This vegan pink sauce recipe is a copycat version of the viral TikTok infamous pink sauce that everybody is talking about…wondering about… My pink sauce is made vegan with cashews and includes dragon fruit and ranch dressing seasonings that make for a creamy, sweet, and tangy dipping sauce.
Oh, Lawdy! You are wondering…Has Cindy lost her mind?! Indeed, I wonder the same thing…But when I saw this new TikTok viral pink sauce, along with the controversies, I knew I’d be reverse engineering it to make my own vegan recipe.
Except for the fact that I really couldn’t technically reverse engineer it…because the pink sauce in question is not vegan, so I wasn’t going to actually eat it and give it a decent reverse engineering attempt. BUT, I thought, I’ll just have a friend try it and help me out with the flavor and texture.
BUT…the controversies! While this small business, that makes the pink sauce is trying to get things figured out, I’ll just wait a while before asking a friend to try it. And I sincerely hope and trust they will soon. Starting a small business certainly has its challenges and I wish them the best!
A few questions about this crazy pink sauce!
From what I’ve seen on the TT, the pink sauce that is being sold is not vegan because it contains dairy and honey. MY pink sauce copycat recipe is vegan and is made with a creamy cashew base and maple syrup to make it vegan.
Do you mean that lovely Pepto Bismal shade of pink? Red-fleshed dragon fruit is one of the major ingredients of this recipe and is what makes the pink sauce so pink. If you use white-fleshed dragon fruit then you will need to use some red food coloring. And then…what’s the point because adding the dragon fruit really doesn’t add much flavor – just the lovely color. This brings up the next question…
On a good day, dragon fruit tastes like a mild watery pear. But on the other days, it tastes pretty much like a watery pear without the flavor of the pear. In fact, according to this article by National Post about dragon fruit, “It tastes like a fruit that gave up on life.” So there you go. But it is arguably one of the most exotic-looking beautiful red-fleshed fruits out there. And that’s why we use it, for its red coloring.
I’m only venturing a guess at this point and will update this post when I have better information. But it has been reported to taste like a slightly sweet and mildly spicy ranch dressing sauce – which is exactly what my recipe for pink sauce tastes like. So if the flavor is not 100% accurate, I hope you enjoy it…even if you need to keep your eyes closed when you eat it!
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Ingredients needed to make vegan pink sauce
I used most of the same ingredients I use in my Vegan Ranch Sauce – along with the dragon fruit, of course, and a little bit of chili powder. Feel free to taste as you are making this recipe and adjust some of the seasonings to your personal taste. And do let me know what works for you.
- raw cashews – You will be soaking and draining the cashews before blending them up to make the dressing. IMPORTANT!! You must MUST disclose to anyone you serve this pink sauce that it contains cashews. Cashews aren’t normally found in dressings and sauces (unless you are vegan) and can be a serious allergin. SO LOUDLY DISCLOSE! If you are using roasted and salted cashews, then soak them overnight, changing out the water often, and triple rinse to remove the salt. Be aware that the roasted cashews may not blend up as creamy as they would if you were using raw cashews.
- unsweetened plant milk – Oat milk is my favorite non-dairy milk to use because it imparts a neutral flavor.
- red-fleshed dragon fruit – You will be using a little bit less than one-half of a fruit. Use the rest in a smoothie for a lovely red color.
- white vinegar
- lemon juice – can use bottled juice
- optional maple syrup – I recommend blending everything together first and then giving it a taste to see if it even needs maple syrup. Since some dragon fruit is sweeter than other dragon fruits, it might be sweet enough without the maple syrup. Adding more would just make your ranch dressing too sweet and icky.
- garlic clove – No need to chop it up. The blender will do that for you. Just peel off the paper.
- salt and pepper
- chili powder – I really had no idea how much to use in this recipe so I added one-half teaspoon. I recommend starting with that amount, adding in a little bit more to taste if desired.
- onion powder, fresh dill, chopped chives, chopped parsley
- You will also need a high-speed blender to blend those cashews. If you are using a basic countertop blender, then soak your cashews overnight.
How to make the TikTok famous pink sauce vegan
The exact ingredients with measurements can be found in the recipe card below along with more concise abbreviated instructions. Read on for more details, tips, and tricks so that you will feel confident making this recipe.
