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.
Rozzi
Just made this and it was a hit! Used on top of pizza; everyone loved it including the baby and 3yo! Some left over for tomorrow too. Mostly easily on hand ingredients and easy to make. Will definitely make again! Thanks!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much for the great review Rozzi! I am thrilled you like it!
Annie
When using instant pot, did she use pot in pot method or just place veggies in instant pot with 2 cups of water?
veggiesdontbite
I have done it as well and I just put everything in the water!
Theron
I do a lot of cooking from vegan blogs, and I loved your comment about following the recipe. Personally, I don’t think it possible to make alterations until one has tried the recipe as written. I made this recipe this morning and thought it was great as written. I was a little skeptical but decided to give it a try because I LOVE roasted garlic. Next time I will probably leave out the red pepper and add a bit of nooch. I like nutritional yeast, just not in the quantities used in many vegan recipes.
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you liked it Theron!! Thank you so much for the great review!
Theron
Update: After sitting overnight in the fridge, this sauce was perfect as written. The Flavors come together beautifully!
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy to hear this Theron! Thanks for sharing!
Joshua B
I might make this in the near future, but are there any substitutes for the miso? I live in a country that is far from vegan friendly and is limited on foreign foods. Everything else is easily found, but I would probably have to take a 4 hour trip to the capital city to find any sort of miso paste :p
Or if you don't think the miso would be necessary that would also work for me
veggiesdontbite
Hi Joshua! I would just leave it out. The miso does give a deeper rich cheesy flavor but you can do without it as well. I have seen a few people use nutritional yeast but I am not a fan of that, however if you are then give it a shot!
Anita Rexinger
I found this website that lists these below as the Best Miso Paste Substitutes (the first two are more for the salty part of miso):
Soy Sauce. If I run out of miso paste, my next go-to is soy sauce because it adds a similar salty / umami / savoury hit
Salt. If a recipe just calls for a small amount of miso and has plenty of other ingredients, adding a little salt may be all you need.
Tahini
Vegetable Stock
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Anita! Yes, these can work. In this recipe, adding extra salt would work. I wouldn't add tahini though. Soy sauce maybe a tiny bit. Let me know if anyone tries it!
Colleen
Has anyone tried this with white beans instead of cashews?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Colleen! Changing up the cashews will definitely take away from the texture and creaminess. If you have a nut allergy, look through the comments and check out what some others have done. I would say try subbing half and half white beans and half more potato or cauliflower or a mix of both. You can also try sunflower seeds but that's not my favorite with flavor.
Melissa
OMG this is the best vegan cheese sauce I’ve made. It’s hard to find a vegan cheese sauce recipe without nutritional yeast. First time I made it I accidentally put smoked paprika in the recipe and was pleasantly surprised at the taste! I love following your recipes!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you SO much Melissa!! I am so so happy you liked it!
Cindy
Loved it thank you...
Here is how I made this... I boiled all the veggies and then scooped each one out and measured it per the recipe then put each one in the blender... I did grind the cashews in the coffee grinder and it worked great...added them straight to the blender after grinding with all the other ingredients...I used an equal amount of mustard powder instead of seeds...I used a red miso because its what I had on hand...I thought the taste was pretty good..I added salt until it tasted right...I thought it needed quite a bit of salt..I like the taste of nutritional yeast so I added a couple TBSP's , but it was pretty good without it....I then made some pasta and saved some of the water...Chopped some sun-dried tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms and added them along with some of this cheese sauce and it was crazy good...would make it again ....I dipped a tortilla chip in just the cheese sauce and it definitely satisfied the chip and cheese dip craving...Can totally see this as a jumping off point for other cooking creations...Just wanna say I am a lifetime carnivore who is trying to cut calories and this was pretty spot on and will definitely make again. Thank you for the inspiration...
veggiesdontbite
Oh my goodness Cindy! You made my day! I am so thrilled you liked it!
Arianne Fuellos
This was delicious and will be in our regular rotation! Especially with the easy instant pot method. I realized I forgot to add the miso a few days later, but it still worked, just had to added some extra salt afterwards. THANK YOU for this dairy-free, simple, delicious recipe that does not use nutritional yeast <3.
veggiesdontbite
SO happy you liked it!!!
Gunann
I cannot locate chickpea miso at our neighborhood markets. Do you have a suggestion for a substitute?
Thank you!
Ginann
veggiesdontbite
Hi Gunann! It's totally ok to use a regular miso, like white. If you read the comments many have done so! You may need a little more so taste and see.
Sonja
Omg amazing! I made it exactly according to the recipe, just added a bit more miso and a tad bit more lemon juice. Thank you for this treat!!!
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you liked it Sonja!!
Britt
So good! I didn't have the red pepper, I used veggie broth instead of water and I used a white onion instead of yellow, & honey mustard instead of mustard seed but still turned out amazingly cheesy! Thank you!!
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it Britt!
Brittany
AMAZING RECIPE!!! I do the version in the instant pot and turns out great, adding nutritional yeast is a game changer for me! So yummy!
veggiesdontbite
So happy you like it Brittany!
Ilana
Hello. (edited from last comment). I made your recipe last night. I used red miso as I could not find chick pea miso. I also added a vegan gf spice mix called cheesy bacon from deiciou. Oh edited to add I left our red peppers, as I don't like them...Minor changes... anyhow it was fabulous and by the best. I used my thermomix. It was easy. I served it over roasted cauliflower florets. Thanks for a great keeper recipe.
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it! We love it with broccoli and cauliflower!
Rhett Coon
My favorite foods are cheese and sauces... Real cheese, processed cheese, soft cheese, hard cheese, I like them all! My two children, however, have severe food allergies to milk and egg. They are teenagers now and I have not been able to enjoy a good cheese sauce with them whether it be nachos, mac n cheese, cheese soup, etc...
Until NOW!!!!
I followed the recipe and kept trusting till the end. Once the sauce was complete, I dipped a tortilla chip in and was blown away!!!!! This is excellent!
Thank you for allowing me to enjoy "cheese" with my kids!!!
veggiesdontbite
Woohoo! I am thrilled you liked it Rhett! Thanks so much for letting me know and the great review. Being able to be part of your food journey and enjoying food with your kids makes me so happy!
MIchelle
Wow! This is amazing! My 17 year old immediately took it to eat with her chips. This will be a staple at our house:)
veggiesdontbite
Thank you SO much Michelle!! I am thrilled you guys liked it!