Last modified: January 31, 2022. Originally posted: April 22, 2021 By Sophia DeSantis

The Best Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

Name: The Best Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked potato (, see note for precooked amount); ¼ cup cooked white or yellow onion (, see note for precooked amount); ¼ cup cooked carrots (, see note for precooked amount); 3 tablespoons cooked red pepper (, see note for precooked amount); 3 medium garlic cloves; ¾ cup cashews (, see note); ¼ - ½ cup liquid reserved from cooking the veggies (, adjust for the thickness you want (can also use veggie broth)); ½ - ¾ cup unsweetened plain cashew or almond milk (, adjust for the thickness you want ); ½ - ¾ cup nacho jalapeno slices (, adjust for the flavor you like (mild if you don’t want this spicy)); ¼ cup juice from the nacho jalapeno slices; ¾ teaspoon sea salt; ¼ - ½ teaspoon chili powder, chipotle powder or cayenne pepper (, to add spice and extra flavor); nacho jalapeno slices (, for garnish)

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This fan favorite vegan nacho cheese is mind blowing amazing. The texture and flavor are so perfect you’ll be shocked with the ingredients!

Hand dipping a tortilla chip into a bowl of cheese sauce

This cheese sauce always shocks those who try it. One look at the ingredients and you’ll be skeptical. Until you’re not!

After spending years, creating my original vegan cheese sauce, which is a HUGE reader favorite, I quickly started adding more vegan cheese recipes to my list. My sharp white cheese sauce followed next, then came my vegan white queso and I even made a vegan cheese ball! Having lots of homemade dairy free recipes on hand is great, because they taste so much better than store bought!

The key to my vegan cheese creations is whole foods. Also, I don’t use nutritional yeast. I know, I’m a lone duck in the vegan department with that one, but I just don’t think it tastes like cheese!

Ingredients

So if I’m using whole foods, how do I do it? First, a lot of trial and error. But the base of this vegan nacho cheese required a few key ingredients:

Potatoes
Carrots
Onion
Red pepper
Garlic
Pickled jalapeño nacho slices and their juice
Cashews
Dairy free milk
Reserved water from cooking the veggies

How to Make Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

This vegan cheese is super easy to make! I have two options, with the fastest being using an Instant Pot (thanks to a reader who used it for my original cheese sauce).

Cook the veggies and cashews.
Blend all of the ingredients together.
Pour into a bowl if your blender gets it piping hot, or heat in a pot if you prefer.
Dip all your faves and devour!

Serving suggestions

There are so many things you can do with this nacho cheese! It’s so versatile and delicious with just about anything. Here are some of our favorite ways to use it:

You can also serve it alongside other great things for a build your own snack type meal. Here are some of our favorite things to serve it with:

Tips and tricks

For the best vegan nacho cheese sauce, make sure to check out these helpful suggestions:

This recipe is super easy to customize to the spice level of choice! You can use mild or spicy jalapeño slices, and you can add less or more chipotle, cayenne or chili powder.
Cashews are key for creaminess, if you are allergic to nuts you can leave them out but know the creaminess won’t be as good. I have heard others using extra potato, cauliflower, white beans or sunflower seeds as well, but I still like cashews best.
If you don’t have an instant pot you can also cook the veggies and cashews on the stovetop for 20-30 minutes.
Make sure to reserve the water from cooking the veggies. If you forget you can use veggie broth instead.
A high speed blender is best to use. If you don’t have one a standard blender will work, but it will take longer to get the creamy consistency.
The nacho cheese thickens as it cools, and gets nice and thick in the fridge. It will thin out a bit once you warm it up again.
To store, keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
You can either reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Just make sure to stir so it heats evenly!

Common Questions

Why is nacho cheese called nacho cheese?

The first nachos were created for a group of hungry military wives by a man named Ignacio Anaya. He fried tortilla chips and served them topped with cheddar cheese and jalapeño slices. His nickname was nacho, so that is what he called his new appetizer.

Nacho cheese itself really has no definition. The recipe changes depending on who makes it, and can be anything that people like. However originally it was simply an orange cheddar type cheese with jalapeños.

Can you make vegan nacho cheese ahead of time?

Absolutely! In fact the flavor gets better with time, so making it in advance is great. Once you make it, allow it to cool completely at room temperature, then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

How do you store vegan nacho cheese?

If you are making it ahead of time, you should store it in the fridge in an airtight container. If you are serving it that day, you can either put it in a crockpot on low to keep it warm, or in a pot on the stove over low heat. You’ll need to mix it from time to time so it doesn’t form a skin type layer.

How do you reheat vegan nacho cheese?

After you refrigerate the nacho cheese, it will become thicker. Almost like a thick Greek yogurt consistency. When you are ready to serve, simply warm it slowly in the microwave or in a pot over low heat, mixing consistently. It will slowly thin out and become a nacho cheese sauce again.

What is vegan nacho cheese made of?

Many variations use nutritional yeast, but this recipe uses only veggies, jalapeños, dairy free milk, and seasonings.

What does vegan nacho cheese taste like?

Like nacho cheese! The classic taste comes from the tang of the jalapeños, so using both sliced jalapeños and their juice gives that flavor you know and love.

More Vegan Cheesy Recipes

Plant based cheese substitutes can be lacking sometimes, so I love having a variety of amazing options when the cravings hit. These traditionally cheesy recipes all got vegan makeovers, and they do not disappoint!