9 Fabulous Vegan Cheese Recipes
These Vegan Cheese Recipes are so amazing no one will ever realize they are dairy-free and oil-free. Many of them can even be made nut-free by substituting white beans for cashews.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from EatPlant-Based
When I am talking to someone about going vegan, they will inevitably say, “I just can’t do that because I love cheese too much.” I always let them know that there are delicious homemade vegan cheese recipes to try like my dairy-free sliceable cheese and even cashew cream cheese.
Although there are plenty of store-bought vegan cheeses available these days, many contain added oils and saturated fat. That’s one reason I prefer making my own using simple, wholesome ingredients like potatoes, carrots, cashews, beans, and tofu.
That’s why, over the years, I have come up with alternatives like recipes for tofu ricotta and cashew mozzarella. There really are so many different ones to try!
Ingredients in homemade vegan cheese
There are a lot of different vegan cheese recipes out there, and most of them have a number of common ingredients. This is a short list of what the healthiest versions use for ingredients.
- Nuts- Cashews are probably the most common because they become creamy when blended.
- Beans- Many cashew cheeses can be made nut-free by using white beans.
- Potatoes- Surprisingly, veggies like potatoes, carrots, and onions are also used in quite a few recipes like my Best Vegan Cheese Sauce.
- Nutritional yeast- This is not brewer’s yeast but rather an inactive yeast that has a cheesy flavor and is used as a seasoning in many recipes like these Nutritional Yeast Recipes.
- Spices- Some of the spices used are salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
How to Make Vegan Cheese Without Cashews
One of the questions I hear most often is whether vegan cheese can be made without cashews. The good news is YES! You don’t have to use nuts to make a delicious, creamy, dairy-free cheese sauce.
In fact, some of my favorite vegan cheese recipes don’t contain nuts at all!
Here are a few of my favorite alternatives:
🫘 White beans: These are one of my favorite substitutes for cashews in recipes that allow the swap. They blend into a smooth, creamy sauce and are a great option for anyone avoiding nuts.
🥔 Potatoes and carrots: Believe it or not, these humble vegetables make an amazing cheese sauce! My Best Vegan Cheese Sauce uses vegetables to create a rich, creamy texture without needing nuts.
🍠 Sweet potatoes: These add natural creaminess, a beautiful golden color, and a touch of sweetness. They’re especially delicious in my sweet potato cheese sauce.
🌱 Tofu: Tofu is another wonderful option for making dairy-free cheeses, especially recipes like my vegan ricotta.
Just keep in mind that not every cheese recipe works with every substitution. The texture and flavor can change depending on the ingredients, so I recommend following the suggestions in each individual recipe.
If you’re avoiding cashews, don’t worry. There are still plenty of delicious cheesy options to enjoy!
My Favorite Blender for Making Vegan Cheese Sauces
If there’s one appliance that gets more use than anything else in my kitchen, it’s my Vitamix 5200 blender! I’ve used it for years, and it gets quite the workout around here.
From my creamy cashew Alfredo sauce to homemade vegan cheese sauces, salad dressings, smoothies, and so much more, I reach for it almost every day. One of the things I love most is how smoothly it blends ingredients like cashews into rich, creamy sauces without any gritty texture. I have a whole list of healthy Vitamix recipes on this website!
You certainly don’t have to own a Vitamix to make delicious plant-based recipes, but if you’re looking for a powerful blender, this is the one I personally use and love. It’s been one of my favorite kitchen investments!
Interested in the blender I use? You can check out my Vitamix 5200 on Amazon.
Tips for Making Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
After making homemade vegan cheese sauces for years, I’ve learned a few little tricks that can make a big difference. And believe me, there’s nothing quite like a smooth, creamy cheese sauce poured over a hot baked potato or a big plate of steamed broccoli! 🥦
Here are some of my favorite tips:
- Blend until completely smooth. This is probably my biggest tip! Whether you’re using cashews, white beans, or cooked vegetables, blending thoroughly is the secret to getting that wonderful creamy texture.
- Soften cashews when needed. If your blender isn’t very powerful, soaking cashews can help them blend more smoothly. Check the individual recipe for soaking instructions.
