This thick and creamy vegan roasted garlic sauce is perfect for salads, casseroles, roasted vegetables, pasta, burgers, and more. Use it instead of mayonnaise or even your favorite vinaigrette. Healthy, flavorful, refreshing!
This roasted garlic sauce recipe is quite versatile and packed with flavor. You can use it on your salads, in your casseroles, or atop your favorite sandwiches, protein and even tacos.
The unique, bold flavor is due to the roasted garlic (if you've never roasted garlic before, you're in for a real treat!) that gives it a sweet richness instead of the normal pungent flavor most associate with garlic.
It's also a much healthier vegan alternative to mayonnaise, so you can also use it in dishes to which you'd normally add mayo (although if you're looking for more of a classic dressing, try my cashew-based vegan mayo and vegan bechamel).
And if we are talking delicious and nutrient-dense dressings, one of my absolute favorites is creamy buddha bowl dressing.
Why Use Roasted Garlic
While the pungent flavor of raw garlic is quite delicious, there are times it can over power a dish and a more subtle taste is needed.
Or maybe you want a garlicky, date night dinner without the bad breath that comes with it.
Enter: roasted garlic.
Plus, all the health benefits of raw garlic are preserved when you roast it.
With more garlic on your plate (in the form of roasted garlic sauce or any other), you receive more of those health benefits... without burying the flavor of your other ingredients.
Most of garlic's health benefits include potential anti-cancer, immune-strengthening, metabolism-boosting and heart disease-preventing effects. The more garlic you consume, the more effects it'll have on your health.
I encourage you to try roasting your garlic if you haven't done it yet. Honestly, it was a discovery to me. Now I'm obsessed with its robust, nutty, mellow and caramelized flavor!
How To Roast Garlic
The best part: It's very easy to make!
To roast the garlic, cut the tips off the head, exposing the ends of the cloves, so that it's easier for you to peel them later.
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and black pepper and wrap each head in a piece of aluminum foil. Roast for 35-40 minutes until tender and aromatic.
Please make sure to read detailed instructions on how to roast garlic and how to store and use roasted garlic.
How To Store Roasted Garlic
It makes sense to roast more than just one head at once. I roasted three heads in one batch and used two of them for the sauce and saved the rest for later use.
You can simply roast your garlic in advance, peel it and and store it in olive oil for up to 10 days.
When you are ready to make a roasted garlic sauce from it, just take it out, and follow the recipe. This way, too, you'll have it on hand for other roasted garlic recipes you may enjoy as well.
Ingredients
Here is what you need for this sauce (check for the substitutions below):
For the roasted garlic:
- garlic heads
- olive oil
- salt and black pepper
For the sauce:
- roasted garlic heads
- cashews
- lime juice
- sesame oil
- olive oil
- mustard
- capers
- brown sugar
- white wine vinegar
- vegetable broth
- salt and black pepper
How To Make And Store Roasted Garlic Sauce
This is a very simple recipe... Just blend everything together until smooth and you are ready to go.
You can use a blender or an immersion blender for mixing.
Just make sure it's creamy and ready.
You can make it up ahead of time and store it in a glass jar or bottle in your fridge for up to a week and enjoy it on sandwiches or spread on toasts or crackers all week long.
Serving Options
- This roasted garlic sauce pairs nicely with salads, casseroles, roasted vegetables, pasta, burgers, and more.
- Use it in dishes to which you'd normally add mayo.
- Try adding it to your casseroles like this savory sweet potato casserole with black beans, kale and quinoa or soups for added flavor.
- Use it on sandwiches, toasts and crackers or with vegan wraps.
- Dip your favorite fresh veggies into it: bell peppers, carrots, celery, you name it. It pairs lovely with any vegetables.
- This garlic dressing is perfect for any grain or bean salads.
- Drizzle the sauce over your vegan Buddha bowl or vegan rice bowl with smoky tempeh, too.
Cook's Tips
- Use this garlic sauce in dishes to which you'd normally add mayo. This sauce is perfect for salads, casseroles, roasted and fresh vegetables, pasta, burgers, soups, bowls, sandwiches, toasts, crackers and more. See all the serving options above for more information.
- To roast the garlic, cut the tips off the head, exposing the ends of the cloves, so that it's easier for you to peel them later.
- Store the roasted garlic cloves in olive oil in the fridge for up to 10 days.
- The sauce can be stored in a glass jar or bottle in your fridge for up to a week.
- Capers give a salty touch, so you'll need very few or no salt in the end.
- Depending on how thick you want your sauce to be, you will need different amount of vegetable broth to adjust the consistency. Start with 1 cup and keep adding water until you like the consistency.
Recipe Variations
- Use other nuts instead of cashews. I tried to make this dressing with walnuts and it tasted great, too. Though the color was not as bright as with the cashews.
- You can use any other sweetener of your choice instead of brown sugar: agave juice, maple syrup or molasses.
- You can use lemon juice in place of lime juice for this sauce.
- Olive oil can be substituted for sesame oil.
- Skip the capers if you don't have them. You'll need more salt though.
Recipes similar to roasted garlic sauce
- green harissa
- tkemali
- chimichurri
- vegan pesto
- ramp pesto
- baba ganoush
- mojo verde
- homemade sriracha
- buddha bowl dreessing
- vegan mayo
- vegan buffalo sauce
Roasted Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
For the roasted garlic:
- 2 big heads garlic
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of black pepper
For the dressing:
- 2 heads roasted garlic peeled
- ⅓ cup or 50 g cashew nuts
- juice of ½ lime about 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon capers
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 cup or 250 ml vegetable broth or more
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Roast the garlic
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C or 400 °F. Cut the tips off the head, exposing the ends of the cloves, so that it's easier for you to peel them later.
- Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and black pepper and wrap each head in a piece of aluminum foil.
- Roast for 35-40 minutes until tender and aromatic. Let it cool and peel.
Make the sauce
- Combine peeled garlic, cashew nuts, lime juice, sesame and olive oil, mustard, capers, brown sugar, white wine vinegar and vegetable broth. Blend everything together until smooth using a food processor or immersion blender. Add more broth if you like more liquid consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Use in dishes to which you’d normally add mayo. This sauce is perfect for salads, casseroles, roasted and fresh vegetables, pasta, burgers, soups, bowls, sandwiches, toasts, crackers and more. See all the serving options above for more information.
Notes
Cook’s Tips
- Please make sure to read detailed instructions on how to roast garlic and how to store and use roasted garlic.
- Use this garlic sauce in dishes to which you’d normally add mayo. This sauce is perfect for salads, casseroles, roasted and fresh vegetables, pasta, burgers, soups, bowls, sandwiches, toasts, crackers and more. See all the serving options above for more information.
- To roast the garlic, cut the tips off the head, exposing the ends of the cloves, so that it’s easier for you to peel them later.
- Store the roasted garlic cloves in olive oil in the fridge for up to 10 days.
- The sauce can be stored in a glass jar or bottle in your fridge for up to a week.
- Capers give a salty touch, so you'll need very few or no salt in the end.
- Depending on how thick you want your sauce to be, you will need different amount of vegetable broth to adjust the consistency. Start with 1 cup and keep adding water until you like the consistency.
Recipe Variations
- Use other nuts instead of cashews. I tried to make this dressing with walnuts and it tasted great, too. Though the color was not as bright as with the cashews.
- You can use any other sweetener of your choice instead of brown sugar: agave juice, maple syrup or molasses.
- You can use lemon juice in place of lime juice for this sauce.
- Olive oil can be substituted for sesame oil.
- Skip the capers if you don't have them. You'll need more salt though.
Meg C says
Served over roasted veggie and farro grain bowls and this sauce is absolutely delicious! Definitely recommend.
Elena Szeliga says
I'm happy you enjoyed the sauce, Meg! 🙂 Thank you for reviewing!
Rhea Rawley says
Made this yesterday. Served with bucatini. It got raves all around. It was easy and a keeper in my recipe box. Thank you.
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Rhea, I'm so happy you enjoyed the sauce! Thank you for your kind feedback!
Constance says
My sister-in-law gave me a jar of roasted garlic in a jar for a gift. Do you know the conversion for this?
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Constance, the equivalent will be around 1/2 cup of drained garlic cloves. Hope that works!
Natasha says
Sounds delish till I saw the honey in it ... not vegan sadly
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Natasha, I actually plan to post a vegan version of that dressing. But it's nit hard to make it vegan - just substitute agave nectar for honey. Hope that helps! Cheers
krystina stiffler says
Looks great! Do you have a recipe with for the dish that you have pictured? It looks so delicious but I cant make out all the ingredients. Sweet potatoes, kale? Those are a few I can pick out. LOL
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Krystina, thank you for pointing that out! I should include a link to this casserole dish in this post because I have it published 🙂 Here you go, sweet potato casserole with black beans, kale and buckwheat. It's delicious and goes so well with the roasted garlic dressing. Cheers!
Ashlie says
Hi! Do you have a substitute for the cashews? My husband has a nut allergy. We can only do almonds and walnuts in the house but those two don’t have the same consistency as cashews! Also we aren’t vegan so any advice on options would be welcome!
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Ashlie! That's a very interesting question and it made me think quite a bit 🙂 First of all, you can try it with soaked almonds. Walnuts would work as well but they will give a greyish color to the dressing. If you don't mind that, you can try it out. The flavor will be slightly different but not too much. As for dairy options, how about Greek yogurt? I would add it to the dressing AFTER blending because it tends to become too liquid otherwise. You might need less broth since without nuts the dressing will be rather runny. Hope it's helpful! Cheers!
Carley says
Does this freeze well? If I make a bunch and freeze for later?
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Carley, I didn't try it myself but I don't see why it wouldn't freeze well. Once you thaw it, you might want to blend it before using for better consistency. In case you need to adjust it: add more cashews if it's too liquid or add more broth/water if it's too thick. Hope it helps!
Jeanne says
Sorry, but in order to get most of the health benefits from garlic, it needs to be raw. The sauce looks great anyhow!
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Jeanne, thank you! In this recipe roasted garlic overpowers the raw one in quantity 😉
Dianne M says
What type of cashews? raw? roasted?
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Dianne, I used raw cashews but I think roasted would be OK too.
Jackie says
I am going to make this thicker by cutting back on the broth & use it as a white sauce for pizza.
Elena Szeliga says
What a great idea, Jackie! Thank you for your comment! I would love to know how it turned out 😉
Veronica says
I'm very glad you added that you've tried it with walnuts with good results, as I cannot eat most nuts. I can't wait to try this!
Elena Szeliga says
It's just as good with walnuts, Veronica! I'm so glad it helped you because this dressing is really delicious! Please tell me how it turned out, when you make it 🙂
Ahu says
There's really nothing quite like roasted garlic. This looks delicious!
Elena Szeliga says
I'm also a fan 🙂 Thank you, Ahu!
Alexandra says
Ooh, awesome! I love the incorporation of cashews here. Will have to try this 🙂
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you, Sasha! I like to add cashews in this type of sauces. The consistency is just perfect!