So Delicious!
This Easy WFPB Bearnaise sauce is so delicious! It's creamy yet tangy, yet slightly sweet. It's just perfect drizzled over cooked asparagus & other vegetables. You can even use it as a dip! It does thicken up quite a bit as it cools in the refrigerator, but it can be thinned out again easily too (see recipe notes).
A classic bearnaise sauce is made with ingredients that aren't Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB), such as egg yolks & butter. So, this WFPB recipe is, of course, not your traditional bearnaise sauce...but, if you're looking for a simple way to kick up the flavor of your veggies, oh my is this Easy WFPB Bearnaise Sauce ever tasty! 😋
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Simple Ingredients
This recipe includes some simple ingredients & is so very easy to throw together on a whim. If you have these ingredients and a high-speed blender on hand, it only takes about 5 minutes to get this fabulous sauce ready for drizzle time!
- Aquafaba (the brine from a can of chickpeas)
- Cashews
- White wine vinegar
- Shallot
- Black salt (kala namak)
- Tarragon
Super easy to blend
This WFPB Bearnaise Sauce is super easy to blend. Just throw all of the ingredients (except the tarragon) into the blender and blend on high for about 2 minutes until creamy smooth. You're almost done at this point! 😄
Add the tarragon and pulse
Next, simply add the tarragon and pulse a few times to combine. Do you like tarragon as much as I do? I think tarragon has a very nice slightly sweet & almost licorice or anise flavor. It's one of my favorite herbs for sure! It's a classic ingredient in traditional bearnaise sauce & it really rounds this sauce out well, too.
Drizzle and enjoy!
Once blended, just drizzle this delectable sauce and enjoy! Alternatively, you can cool the sauce in the refrigerator. It will thicken up quite a bit & work quite well as a thicker vegetable dip. To thin the sauce out again, just add a bit of warm water and whisk (see recipe notes).
My family & I absolutely love this sauce drizzled over this WFPB oil-free air-fried asparagus. For instance, see the picture of our recent dinner below. Yum, yum, yum! 😋
Frequently asked questions:
Aquafaba is the brine or liquid drained from a can of chickpeas (chickpeas are also called garbanzo beans). It's an excellent egg replacement in many recipes & it can even be whipped to the consistency of whipped egg whites. It doesn't impart any sort of bean flavor in this recipe. It's quite remarkable stuff, actually! Each ~15 oz can of chickpeas contains about ¾ cup of aquafaba.
Black salt also goes by "kala namak", Himalayan black salt, or Indian black salt. It is frequently used in Indian and Asian cuisine. It has a very sulfurous quality to it that is reminiscent of egg yolks, so it is often used to provide an eggy quality in eggless dishes.
You may be able to find black salt in a specialty grocery store near you. I purchased my black salt from Amazon several years ago. Since only a very little amount is used in any given recipe, a small quantity of black salt lasts quite a long time.
I did try making this sauce with cannelini (white kidney) beans once. With this substitution, the flavor and texture really didn't hit the mark. If I was to replace the cashews again, I might try firm or extra-firm silken tofu instead. If you try this substitution, please let us know how it works for you in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Easy WFPB Bearnaise Sauce
Equipment
- high-speed blender
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cashews (pre-soak if not using a high-speed blender)
- ½ cup aquafaba (aquafaba is the liquid drained from a can of chickpeas)
- 1 tsp shallot
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- ⅛ tsp black salt (also called "kala namak" or "Indian black salt")
- 1 Tbsp dried tarragon (or use 2-3 Tbsp fresh tarragon, minced)
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients (except the tarragon) into a high-speed blender.
- Blend for about 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Add the tarragon and pulse 2-3 times to combine.
- Drizzle over cooked asparagus, green beans, brussels sprouts, & other vegetables. Store any remaining sauce in the refrigerator. The sauce will thicken quite a bit as it cools & is also delicious used as a dip! *See note.