- Add liquid gradually. If your sauce seems too thick, add a little water or plant milk at a time until you reach the consistency you like. It’s much easier to thin a sauce than to thicken one that’s too watery!
- Don’t skip the nutritional yeast. This is one of my favorite ingredients for adding that savory, cheesy flavor without using dairy.
- Taste and adjust. Sometimes a little extra garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, or salt is all it takes to get the flavor just right.
- Remember that sauces can thicken as they cool. Some vegan cheese sauces become thicker after sitting or being refrigerated. A splash of liquid and a little gentle reheating can often bring them back to a creamy consistency.
And here’s one more tip from my kitchen: Don’t be afraid to experiment with how you serve these sauces! We use them on everything from nachos and tacos to pasta, baked potatoes, and vegetables. Once you find a favorite, you’ll probably start thinking of all kinds of ways to use it!
How to Store and Reheat Homemade Vegan Cheese
One of the things I love about making homemade vegan cheese is having extra sauce ready for another meal! It’s so handy to pull a container out of the refrigerator and turn a simple baked potato or bowl of steamed vegetables into something special.
Here are a few helpful storage and reheating tips:
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly. Transfer leftover cheese sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate it. The exact storage time depends on the ingredients, so check the individual recipe for guidance.
- Reheat gently. Most creamy vegan cheese sauces can be reheated in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- Add a splash of liquid. If your sauce has thickened in the refrigerator, stir in a little water or unsweetened plant milk until it’s creamy again.
- Freeze when appropriate. Some vegan cheese sauces freeze better than others. Sauces made with blended vegetables or beans may change texture after thawing, but blending or whisking can sometimes help smooth them out again.
- Store different types of cheese separately. Sliceable cheeses, ricotta, cream cheese, and dry vegan Parmesan have different storage needs, so follow the directions on those individual recipe pages.
My favorite little trick is to reheat only the amount I need rather than warming the entire batch over and over.
Having homemade vegan cheese ready to go makes putting together quick plant-based meals so much easier!
Which Vegan Cheese Recipe Should You Try First?
With so many delicious vegan cheese recipes to choose from, you might be wondering where to start. I get it! They all have their own flavors and textures, and each one is wonderful for different dishes.
If you’re new to making dairy-free cheese, here’s where I’d begin:
- 🧀 For an easy, everyday cheese sauce: Try my Best Vegan Cheese Sauce. It’s one of my oldest favorites, and we use it on baked potatoes, steamed vegetables, nachos, and so much more.
- 🍕 For pizza and French onion soup: My Cashew Mozzarella Cheese is a delicious choice when you want something warm, creamy, and a little stretchy.
- 🌮 For nachos and dipping: My Vegan Nacho Cheese is perfect for dipping baked tortilla chips or drizzling over tacos and burritos.
- 🍝 For lasagna and stuffed pasta: Try my Vegan Ricotta Cheese. It’s a wonderful dairy-free option for so many Italian-inspired dishes.
- 🥯 For breakfast and snacks: My Vegan Cream Cheese is delicious spread on toasted bagels, crackers, or celery.
- 🥔 For sprinkling over finished dishes: My vegan Parmesan is perfect for adding a little extra savory flavor to pasta, pizza, and vegetables.
If I were recommending just one recipe to someone making vegan cheese for the very first time, I’d probably start with my Best Vegan Cheese Sauce. It’s simple, versatile, and a great introduction to just how delicious homemade plant-based cheese can be!
Which Vegan Cheese Sauce Tastes the Best?
That’s a tough one because I really do love them all! Each vegan cheese recipe has its own flavor and texture, and some work better for certain dishes than others.
But if I had to choose just one, my Best Vegan Cheese Sauce would probably always have a special place in my heart.
It was the very first homemade vegan cheese sauce I learned to make after switching to a plant-based diet, and I remember being so excited to discover that we could still enjoy all those cheesy comfort foods without dairy!
Made with simple ingredients like potatoes, carrots, onions, and nutritional yeast, it’s creamy, flavorful, and incredibly versatile. We use it on baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, nachos, tacos, and just about anything else that needs a little cheesy goodness.
Over the years, I’ve created and tried lots of other dairy-free cheese recipes, but this one is still a regular in our kitchen. Sometimes those first favorites are hard to beat!
