Best Vegan Cheese Sauce
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Best Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Cashew Vegan Mozzarella
- Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Ricotta
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Easy Vegan Cream Cheese
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!
- Cheesy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes
- Loaded Potato Skin Bites
- Vegan Chili Cheese Fries
- Vegan Cheddar Broccoli Soup
- Easy Vegan Pizza
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
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Best Vegan Cheese Sauce
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
Nutrition
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.
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!!!
Love it too! Thank you! 😀
Does it make a difference if you use russet potatoes (starchy) or non-starchy potatoes?
Hi Carrie, I’ve used russet, red, and sweet potatoes in this cheese sauce with great success.
Hi Terri.
In your own cheese sauce are you referring to white beans in a can?
Yes, that’s right. When I use white beans, I usually make this with canned white beans, but freshly cooked works well too.
I’ve just started eating WFPB and this is the first cheese sauce I’ve made, and it was so easy and tasty! Thank you for sharing!
Wonderful! So glad you liked it. Wishing you the very best on your new journey!
Does this freeze well?
It will freeze, but after defrosting it needs to be mixed well again, either with a whisk or even in a blender. Still taste great after freezing.
We love this sauce!! I double it and freeze 1/2 and I also add in a tsp of white vinegar to give it a bit more ‘tang’. I use 1/2 cup of cashews and 1/2 cup cannellini beans, makes it lovely and creamy. I get 6 cups from this batch and my family loves it as Mac and cheese and I eat it on everything ?
Thanks for bringing back mac and cheese back into my life after 8 years vegan. I think I actually like the vegan version more✌????
That’s so awesome to hear! Just recently, I’ve begun to freeze some too. It makes it so much easier when I want to make nachos or tacos. Thanks for the great feedback!!
I am going to try this it looks good but every cheese sauce that I have made does not taste like cheese. I will let you know after I make it. I sure hope it’s good because I miss that cheese in so many dishes I make
Thanks
Hi Sandy- I look forward to hearing about how you like this cheese sauce!
Terri, I would like to thank you for the fabulous no cheese sauce recipe. The company I work for has a company meeting lunch every quarter, there are a few co-workers who are gluten intolerant and some are vegetarians. I sought a website that would help me find recipes to suit all employees for lunch. I made the cheese sauce with white beans, I tasted it and I felt the sauce was a bit salty, but the next day it was fine. I am anxious to make the mozzarella cheese sauce, my son is lactose intolerant and he misses pizza with cheese and mac & cheese. I viewed the chocolate mouse and I’m off to the store for tofu. Thank you again, who knows I might be swinging on the vegetarian-vegan vine.
Hi Teresa- Oh, how I love reading wonderful feedback like your comments! I am thrilled that the cheese sauce turned out so well for your company party. I’m betting you’ll be every bit as happy with the mozzarella and chocolate mousse. I hope you’ll let me know how those go over as well!
Terri
Thank you so much for this recipe. It tastes amazing. We used it on roasted vegetables and as a dip for chips.
I has so many uses, doesn’t it? Thanks so much for letting me know that it’s a hit for you!
I recommend this cheese sauce to everyone who goes plant based and is missing cheese!!! Close as you are going to get. I’ve tried several other recipes and this was my personal favorite. I don’t know what I would do without it. I even put it on lightly sautéed kale over mushrooms and peppers/onions for breakfast everyday to help me get all my greens in for over a year now.
It freezes well it in individual servings (in muffin tin) so none goes to waste.
You can make it have a little more kick when you want by adding 1/2 a roasted red pepper and a chipotle red pepper, but its good as is too.
Thanks for sharing it with us!!
Diane- How wonderful to read your review for this recipe! Thanks so much! Oh, and I love your idea for freezing it in muffin tins for the perfect individual servings. That’s brilliant!
This recipe was so good! I doubled the recipe and used all cannellini beans no nuts.
I love that white beans are just a good option in this recipe. Thanks so much for letting me know that you enjoyed it!
Hi, Terri,
Oh my goodness, this is THE BEST CHEESE SAUCE EVER!!!! I made it to put over broccoli, and I couldn’t stop eating the broccoli!!!! I will be using the cheese sauce for pizza and also for your macaroni and cheese recipe and everything else I can put it on!!!!
I really appreciate your Vegan recipes!!!! Thank you so much!!!!
Hi Antoinette- How wonderful to hear! We use this cheese sauce on everything too. You might like to know that it freezes well if you want to save some for later. When I defrost it and then toss it back into the blender for a quick spin, it comes out perfectly creamy again. I hope you continue to find great ideas to use it on!
Hi Terri,
I make your cheese sauce frequently and always have some in the refrigerator.
Can the sauce be successfully frozen? If so, any special instructions?
Thanks,
Bev
Hi Bev- Yes, the cheese sauce can be frozen, and I do it all the time. When you defrost it, just put it back in a blender and process for a minute or two, and it will become nice and creamy again. I’m so glad that you like it, and thanks so much for letting me know.
This is the first time I have tried a cashew based cheese sauce.
Yum!!
Thanks so much… I will most certainly make it again many many times!
I will also try it with the beans.
Can you substitute cashew butter vs cashews? If you can, how much should I use? Thank you it looks yummy.
Hi Jill- I haven’t tried using cashew butter in this but would be really interested in hearing how it turns out. Maybe try using 4 Tbsp.