This Vegan Harissa Sauce is creamy, mildly spicy, smoky, and with a touch of sweetness. You may also like our Harissa Hummus.
This dressing is excellent on a salad, Buddha bowl, spread or dipping sauce. You can easily adjust the consistency with the amount of water used.
But let's talk about the star of this show...
Can you imagine a peppery and smoky seasoning infused with a citrus flavor?
Well, imagine no more; this is the reason why harissa seasoning is wildly popular. I recently started incorporating harissa spice into my cooking, and I love the outcome. After creating the delicious harissa-inspired North African Chickpea Soup, which became a “go-to” meal for my family, I was ready to explore new ways to incorporate this seasoning.
This Harissa Sauce is a case in point—adding harissa spice to cashews, date syrup, and the umami flavor from the miso paste is a match made in heaven. If you want to “live a little” when it comes to your dressing, then this Harissa Sauce is for you! It is the perfect combination of smoky heat, creamy and sweet.
The ingredients and versatility of this beautiful sauce are similar to the Spicy Chipotle Cream Sauce.
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What You Need to Make This Vegan Harissa Sauce
- Raw cashews
- Harissa spice blend
- Lemon
- Apple cider vinegar
- Miso paste
- Simple Homemade Date Syrup
How to Prepare
- Soak raw cashews in water overnight. For a faster method, put cashews into a small pot with hot water and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Drain and rinse cashews.
- Add softened cashews and all remaining ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend smooth and creamy. For a thinner consistency, add another 2 tablespoons of water.
Recipe FAQs
It works well as a salad dressing, sauce, aioli spread, or dipping sauce. Harissa Sauce can elevate your next salad and be a sauce you drizzle over your meal for a kick of flavor. It pairs well as a sauce for the Fast and Easy Buddha Bowl or the Blessed Black Bean Beauty Bowl. Harissa sauce does fantastic things for your vegetables when you serve it as a dip. It pairs well as a dipping sauce with The Best Falafel That Happens to be Oil-Free. You can also add this sauce as an aioli spread to a wrap like the Hearty Breakfast Burrito. The amount of water you use can give you the desired consistency for a thinner salad dressing or a thicker dipping sauce.
Harissa is commonly used in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco but has gained popularity worldwide. This lovely spice is usually a blend of dry red chilies, garlic, citrus, cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds. Harissa is widely used in stews and soups. This spice can also be used as a rub or marinade for tofu, tempeh, or your favorite bean dish.
Most grocery stores carry harissa spice these days. You can find it in the spice section or the international foods section. Harissa is typically made in a spice blend or a paste. However, if you’re not in luck finding it in your local grocery store, you can order online or check your local ethnic market. If you are feeling adventurous, you can make your own. The benefit of making your own is that you can adjust the flavor and heat level to your liking.
This recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients like cashews, lemon, harissa spice, and the Simple Homemade Date Syrup. Sometimes I'm too lazy to make the date syrup. Can you relate? The good news is you can always add a pitted date to the cashews when simmering to soften. The key is to soften the ingredients to ensure a creamy smooth texture after blending.
This sauce stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yes, you can use the paste. However, most harissa paste brands have added oil. Since this is an oil-free recipe, we use powder. But the flavor should be comparable.
Harissa Sauce (VEGAN)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water add 2 Tbsp additional water for salad dressing
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 1 Tbsp Simple Homemade Date Syrup
- 2 to 3 tsp harissa spice blend for a milder sauce, use 2 teaspoons
Instructions
- Soak raw cashews in water overnight. For a faster method, put cashews into a small pot with hot water and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Drain and rinse cashews.
- Add softened cashews and all remaining ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend smooth and creamy. For a thinner consistency, add 1-2 tablespoons more water.
Gigi & Sersie says
I'm a big fan of harissa, and this sauce is yummy on grain bowls. It's creamy and the spice is not over-powering.