How to use vegan cheese sauce
Each vegan cheese sauce has its own merits and can be used in different recipes and in many different ways. Here are some of my favorites!
- Best Vegan Cheese Sauce – Can be served over air-fryed baked potatoes, steamed veggies, and even with bean tacos. We also mix it with salsa and serve it in Vegan Nacho Supreme.
- Mozzarella Cashew Cheese – This one has become our favorite for Veggie Pizza and French Onion Soup. It is also terrific drizzled over Mexican Stuffed Peppers.
- Vegan Ricotta Cheese – Perfect to serve on crackers or crusty bread chunks, as well as in Spinach Black Bean Lasagna.
- Easy Cream Cheese – Great on toasted bagels and crackers.
- Vegan Parmesan– This one is a dry cheese, and we love to sprinkle it over pizza, baked potatoes, and pasta.
There’s even a Spicy Vegan Nacho Dip recipe from the PlantPure Nation Cookbook that is pretty awesome when used as a vegan cheese sauce.
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
Frequently Asked Questions
Vegan cheese recipes often use ingredients like cashews, almonds, or sunflower seeds for a creamy base, along with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor, lemon juice, and spices. Some recipes also use tofu, coconut milk, or potatoes for unique textures and tastes.
To make vegan cheese meltable, ingredients like tapioca starch or agar-agar are often added for stretchiness and melt. These ingredients help vegan cheese achieve that gooey, creamy texture, especially when warmed.
Absolutely! Nut-free vegan cheeses can be made using ingredients like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, white beans, or tofu, making them allergy-friendly while still creamy and delicious.
Recipes That Call for Vegan Cheese
Everything just taste better with cheese, and that's why these healthy vegan cheese recipes are so amazing no one will ever realize they are dairy-free and oil-free! I use this cheese sauce for everything--nachos, tacos, pizza, baked potato and steamed veggie topping, and so much more! This Sweet Potato Cheese Sauce is packed with wholesome ingredients, amazingly delicious, and diabetes-friendly. Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and dairy-free. Making Vegan Cashew Queso has never been easier than with this delicious 4 ingredient recipe that takes less than 5 minutes to make in your blender or food processor. Here we go! This Cashew Vegan Cheese Mozzarella is fabulous on cashew cheese pizza, lasagna, quesadillas, and anything else you can think of. With a warm and nutty flavor, it even stretches! This Vegan Cheese Recipe has been a long time coming. Though I have a number of great dairy-free cheese recipes already, all of them have been sauces. That’s where this one is different. It’s actually sliceable for serving on crackers, sandwiches, and charcuterie boards. This Vegan Nacho Cheese is incredible as a dip for baked chips as well as on fries, baked potatoes, and pizza. For healthy burritos and quesadillas, it can't be beaten! Make it with cashews or white beans. Ridiculously easy to make, this Vegan Cream Cheese is fabulous smeared on bagels, muffins, crackers, or celery sticks. Deliciously simple for breakfast and snacks! This homemade vegan ricotta cheese is made with only 7 simple ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes for a deliciously healthy plant-based cheese alternative. Making homemade vegan parmesan is surprisingly easy and only requires a handful of ingredients. It keeps for months, so you’ll have it available to sprinkle on any and everything.Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipes
I hope you enjoyed browsing our list of vegan cheese recipes and discovered a few exciting ones to try! These dairy-free options are sure to add delicious flavor to your meals and snacks.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I’m the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I’m passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to help others care well for their health and the bodies God has given us. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Wow! I just made this cheese sauce and it is by far the best. I just made a scrumptious dinner. I lined a dinner plate with fresh spinach then I put boiled baby potatoes and broccoli on top of the spinach then poured this cheese sauce all over. MAN OH MAN
That’s awesome! I hope it will be a new favorite. We love this stuff too.
I cannot locate the entire recipes for each of the 4 vegan cheeses. Please help. They sound delicious. Is there someplace where I can see and print out the exact recipes? Please advise
Yes, each of the 4 recipes can be found by clicking on their name or picture in this article. This will take you to each recipe where you will be able to see and print out ingredients and instructions. Enjoy!