Best Vegan Cheese Sauce

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

When I first switched over to a healthy plant-based lifestyle back in 2013, one thing that I really missed was CHEESE. Cheese for pizza, tacos, baked potatoes, lasagna, and so much more. That’s why I came up with this amazing best vegan cheese sauce recipe ever!

One of the best things about it is that it can be made with either cashews or white beans for those avoiding nuts. Better yet, do a combination of both to reduce the fat but maintain the creamy rich texture.

This is the BEST cheese sauce because it’s…

  • Versatile and can be made with cashews OR white beans
  • Flavor-packed
  • Creamy
  • Cheeesy
  • Veggie-loaded
  • Customizable
  • Low-fat
  • Vegan
  • Oil-free
  • Freezable

Three versions to choose from

1st Version: Originally, I made it with 1/2 cup raw cashews.

2nd Version: Now, I sometimes sub out white beans–like navy beans or cannellini–to lower the fat content even more. For those avoiding nuts completely, this is a terrific nut-free cheese sauce.

3rd Version: Nowadays, I mostly make with a combination of the two–1/4 cup cashews + 1/4 cup white beans. It has a warm creamy texture with less fat. This easy vegan cheese sauce has so many options!

cashews soaking in water and bowl of beans with labels

What is vegan cheese sauce made of?

Incredibly some of the ingredients used to make this amazing cheese sauce are…

  • potatoes
  • onions
  • carrots
  • cashews (and or white beans)
  • nutritional yeast flakes
  • lemon juice
  • spices

What is nutritional yeast?

Nutritional yeast is what makes this vegan cheese sauce taste like cheese. It has a nutty, cheesy flavor and is yellow in color. Unlike baker’s and brewer’s yeasts, is a deactivated yeast used for seasoning.

It’s an inactive form of the yeast strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Though it is the same strain of yeast bakers use to leaven bread, nutritional yeast has been pasteurized to dry out the yeast. This process helps to extract its nutritional benefits.

Nutritional yeast is exclusively for seasoning and cannot be used for leavening in baking. Even so, it can normally be found in the baking section of many grocery stores. I usually purchase my nutritional yeast online.

Vegan cashew cheese sauce on a baked potato with broccoli
Vegan No-Cheese Sauce on baked potato and broccoli.

How to make vegan cheese sauce

I have a Vitamix blender and so don’t take the time to soak my cashews. That thing is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn’t jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30-minutes before adding to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy. 

Begin by dicing up the potatoes, carrots, and onion.

diced onions on cutting board

In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in a pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.

diced potatoes in pot of water on white background

When veggies are tender, drain and place them in a blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.

vegan cheese sauce in blender

Now, it’s ready to use in nacho cheese dip, mac-n-cheese, topping for steamed broccoli, or anything else you need a creamy, cheesy sauce in. This recipe makes approximately 1 quart and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

I often freeze this recipe when I have lots leftover, which admittedly isn’t that often. Most of the time, I freeze it in a wide-mouth mason jar which makes defrosting it later in the microwave much easier. Simply remove the lid and place it in the microwave to defrost.

Once the cheese sauce is no longer frozen, I place it in my blender and take it for a spin for just a minute which brings it back to its original creaminess. It’s as good as freshly made then.

InstantPot instructions

Yes! You can also use your InstantPot to make this cheese sauce!

Simply add the potatoes, carrots, onion, and one cup of water to your Instant Pot. Set on MANUAL for 10 minutes.  Once finished, use a spoon, dishcloth, or potholder to turn the VENT knob for a quick release to allow the pressure to come down. Then add all other ingredients to a blender and process until smooth.  Easy-Peasy!

