Ascorbic Acid. Since most home cooks don’t have that, we’ll use a mix of white vinegar (for a neutral “tang”) as well as lemon juice, which Café Yumm also uses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Garlic & Basil:<\/strong> the ONLY seasonings you need to create a delicious Yum Sauce! I opted to use dried garlic and basil because they are (1) more affordable, and (2) Cafe Yumm has to pasteurize (heat treat) their sauce to make it shelf-stable, which means these seasonings would be cooked, not raw.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
How to Make Yum Sauce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
While the ingredient list is a little long, making Yum Sauce at home couldn’t be easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n
\n\n
\n
Toast<\/strong> the Nutritional Yeast on the stovetop until it’s darkened in color, then transfer to a plate and put in the fridge for a few minutes to let it cool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Add <\/strong>all of the sauce ingredients (and cooled nutritional yeast) to a bullet blender or high-speed blender<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Blend<\/strong> until the sauce is smooth and creamy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Enjoy!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Don’t forget to toast your nutritional yeast!<\/strong> I know it may seem like a tedious or unnecessary step, but it makes a huge difference in the final flavor.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Let the nutritional yeast cool before blending. <\/strong>It’s never a good idea to add hot ingredients to a blender, as they can create a vaccuum seal and make the blender very hard to open. I recommend toasting your nutritional yeast first, then letting it cool in the fridge while you measure and prepare all of your other ingredients.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
Serving Suggestions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This homemade Yum Sauce is incredible versatile and is sure to become a staple in your fridge! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
As a dressing over grain bowls, like these Copycat Yum Bowls<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
Drizzled <\/strong>in wraps or on salads<\/li>\n\n\n\n
As a dipping sauce<\/strong> for veggies, chips, or nuggets<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
If you’re looking for more easy and homemade dressing recipes, you’ll also love this 3-Ingredient Hummus Dressing<\/a>, this Curry Tahini Dressing<\/a>, and this 4-Ingredient Sesame Miso Dressing<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How to Store Yum Sauce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Store leftover Yum Sauce in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to store my leftovers in these Condiment Squeeze Bottles<\/a> for easy drizzling! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would not recommend freezing any leftover Yum Sauce – it will separate and become chunky once it thaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"\"$ <\/figure>\n\n\n
\n\n
Recipe FAQs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Can I make this recipe in a food processor?<\/strong><\/strong>
You can, but the sauce will be much less smooth and creamy. I’d instead recommend making it in a blender or using an immersion blender, and substituting the sliced almonds for unsalted almond butter. See the recipe notes for more info!<\/p> <\/div>
Where can I find nutritional yeast?<\/strong><\/strong>
You can usually find nutritional yeast in the baking aisle of your grocery store, most often near the gluten-free flours or dry spices. I don’t have a preference between brands, but I recommend buying “fortified” nutritional yeast.<\/p> <\/div>
Should I use fortified or unfortified nutritional yeast?<\/strong><\/strong>
I generally prefer to use fortified nutritional yeast as I find that it tastes better. I would especially recommend using fortified for this recipe, as we can see from the ingredient list that Cafe Yumm uses it as well.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook<\/a> or Instagram<\/a>, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl<\/a> + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>
$\"\"$ <\/div>\n\n
\n\t
\n\t\t
Yum Sauce Recipe (Café Yumm Copycat)<\/h2>\n\t\t