Step 1: Soak the cashews
Soak the raw cashews in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and throw out the water because you will not be using the nasty soaking water. If the cashews are a little older, you might need to soak them for up to two hours.
Please try to find raw cashews. If you use cashews that are roasted and salted then soak overnight, changing the water a couple of times. And then triple rinse them to get rid of the salt.
Step 2: Prepare the other ingredients
While the raw cashews are soaking, you can measure everything out and prepare the fresh ingredients. Chop the fresh herbs, peel the garlic, and cut and scoop out the dragon fruit.
The ingredients listed are for using fresh herbs. If you are using dried herbs then use one-third of the amount. If nothing else, do try to find fresh dill, the flavor and scent of fresh dill are amazing!
Peel the garlic. There is no need to chop the garlic because you will be popping it in your high-speed blender. If you are using a regular blender, then cut the clove into smaller pieces. You can also use prechopped bottled garlic. Use a generous teaspoon.
Despite its sharp, prickly-looking outer appearance, dragon fruit is actually soft and easy to cut. The spikes aren’t prickly at all! Cut it in half and then scoop out the soft flesh. To make it easy, I slice both ways and then scoop out the chunks of flesh with a spoon.
I thought the juice from the dragon fruit might stain my fingers so I wore gloves. I think I might have been okay though. The dragon fruit didn’t even stain my wooden cutting board.
I used two-thirds a cup of cubed dragon fruit in this recipe and the color of the ranch dressing turned out vibrantly pink. You can play around with the color by starting with a lesser amount of dragon fruit, and adding more until you are satisfied with the color.
Two-thirds cup of dragon fruit was not even one-half of the fruit. I popped the remaining amount in the freezer and plan to make a smoothie later this week.
Step 3: Blend it together
Blend everything together except for the maple syrup and the fresh herbs. You will be tasting the pink dressing and adding the maple syrup later. Add the fresh herbs after the cashews have been blended.
Add the soaked and drained cashews, plant milk, dragon fruit, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic clove, salt, chili powder, onion powder, and a pinch of pepper. Blend for two to three minutes or until creamy and smooth. I use the pusher that came with my blender to push the cashews down until they are well blended.
Final step: Add the herbs and adjust the seasonings
Add the fresh chopped herbs and blend on low till mixed in. You don’t want to pulverize the herbs – just mix them in. Give it a taste and add maple syrup if desired. You can add more chili powder, salt, and pepper. Also if you like your ranch dressing really ranchy – add more fresh dill.
Serving suggestions
Use this vegan pink sauce anywhere you’d use ranch dressing. I used mine to top a salad and as a dip for my vegan chicken nuggets.
The pink sauce would be a fun way to get kids to eat their vegetables – if they like the color pink! It reminds me of the time when a certain ketchup company put out blue and green ketchup. That was all my kids wanted…until they had it on their plates of course. Then it was a big nope!
Looking for more (normal colored) vegan dressings and dips?
You are in luck because I have so many delicious vegan sauces to share. And no weird colors either! Try my:
The Printable recipe card for vegan pink sauce
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Vegan Pink Sauce Ranch Dressing Recipe
Equipment
- high-speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews raw, soaked
- 3/4 cup plant milk unsweetened
- ⅔ cup dragon fruit see notes
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup optional see notes
- 1 clove garlic
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- ½-1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill
- ½ Tablespoon chopped chives
- ½ Tablespoon chopped parsley
- pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Soak the raw cashews in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and throw out the water. If the cashews are a little older, you might need to soak them for up to two hours.
- Cut the dragon fruit in half and scoop out pieces to equal ⅔ cup. Peel the garlic clove. There is no need to chop. Chop the fresh herbs and set them aside.
- Add all ingredients except for the maple syrup, dill, parsley, and chives to a high-speed blender. Add the soaked and drained cashews, plant milk, dragon fruit, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic clove, salt, chili powder, onion powder, and a pinch of pepper.
- Blend for 2-3 minutes or until creamy and smooth.
- Taste the blended sauce and decide how much maple syrup you'd like to add.
- Add dill, parsley, and chives at the end and then stir or blend on low speed just until incorporated.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Will thicken upon standing