Tips for making this recipe

  • Soaking cashews or not. I have a Vitamix blender and so don’t take the time to soak my cashews. That thing is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn’t jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30-minutes will help this recipe come out more creamy.
  • Potatoes to use. You really can use almost any variety of potato. I love to use russets, red potatoes, or even sweet potatoes. Just make sure they are cooked until soft.
  • Save that broth. One of the steps of this recipe is to boil the potatoes, onions, and carrots on the stove. Remember to save some of that broth for adding to the blender.
  • Tweaking to your taste preference. Most likely this cheese sauce will come out amazing as soon as you dip that spoon into the blender (after it has stopped, of course) to give it a taste. However, if it needs a little tweaking, first try adding a little more salt or nutritional yeast, as those two ingredients can make a big difference, in my opinion. 

*Original publish date February 02, 2015.

Your dairy-free cheese sauce questions answered

Q: How long will this vegan cheese sauce last in the refrigerator?

A: This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 7-10 days in an airtight container. I love to use quart mason jars.

Q: Can this vegan cheese sauce be frozen?

A: YES! Freezing is also an option. Simply defrost and place in a blender for a freshen up spin and it will be back to its original creamy texture.

Q: Which vegan cheese is best?

A: All of mine! LOL! Seriously though, I have a lot of different dairy-free cheeses to choose from. That a peek at these yummilicious ones.

Q: What recipes use vegan cheese sauce?

A: I am so glad that you asked! I have a number of great recipes that use this cheese sauce. The options are really endless!

Ways to use this sauce

Who doesn’t love pasta? This vegan oil-free cheese sauce is amazing on mac and cheese as well. It’s the perfect comfort food and can even be made gluten-free by using brown rice pasta.

Just add salsa to this cheese sauce, and you’ve got delicious Nacho Cheese Dip to serve with tacos and nachos. It’s amazingly delicious!

Other ways to use this cheese sauce are:

  • Over a baked potato
  • On steamed broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, or another veggie
  • Drizzled over pizza, lasagna, or tacos
  • In cheezy grits for breakfast
  • On my Chili Cheese Fries or Nacho Supreme
  • Any other wonderful way you can think of!

Nutritional information

1/4 cup serving (WITH BEANS):

  • 5 calories
  • 28 carbs
  • 0.14 grams fat
  • 1.9 grams of protein

1/4 cup serving (WITH CASHEWS):

  • 41 calories
  • 4.6 carbs
  • 1.8 grams of fat
  • 2 grams of protein
vegan cheese sauce being poured from white gravy boat
4.61 from 516 votes

Best Vegan Cheese Sauce

I use this cheese sauce for everything--nachos, tacos, pizza, baked potato and steamed veggie topping, and so much more!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup potatoes peeled & diced
  • 1/4 cup carrots diced
  • 1/4 cup onion chopped
  • 1 cup broth from veggies
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews (or 1/2 c white beans)
  • 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 pinch paprika
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper optional

Instructions

  • In a medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in the pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender--approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
  • When veggies are tender, drain and place them in a blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
  • I have a Vitamix blender and so don't take the time to soak my cashews. That thing is powerful and everything that goes into it comes out creamy. However, if your blender isn't jet engine speed, soaking the cashews in warm water for at least 30-minutes before adding to this recipe will help this recipe come out more creamy. 
  • If you prefer, white beans such as northern or navy beans can be used in place of the cashews for those avoiding nuts. Or, even use a combination of 1/4 cashews and 1/4 cup white beans to lower the fat content but keep the rich creamy texture and flavor.
  • Now, it's ready to use in nacho cheese dip, mac-n-cheese, topping for steamed broccoli, or anything else you need a creamy, cheesy sauce in. Many of those recipes are linked above.
  • This makes approximately 1 quart and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Video

Notes

Detailed instructions, in-process photos, and my personal helpful tips can be found in the article above.
Instant Pot Instruction:
Simply add the potatoes, carrots, onion, and one cup of water to your Instant Pot. Set on MANUAL for 10 minutes.  Once finished, use a spoon, dishcloth, or potholder to turn the VENT knob for a quick release to allow the pressure to come down. Then add all other ingredients to a blender and process until smooth.  Easy-Peasy!

