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    Home » Vegan Sauces » Vegan Yum Yum Sauce

    Vegan Yum Yum Sauce

    Published: Jan 31, 2022 Updated: Jan 31, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Yum Yum Sauce

    This vegan yum yum sauce is creamy, tangy and amazing! This popular Japanese-style sauce is so easy to make and a perfect dipping sauce.

    Vegan yum yum sauce in a black bowl.

    This vegan yum yum sauce lives up to its name. It is yummy indeed!

    We loved it so much we spent the weekend cooking up anything and everything that can be dipped, just to dip it into this sauce. It’s amazing with our vegan chicken nuggets and our vegan shrimp.

    It’s also known as Hibachi sauce, sakura sauce or Japanese white or pink sauce. Whatever you call it, it’s a wonderful go-to sauce that you’ll want to have in your fridge year-round.

    And if you love creamy sauces that can be whipped up in minutes then you’ll also love our vegan ranch dressing and our vegan tartar sauce.

    What Goes Into Homemade Yum Yum Sauce:

    Photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan yum yum sauce.

    Ingredient Notes

    • Tomato paste – works best for this sauce as it has the perfect concentration of flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand then even ketchup will work.
    • Rice vinegar – is the perfect flavor blend in a yum yum sauce. It’s not recommended to substitute it with any other vinegar.
    • Smoked paprika – most yum yum sauce recipes use plain (not smoked) paprika and if that’s all you have on hand then that’s absolutely fine to use. We just loved adding in a bit of smokey flavor via smoked paprika.
    • Water – to thin out the sauce.
    • Vegan mayonnaise – forms the creamy base for this sauce.
    • Vegan butter – is melted and mixed into the sauce.
    Vegan yum yum sauce in a black bowl.

    How To Make Vegan Yum Yum Sauce

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Add vegan mayonnaise, tomato paste, rice vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, white granulated sugar, melted vegan butter and water to a mixing bowl.
    Ingredients for yum yum sauce in a glass bowl.
    • Whisk together until smooth and well mixed. Let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 24 hours for the flavors to blend.
    Yum yum sauce in a glass bowl with a whisk.

    What To Serve With Vegan Yum Yum Sauce

    My absolute favorite way to serve this yum yum sauce is as a dipping sauce. Any style or variety of vegan nuggets, and especially our vegan chicken nuggets (as pictured) are divine dipped into this sauce.

    It’s fantastic with tofu and things like our air fryer tofu, baked tofu and tofu satay are all magic dipped into this sauce. It’s also wonderful as a dip for chips or raw veggies.

    It’s fabulous drizzled over any salad or just tossed up with a bowl of noodles.

    Vegan yum yum sauce in a black bowl.

    Make Ahead and Storing

    Make ahead. This yum yum sauce is perfect to make-ahead because the flavors get even better after it has been in the fridge for several hours. So by all means, make up a batch today to enjoy at its best tomorrow.

    Storing. Keep it stored in the fridge in a covered container for up to a week.

    Vegan nugget dipped in vegan yum yum sauce.

    More Delicious Vegan Sauces

    1. Vegan Chipotle Sauce
    2. Vegan BBQ Sauce
    3. Vegan Teriyaki Sauce
    4. Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
    5. Vegan Buffalo Sauce
    6. Vegan Hollandaise Sauce

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan nugget dipped in yum yum sauce.

    Vegan Yum Yum Sauce

    This vegan yum yum sauce is creamy, tangy and amazing! This popular Japanese-style sauce is so easy to make and a perfect dipping sauce.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dip, Dressing, Sauce
    Cuisine: American, Japanese-Inspired
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 202kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup Vegan Mayonnaise (240g)
    • 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
    • 1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 1 Tablespoon White Granulated Sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon Vegan Butter Melted
    • 2 Tablespoons Water
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add vegan mayonnaise, tomato paste, rice vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, white granulated sugar, melted vegan butter and water to a mixing bowl.
    • Whisk together until smooth and well mixed.
    • Let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 24 hours for the flavors to blend.

    Notes

    1. Tomato paste – works best for this sauce as it has the perfect concentration of flavor, but if you don’t have any on hand then ketchup will also work.
    2. Smoked paprika – can be switched for regular paprika. 
    3. Make ahead – this sauce is perfect to make ahead as the flavors get even better the next day. Make up a batch the day before and the flavors will be at their best the following day.
    4. Storing – keep it stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 202kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 51mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 251IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kelly says

      April 24, 2022 at 10:16 pm

      This is amazing! Tastes just like the shrimp sauce at Benihana! I poured it over black bean meatballs with rice, and used as a vegan burger topping as well. This is a very versatile sauce & has become a favorite of mine, even something as simple as this sauce with rice tastes like a treat! Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 25, 2022 at 9:52 am

        Thanks so much Kelly!

        Reply
    2. Irina says

      February 10, 2022 at 10:22 pm

      Love the dip. I dipped roasted cauliflower and it was amazing! Always great recipes 🌸5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 11, 2022 at 9:33 am

        Thanks so much Irina!

        Reply
    3. Terry K. says

      January 31, 2022 at 5:55 pm

      Great vegan sauce for just about anything. Yummy!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2022 at 9:11 am

        Absolutely! Thanks Terry!

        Reply
      • Alexandria Kling says

        February 01, 2022 at 11:15 am

        Best thing since sliced bread!!!! Shame we can’t bathe in it……Right about the rice wine vinegar though… Love what you are doing Alison, keep doing it and stay safe. And that goes for everyone else out there too. 5 stars

        Reply
        • Alison Andrews says

          February 02, 2022 at 8:28 am

          So glad you loved it Alexandria!

          Reply
    4. Mary Ann says

      January 31, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      What do you use the sauce on? Sounds really good.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2022 at 9:10 am

        It’s great as a dip for any type of vegan nugget, or chips or veggies, or even as a salad dressing or to toss up with a bowl of noodles. It’s sort of an ‘anything’ sauce, you’ll eat it with anything!

        Reply
    5. Renee says

      January 31, 2022 at 4:30 pm

      What can I use instead of vinegar? I can’t eat any type of vinegar.
      Lemon juice?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 01, 2022 at 9:09 am

        Hi Renee, sure you could use lemon juice in that case. All the best! 🙂

        Reply

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