When my husband and I were staying in Austin, TX recently, we breakfasted at a hip little joint called Bouldin Creek Cafe. Marveling at the abundance of vegan-friendly foods, I decided to go big and order “The Renedict”—two generous pieces of toast elaborately topped with tofu bacon and vegan hollandaise sauce. Quite the upgrade from my usual bowl of oatmeal!
What got me excited—beyond the meal’s absolute deliciousness—was the mere existence of vegan hollandaise sauce! (But of course there is vegan hollandaise sauce—isn’t there a vegan version of everything these days?) I knew I had to try a version of vegan hollandaise myself.
Traditionally, hollandaise sauce is made with egg yolks, which give the sauce its bright yellow hue. We'll be skipping the eggs part and deriving our yellow from nutritionally-dense turmeric and nutritional yeast. To feature this sauce in a meal, I adapted
Juhea’s recipe for vegan portobello bacon, slightly modified below. If mushroom bacon isn't your thing, you can also dress up a tofu scramble with your easy hollandaise sauce or add it to a savory creative breakfast taco.
YIELDS
1 serving of toast + portobello bacon, about 3/4 cup vegan hollandaise sauce
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1/2 cup silken tofu (pressed)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil
- 1 portobello mushroom, sliced in 1/4-inch strips
- 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
- sprinkle garlic powder
- sprinkle smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon liquid sweetener (I used maple)
- 1-2 drops liquid smoke (optional)
- to taste black pepper
- toast of your choice (optional)
Directions
For the easy vegan hollandaise sauce:
1. In a high-speed blender, combine pressed tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, cayenne, turmeric, and coconut oil. Blend the mixture until super smooth and creamy. If you'd like the sauce to be a thinner consistency, add a small splash of water or vegan milk and blend again.
2. Serve immediately or warm in a pan if desired. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and use within a few days.
For the rest of the meal pictured here (portobello bacon and toast assembly):
1. Whisk together tamari, garlic powder, smoked paprika, liquid sweetener, and liquid smoke (if using).
2. Turn on the oven to broil, and line a baking tray with foil. Dip the mushroom slices in the marinade and lay them on the tray with a little space between each slice. Broil under the flame for 8-10 minutes or until the mushroom slices are browned. Turn the mushroom slices over, drizzle with remaining marinade, and broil for an additional 3-5 minutes.
3. Toast your toast. If you don't want your toast to become completely soggy under the hollandaise sauce, make it as crunchy as possible.
4. Arrange the portobello bacon on the toast and drench with hollandaise sauce. Dust with black pepper and smoke paprika. Enjoy!
Have you tried vegan hollandaise sauce yet? How do you use it in creative breakfast recipes?
Related: Vegan Mocha Breakfast Smoothie
Creamy Sundried Tomato Pasta Sauce
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Photos: Mary Hood Luttrell
