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Inspired by the flavors of Indian green chutney, this creamy vegan dressing recipe tastes great drizzled over salads, rice bowls, and roasted veggies. Not a fan of Cilantro? Try some of our other vegan dressings.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup cashews
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½-inch piece of serrano pepper, seeded
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
  • Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

  • Blend cashews and ¾ cup water into a creamy texture. Add cilantro, lemon juice, serrano pepper, garlic, hot sauce (if using), and salt to taste. Blend until smooth.
  • Taste and adjust seasoning.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (2 Tbsp.): 53 calories, 3.6 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g protein, 4 g total fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 81 mg sodium, 0.4 g fiber, 0.6 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (29)

(5 from 17 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Bobbie

Delicious dressing! I served it at a big party & everyone was raving about it!

Laura

Yum

tori

This turned out sooo yummy in my tofu/sweet potato/spinach buddha bowl. Is it possible to double the recipe and freeze the extra next time? I'm guessing otherwise it won't last more than a week in the fridge.

Lisa, Forks Over Knives Support

Hi Tori, Thanks for sharing your results! Chef Darshana says that the dressing can be frozen and will be good for about a month in the freezer.

A Garcia

Delicious. I was looking recipes for a friend thst is vegan. I decided to bake sweet potatoes and add pico de gallo, corn and black beans. I did the cashew sauce for the first time it came out delicious.

Ella

OMG this salad dressing is not what I was expecting! It kicked my butt and had me asking for more! I didn't have any cashews, so I used peanut butter instead. Great to find a nice zesty WFPB salad dressing that doesn't try to be sweet. This will be delicious on a lot of foods other than salads as well - tacos, veggie burgers, probably any vegetable or grain that needs some flavor. I bet this would be a great dip for sweet potato fries. Thanks for sharing, I will be making this frequently and often!!

wendy

One of my family’s favorites. To reduce the calorie density I substitute a cup of white beans for the nuts.

diana

I absolutely love this recipe! I make it all the time and drizzle it over almost everything. Love it, thank you.

Rhonda

Delicious. Used lime juice instead of lemon. No fresh serrano pepper on hand so used extra dashes of hot sauce. Yum - wouldn't change a thing. Great for grain bowls with roasted veggies.

Dave

Great all around sauce. I didnt find anything it didn't work with.

Alf

So delicious. I used it on grilled cauliflower steaks and curried sweet potatoes. I didn't have lemons, so I used lime. I also added some dried mint leaves to get that Indian cilantro-mint chutney mojo.

Cynders

This is so tasty! A must try. You will be amazed at how good this is!

Douglas

How much pre-made cilantro chutney would I need to make this dressing with this amount of cashews

Kate

My husband loved this and he’s hard to please on salad dressing! It was super flavorful! I’d probably cut the water or add more cashews to make it thicker.

Pam Gordon

Easy and delicious recipe! Thank you!

Pam P

Is there a substitute for cashews? Not my favorite nut.

Diane

Try sunflower seeds. They might work.

Emma Wilkins

I've been enjoying walnuts in my salad dressings lately :)

shannon thibodeaux

will try this recipe

Georgia

So easy and tasty! And versatile--can be modified with other spices.

Barbara

Best dressing ever. The only one I use now. Prove me wrong.

Diana

I make this dressing once a week and use it on a variety of foods. I love it!

Marsha

This was simple and so delicious. I put the cashews in to soak in the morning, then in the evening I blended them with the other ingredients. At first, I just used a touch of hot sauce, but gradually added more until it was just right. I used it for a dressing on steamed broccoli and red peppers, but will definitely be using it on everything this week! Next time I might use less water for the cashews to make it thicker - now it's good consistency for a dressing, but a little thin for a dip.

Sirisha

Healthy and Very tasty. Thank you for sharing.

Leslie Brennecke

This is my basic recipe I use often. I sometimes modify it with lime, or chipotle sauce, or I add avocado and extra garlic. I keep the salt out and I don't really miss it.

Virginia

This was so good!

Scott L

This is hands down my favorite dressing. I use less water- I prefer thick dressings. It's a brilliant dip too.

Andi

Delicious recipe.

Ava b

Very nice dressing. Super easy to make and super tasty. Thank you for sharing this recipe:)

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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