This is a very simple recipe for a delicious, thick, plant-based cooking cream that is also oil-free, gluten-free, low in fat, and of course vegan. This is my favorite plant-based substitute for heavy cream – it has a very rich taste but it is very low in calories. It’s actually kind of funny because it tastes like a 1000 calories, and it’s actually pretty low in fat.
Ingredients for this delicious plant-based cream sauce
When it comes to plant-based cooking creams, of course, there are cashews involved. I tried numerous no fat substitutes, but it just doesn’t cut it for me. The good news is we are going to be using very little of them, and add tofu for additional creamy texture and thickness. For the spices, we’ll be using nutritional yeast and a special secret ingredient – black salt.
Spices for this plant-based cream sauce
Nutritional yeast contributes to taste as well as thickness. To add a special depth of flavor I also add black salt aka kala namak, which you probably know by now. It’s the thing that makes everything taste like eggs – but not in this case! When you heat up the black salt, it changes flavor. The new flavor works incredibly well with this type of sauce, masking the flavor of tofu very well.
How to use this delicious plant-based sauce?
Once you get all the ingredients together and blend them until smooth, just heat it up to a boil, and use it as you would a store-bought cooking cream. It will thicken up quite a bit after it cools down a little – similar to dairy heavy cream. I usually pour it over sauteed veggies or mushrooms – my favorite choice is asparagus! – simmer for a minute, and then take it off heat. It goes incredibly well with gnocchi or pasta.
Delicious thick plant-based cooking cream
Ingredients
- 3.5 oz. tofu regular
- 2 tbps cashews
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp black salt (*optional)
- 1 clove garlic (*optional)
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into a pot and bring to a boil. (*see notes)
Notes
- Black salt adds a special depth of flavor and masks the flavor of tofu. If you wish to omit it, replace it with regular salt to taste.
- The sauce will thicken up even more once chilled. Regulate thickness by adding more water if needed.
- Use this sauce as you would use store-bought cooking cream. My favorite way is to add it to sauteed asparagus or mushrooms and serve it with gnocchi or buckwheat.
