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This garlicky cashew sauce is a winner.

It only takes a few minutes to make and it’s so freakin’ delicious.

I first encountered it with this chicken, but the sauce is good enough to merit its own post.

It might help to think of it like peanut sauce. And I love peanut sauce (especially this peanut sauce with basil and coconut milk).

But instead of being made with peanut butter, this one highlights the lovely richness of cashews, which, unlike other tree nuts, blend up so smoothly.

The cashew sauce has plenty of garlic and a big handful of cilantro. It’s bold with its aromatics.

It also has tamari (or soy sauce) for salty umami notes, brown sugar for sweetness, and lime for sour acidity.

That all gets topped off with a squeeze of sriracha, which makes the sauce hit all of the hot-sour-salty-sweet categories.

And it couldn’t be any easier to make.

If you have a wide-mouth jar and an immersion blender you can even build and blend the whole thing in the container you store it in.

Easy clean up for the win!

But, of course, you could also blend this cashew sauce in a blender or food processor if you don’t have an immersion blender.

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This garlicky cashew sauce is great as a dip for veggies like cucumbers or carrots or sugar snap peas.

It’s delightful on noodles as a sort of alternative to peanut noodles.

It’s lovely slathered on tofu and broiled for a few minutes or tossed with roasted broccoli and heaped over a bowl of rice.

And if you’re a meat eater, it’s also great with chicken or pork.

So what I’m saying is it’s incredibly versatile and if you stash a jar of it in your refrigerator you’ll have a way zhuz up your meals and snacks for the next week.

You won’t regret taking the five minutes to make this one.