Nutrition

Calories: 57kcal | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2.3g | Fiber: 2g

Disclaimer

To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

Please rate & share if you like this!Leave a comment or share on Pinterest or Instagram
vegan cheese photo collage for pinterest

Similar Posts

231 Comments

  1. I just made this today and it is WINNER WINNER ENCHILADA DINNER!! I’m so excited to finally have a vegan cheese sauce recipe that tastes so close to the real thing! This is definitely a replay in my kitchen! I’ve shared this recipe with my vegan son and DIL as well as vegan friends along with pictures of my enchiladas.
    I tweaked the recipe a little…. I didn’t measure the amount of potatoes and carrots, just kind of eyeballed them so it was probably a little more than the recipe called for. I used white beans instead of cashews. After everything was blended, I taste tested and for me it needed more nutritional yeast and lemon juice (1tbs) and was a little too thin so I added more beans…and a squirt of sriracha…..then it was cheesy perfection! Mmmm
    I’m thinking about cooking up a bunch of potatoes onions, and carrots, blending them with the cup of broth and freezing. It would be a time saver for me. Thank you!!!!

    1. Martha, I’m so glad that you love the cheese sauce, and your tweaks sound terrific to me!

  2. This is a great recipe thank you. I added half a small roasted capsicum it takes it to another level.

    1. They always come out creamy for me. If you would like to soak them, that would be just fine too. I just skip that step because it hasn’t been necessary. Either way, I think you’re going to love this recipe!

  3. I have seen this post come up on my Facebook for some time now. I have to admit I was extremely skeptical about it. After reading some reviews I decided to try it. We had mac and “cheese” for dinner tonight and I cannot thank you enough. This was the most delicious thing my husband and I have eaten in some time. I have tried cheese sauces before with daiya and other vegan cheeses and the consistency is always off and it never tastes great. This is incredible. I cannot believe how a potato, carrot, onion and some spices can come together to create such a creamy cheesy comforting sauce. This is a game changer. Thank you!!

    1. I am so glad you tried it and liked it! It still amazes me that potatoes, onions, carrots, and spices can taste so good. Game-changer for my family too. 🙂

  4. This is so easy to make, and tastes fabulous! I made the bean version because I want to be able to eat a lot of it! Thank you so much for this wonderful addition to my recipe arsenal. Love your site!!!!!

  5. Terri,
    This cheese sauce is amazing! I’ve tried 2 or 3 other recipes and have not liked them so I was skeptical about trying another one. But…after taking your Food for Life Class I knew I had to try it and am so glad I did. We enjoy several of your other recipes so I shouldn’t have been surprised 🙂

    1. That’s awesome, Brenda! So glad you liked the Cheese Sauce and that things are going well. Wonderful!

  6. I printed this recipe at least a year ago but never got around to trying it. I finally rediscovered it again today, making it for the first time. I was very pleasantly surprised. I had it over a big bowl of broccoli and can see this jazzing up any number of vegan dishes. thanks!

    1. Dawn, I am so glad that you were pleasantly surprised! This is a recipe we use on so many dishes, and I hope it will become a new favorite for you too.

  7. Made this tonight. Very good!! I added a little more salt, some diced jalapeño and some Gimme Lean Ground “beef”. Awesome nacho sauce!

    1. A recipe link for the sweet potato version is near the bottom of the post. Recently, a classroom of people with diabetes and hospital staff at a South Carolina hospital where I teach regularly test drove it and loved it. The registered dietitian said she actually liked it better than the white potato version.

  8. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this cheesy sauce!!! When I open the fridge and can’t think of a single thing I have the energy to fix for supper and spot the canning jar with this cheesy sauce …I get excited every time! …I know I have found the solution and ‘quick & delicious’ is less than10 mins away!!!

    1. I have used a number of different kinds with great success. My usual is Russet, but Yukon Gold would work well too.

    1. If you make the white bean version of this cheese sauce, canned or making your own beans from dry will work well. I’ve done both with great success. Enjoy!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating