This vegan cheese sauce is so creamy and amazing you won't believe it's made with a healthy vegetable base! A huge hit even with dairy eaters.
This is absolutely the best vegan cheese sauce recipe. It's made in a blender and perfect for mac and cheese, baked casseroles and anything else that requires cheese sauce!
This recipe was originally published on 7/8/2015
It's pure magic how you can take vegetables and create this incredibly creamy healthy cheese sauce, without even using milk! I know you probably doubt me, but I promise you need this. I have used this strategy to make my vegan white cheese sauce and my vegan nacho cheese sauce with success!
Ingredients
The gooey base of this cheesy vegan sauce comes from potatoes. When you blend cooked potatoes at high speed, it creates a stretchy texture.
I figured this out one day when I was making the pizza crust for my Thai Chickpea and Veggies Pizza and used a blender instead of a food processor.
You will notice this vegan cheese sauce has no nutritional yeast. I am not a nutritional yeast fan, and I don't really think it tastes cheesy, but if you like it feel free to add some in!
Here is what you need to make this recipe:
- Potato
- Red pepper
- Orange carrot
- Sweet or yellow onion
- Raw cashews
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Chickpea miso
- Ground mustard seed
- Paprika
- Sea salt
How to Make Vegan Cheese Sauce
Thank goodness this recipe is so easy to make, because it's in our regular rotation! Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Load all ingredients into a blender.
- Blend on high until you get a creamy gooey consistency.
- Use nice and hot!
Preparation Tips
When it comes to creating the best vegan cheese sauce, there are few key things to remember:
- If you have a regular good blender instead of a high speed one you can still get creamy awesomeness by grinding the cashews with a coffee grinder first. Grind them dry and simply add to the blender with everything else.
- You can also soak them overnight before boiling with the veggies, but this still may not give as creamy of a result as the grinding.
- You can thin out the consistency of the vegetable cheese sauce with some extra liquid.
- Use either water, dairy free milk, water from the boiled veggies, or pasta water if making mac and cheese.
- When you measure the veggies, measure them packed in not just loosely scooped up.
- Start with a little salt, and once everything is blended taste the cheese sauce. Add more salt if necessary.
What to Make With This Cheesy Vegan Sauce
This plant based cheese sauce recipe is amazing with everything! Seriously there are SO many things you can do, so little time. Here are some of my top faves:
- Mac and cheese of course, SO good.
- Drizzle it over veggies, okay maybe it's more of a drench than a drizzle.
- Enjoy as a dip with chips, crackers, or veggies, or apple slices.
- Load it onto a baked potato.
- Nacho cheese dip, I add chopped nacho jalapeño slices.
- Top your favorite tacos.
- 7 Layer Taco Dip.
- Roasted Poblano Mac and Cheese.
- Mexican Nacho Burger.
- Smother Oven Baked Fries.
- Pair with Vegan Pigs in a Blanket.
- Top Vegan Scrambled Eggs.
- Use on your favorite homemade pizza.
- Include it in your favorite dairy free cheese casseroles.
- Eat it with a spoon...Don't judge, just try it.
Substitution Suggestions
I tried a variety of combinations for this dairy free cheese sauce, I did after all spend years of trial and error, and the ingredients listed are the best for creating the correct flavor and texture. Here a few swaps you can experiment with:
- If you can't have cashews you can try other nuts such as macadamias, walnuts, or pine nuts. Just note that the flavor will be affected.
- For a completely nut free sauce try white beans or sunflower seeds. (I didn't care for the sunflower seed version but others have.)
- You can also leave out the cashews without replacing, but the texture will not be as thick and creamy.
- Red potatoes are suggested but any other starchy potato will do. Avoid sweet potatoes or other root veggies.
- Chickpea miso has the right flavor, white miso can be used but the taste will be more mild. Some have even completely left it out and still liked the flavor!
Flavor Suggestions
You can adapt this recipe to make different flavors of vegan cheese sauces. Any time you mix in an addition, start with a little and blend in more a little at a time until you get the flavor you want.
If you want chunks of the add ins, pulse them in instead of blending, or stir in with a spoon.
- Salsa
- Jalapeños - fresh or pickled
- Taco seasoning
- Chili seasoning
- Chives
- Roasted red peppers
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Broccoli (cooked and chopped)
- Caramelized onions
- Vegan sausage
- Mushroom bacon
- I prefer this vegan cheese sauce without nutritional yeast, but for those that are a fan feel free to shake some in.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- Prep this vegan cheese sauce recipe in advance by cooking the veggies and roast the garlic. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use.
- Store the prepared cheese sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze this for up to 3 months so you can have vegan cheese sauce at your fingertips any time!
- When you defrost, leave it on the counter all day so it can slowly come to room temp.
- Feel free to return the defrosted sauce to the blender
- You can reheat this in the microwave or in a pot with a splash of nondairy milk (I use cashew) and mix well. Add splashes of milk and mix until you have the right consistency. It may need more salt depending on how much milk you add.
How to Make Vegan Cheese Sauce in an Instant Pot
Instead of boiling the vegetables, you can use your pressure cooker.
- Put all the ingredients (except for roasted garlic and lemon juice) into an instant pot with 2 cups of water.
- Set it to manual high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Let it naturally release.
- Blend in a high speed blender until smooth.
Common Questions
There are a number of recipes out there that all use different methods for creating cheese sauces with only plant-based items. This recipes uses potatoes, veggies, cashews, and seasonings to create a thick and creamy sauce.
There are some plant-based store bought cheeses available, but it's best to make your own with whole foods!
Many use dairy free milk and nutritional yeast to capture the cheese flavor, but I've had better luck with veggies and chickpea miso.
This sauce for one! Vegan Parmesan is also really easy to make and tastes so good!
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
Now that you know how easy it is to make your own homemade vegan cheese sauce, you need more varieties to try! Here are more plant based cheese recipes I know you'll love:
Best Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked potato (about 3-4 potatoes, see note)
- 2 tablespoons cooked red pepper (about ⅓ of a medium sized pepper)
- 3 tablespoons cooked orange carrot (about 4-5 baby carrots or one medium sized)
- 5 tablespoons cooked sweet or yellow onion (about ½ a small)
- ½ cup raw cashews (see note)
- 1 teaspoon roasted garlic (about 2-4 cloves, depending on size)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon chickpea miso (see note)
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard seed
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt (can use less or more depending on taste preference)
- Your favorite pasta if making Mac and Cheese
Instructions
- Roast the garlic by peeling and wrapping it in tin foil with a splash of veggie broth. Roast at 400 F (205 C), in a regular or toaster oven, while you cook the veggies.
- Put potatoes (peel if you don't want specks of skin), red pepper, carrots, onion and cashews in a pot and cover with water. If you don't have a high speed blender and are grinding the cashews, then don't boil but grind them dry and place them in the blender.
- Cook over high heat until water boils, about 15 minutes if uncovered. Turn heat to medium and boil another 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
- When done, drain water (keeping some to thin out sauce if prefer a thinner sauce), separate veggies and put the cashews in the blender. I use a fork to fish out the veggies, then drain the cashews over a pasta strainer.
- Measure out the needed amount of each veggie and place each in the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Blend on high until you get a creamy gooey consistency. If you have a tamper tool use it to help mix the sauce as it blends. If you don’t have one, then you will need to stop and push down the ingredients every once in a while.
- If you want to thin it out, add some of the reserved cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the desired consistency. Use nice and hot!
To make the ultimate Mac and Cheese:
- Cook your pasta according to package directions.
- Drain pasta reserving about 1 cup pasta water.
- Add the pasta back into the pot and add desired amount of cheese sauce.
- Then add pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well in between additions, until you get the desired consistency for your Mac and Cheese. If your pasta is too starchy (as some gluten free pastas are) you can also use regular water or even non dairy milk to do this. Add salt if needed, it most likely will since the sauce is no longer as concentrated. Devour!
Notes
- Makes 3 ½ cups sauce. Serving size for nutrition info is ½ cup.
- Nutrition info is for cheese sauce only.
- I used red potatoes but any starchy potato will work, just don’t use sweet. It also won't work to substitute with something that is not an actual potato (such as another root vegetable).
- If you are not using a high speed blender, you can grind the dry cashews into a fine powder using a coffee grinder (do not boil them for this method). You can also soak them overnight prior to boiling with the veggies or just boil them with the veggies.
- You can make this nut free by eliminating the nuts, however you will lose some of the thickness and creaminess. It will still be pretty good in taste, but just lacking some of those elements. You can also try subbing with another nut if you are allergic to cashews, I suggest walnuts or macadamias, however the flavor will be different. I did try it with multiple nuts and liked the taste of the cashews best.
- If you don’t have chickpea miso, you can try using a white miso although it will be a little more mild in flavor so you may need more. See the comments for others that have tried using white miso.
- I did not add any liquid to this when I made it, but depending on what you use it for, you may want to thin it out with some water, water from the boiled veggies or pasta water if making mac and cheese.
- You can reheat this in the microwave or in a pot with a splash of nondairy milk (I use cashew) and mix well. Add splashes of milk and mix until you have the right consistency. It may need more salt depending on how much milk you add.
- You can also freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container as it freezes great. Defrost slowly when ready to eat. You may think it didn't freeze well, but as you heat it up the consistency comes back!
- Cook the veggies and roast the garlic. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use.
- This can be mixed into any baby food or be used for a toddler as a dip. You could also just blend the veggies on their own for baby.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Mandy
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Super creamy and cheesy. We served it over potatoes, kale, broccoli and black beans...thumbs up all around. Awesome recipe, Sophia!
veggiesdontbite
Oh YAY!!! SO glad you all liked it! I love it over potatoes too...potatoes with potatoes is never a bad thing. LOL! Thank you so much for letting me know! Hope you're doing well!
Natalie
Hi!
Quick question about this sauce - do you cook the potatoes/blend the potatoes with their skins on??
I'm attempting this recipe tonight - excited to try it!!
Thanks,
Nat
veggiesdontbite
Hi Natalie! I keep the skins on because it's easier and my vitamix blends them in to where you can't see them. However you can totally peel the potatoes if your blender isn't as powerful and you don't want to see any specks. It won't affect the taste though! Can't wait to hear how you like it. Let me know!!
Bianca @ ElephantasticVegan
This cheese sauce looks perfect for the mac and cheese! And I love the color of it. I don't think anyone would notice that it's not real cheese 😀
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Bianca!! It's a huge favorite and the most like real cheese I've had!
Sarie
I am so excited to try this recipe! I totally agree about the nutritional yeast recipes not tasting quite the same as the good old stuff. Can you tell me, is mustard seed powder the same thing as dry ground mustard?I am so excited to try this recipe! I totally agree about the nutritional yeast recipes not tasting quite the same as the good old stuff. Can you tell me, is mustard seed powder the same thing as dry ground mustard?
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Sarie! Mustard seed powder is the same as dry ground mustard so you're good to go! Let me know how you like it!
Ryan @ Feed by Round Pond
Two years - I admire your perseverance! I also try to ensure that my kids only eat whole foods, so this is the perfect addition to the dinner menu.
veggiesdontbite
Yes! Ever since we changed our diet I have wanted to find a good cheese sauce. It's taken me that long to work with texture, taste and color in order to nail it! Let me know if you give it a try. My boys love it! Thanks so much!
M
Is it possible to use regular miso instead of chickpea? I don't find that one anywhere...
veggiesdontbite
Hi there! Yes, I suggest using white miso in the notes, but try whatever you can find! White miso is more mellow than chickpea so depending on the type of miso you use, you may need more or less for the flavor. Start small and add 1/4 teaspoon at a time to see. If you use white, you will most likely need a bit more! Let me know which miso you end up using and how it turns out!
Barbara
I'm allergic to rice. Do you think it would hurt anything to omit the miso?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Barbara! The miso is essential to the true cheesy taste, but I know others have made it without. If you do that just know that it won't be as rich in its cheesiness (I've had a few comment on my recipe that it didn't turn out, when they omitted or changed ingredients) so I want to make sure you know that I took many years of trials and errors to get this perfect cheesy flavor using whole food ingredients. But you can definitely try it! You may need to up the other flavors, but feel free to play with it. That being said, the miso I use also has a barley miso, and I don't think it's made with any rice. Here's the link for you to check and see! If you try it, just start with 1/4 teaspoon miso and gradually add to get that perfect flavor as I have never compared the taste of the barley variety to the chickpea one I use. Let me know how it goes. https://www.great-eastern-sun.com/stuff/miso-master-organic-country-barley-miso
Barbara
Looks like it's rice-free. Thanks!
veggiesdontbite
Oh awesome!! So happy to have helped!!
Suzanne@FrugalOrganicMama
Congratulations Sophia!! I'm not vegan, but this sauce looks delicious. I'll let you know when we try it!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Suzanne! You will love it. And it's a great way to get some extra veggies into those kids! Definitely let me know when you try it!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen
This looks unreal Sophia!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the texture and color!! I can't wait to try it and LOVE all the veggies in there 🙂 YUMM!!!!!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you SO much Ceara!!! It took me so many trials and errors to nail it. The texture and color is so spot on its scary. It's a staple now and have it in our fridge at all times!! Let me know when you try it!
Linda @ Veganosity
This looks fabulous! I use steamed cauliflower and soaked cashews for my cheese sauce and it gets nice and thick like melted cheese. I never add as much nutritional yeast as some bloggers do because I find it overpowering, but a small amount does give a cheesy flavor. I'm going to have to try potatoes and your seasonings. Thanks!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Linda! Yes, I'm not a nutritional yeast fan in my sauces. I really wanted to create something without it. The potatoes give it that stretchy gooey texture! So good!
Brad
How much cauliflower did you steam? I'm guessing an equivalent volume/mass as the potatoes, but I'm frequently wrong about such things.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Brad! I'm a little confused on the cauliflower question. Do you mean you want to sub cauliflower for the potatoes? If so I'd guess around the same but the potatoes almost fluff up and get sticky and gooey when puréed and cauliflower doesn't really do that. So I'm not sure how it would turn out. But if you try it please let me know!
veggiesdontbite
Ah...now I see. You were asking about Linda's version. Sorry, my phone doesn't show that just purely the comment. So when I looked on my computer I saw. I haven't tried using cauliflower for cheese sauce but I do have a fabulous Alfredo cream sauce recipe using cauliflower on my site you should check out if you like cauliflower https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2015/03/23/fat-free-roasted-garlic-cauliflower-alfredo-sauce-with-fresh-basil/
Dina
When I tried this I couldn't believe it had no real cheese. Very, very Good!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you! It's crazy even to me!
Nichole Kraft, Food Writing Copyeditor
That is, by far, the thickest looking whole-foods cheese sauce I've ever seen! I would never judge you for just eating it straight off the spoon, because I'm already dreaming about doing that. 😉
Have you tried roasted garlic powder in a pinch? I always seem to forget to roast garlic in advance, and then I'm halfway through a recipe and discover that I need some and don't have any.
veggiesdontbite
Lol! Yes, super spoon worthy! I've never tried roasted garlic powder but I'd guess it would do the trick as long as it has that roasted garlic flavor. I'd start with 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Let me know if you try it! Thank you!!
Susan
Sometimes I just saute the garlic in a skillet in a pinch because it's quicker & it does the trick.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Susan! You can definitely try that as well. Roasting it give it a bit of a sweeter caramelized taste but in a pinch the sauce is great!
Marta
Hi!
Have you ever frozen roasted garlic? Here's how to do it according to The Kitchn website: "... let the garlic cool after roasting it and then remove any papery skins.
To freeze whole cloves, spread them out on a baking sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen, store the cloves in a sealed plastic bag or container.
You can also mash the roasted garlic and freeze it in teaspoon or tablespoon measures in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, pop out the cubes and store them in a sealed plastic bag or container."
I've frozen the entire cloves before and they're very easy to work with even immediately after taken from the freezer (the frozen cloves have a similar consistency of a frozen banana - very easy to cut).
Happy cooking!
Jill
I usually buy minced garlic (there is a regular variety and a roasted one) from the produce area of the supermarket, kind of in the area of the bagged salads. I have three young kids and a full-time paid job, so I'm usually making dinner in a hurry and this is one of my (many) short cuts! 🙂
veggiesdontbite
That's great!!! It'll work!
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit
The day has finally come!!! That little cup of mac n cheese seriously looks exactly like what I remember the Kraft crap looking like 😮 Wow Sophia! And I am definitely one of those who isn't a fan of the nutritional yeast based sauces, but with the miso and the paprika and the mustard I think I would still love this <3
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Natalie!! It's definitely reminiscent of the bad for you Mac n cheese I used to have. This satisfies my craving better than any cheese sauce I've tried! I know you'll love it. The little bits of each spice come together to give it its final cheesy taste!
Alison
This sounds and looks amazing! ...but I don't like mustard. Do you think it would be OK to make it without the mustard? Also where do you get your chickpea miso?
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Alison! The mustard powder here only helps achieve that deep cheddar cheese flavor. My husband doesn't like mustard either and loves this sauce. If you're really hesitant, add it in last and start with only half the amount. But It doesn't give that mustard flavor like it does in other recipes. I get my chickpea miso from my local health food store. I'd try a Whole foods type store! You can use regular white miso, but you may need more to achieve the deep flavor.
Jenn
That color!!!! Perfect! Sounds so good! This is similar to how I make my Butternut Mac...different veggies though. I did make the "mistake" once of putting potatoes in the food processor....super sticky and gooey. It wasn't what I was going for at the time and it never crossed my mind that it would be the perfect consistency for cheese sauce....silly me! It's brilliant!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Jenn! You should see how sticky and gooey the potatoes get in a vitamix!! Lol. Its definitely how I got the idea for cheese! I have a few more recipes coming using the same idea so watch out for those!
The Vegan 8
Can't wait to try it girl! Thanks for linking to my recipes! As you know, my fat-free potato based cheese has been one of biggest hits with readers, so I'm looking forward to trying another version with them. I absolutely love the cheesy kick nutritional yeast gives, I love the stuff, so I'm anxious to see how it tastes without it! Looks so creamy! Yum!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Brandi! Yes, I think nutritional yeast is either something you love or don't. I like it sprinkled or in very small amounts but not as a cheese sauce. It doesn't really taste cheesy to me. I wonder if I have a different taste gene for it like with cilantro. Lol!! Can't wait to have you try it!! My readers a love it already and one has made it!
Harriet Emily
WOOOAAAH Sophia!!! I've had the same struggles as you with cheese sauces - nothing has ever quite matched the original. But this... omg. Wow! It looks soooo good, and so cheesy! I can totally see myself dipping fries in this and serving it with everything. It looks soooo delicious. I have to try this! Amazing!!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Harriet!! We are going to have it with fries this week. It's so good!! Definitely satisfies the craving! Let me know if you try it!