Silky smooth vegan cheese sauce that is also nut free! It’s absolutely perfect over nachos, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and makes a delicious mac and cheese.

vegan cheese sauce being poured onto chips

What’s the hardest thing for people to give up when they want to go vegan? CHEESE. I hear it over and over again; people can usually imagine going meatless but cheese? That’s a hard one! As a former cheese fanatic, I totally understand! It felt really difficult in the beginning, but now I don’t miss it at all. 9 years ago, when I went vegan, there weren’t as many delicious vegan cheeses you could buy at the store like there are today. Now I can find vegan cheese products at my local discount store. These are exciting times people!

Even though you can buy special vegan cheese products at many stores now, I still mostly prefer to make my own. Often, those products are super pricey and not all of them taste good. You can tell I love “cheese” by the fact I have several recipes for vegan cheese on my blog:

🙂

vegan cheese sauce in a pan with a ladle picking it up

All of my vegan cheese recipes to this point have included cashews, because when soaked and then blended with other ingredients, they make a really rich, thick and creamy cheese sauce. I fell in love with cashews awhile back for their ability to create such rich, creamy dishes such as the cheeses above and sour cream.

But what’s a person to do that can’t eat nuts? That’s who this recipe is for today! And anyone else who enjoys an ultra-creamy vegan cheese sauce to drizzle over EVERYTHING. Seriously, I was surprised at how good this turned out with such simple ingredients. I hope you love it, too!

How do you make vegan cheese sauce (nut free!)?

Boil some potatoes and carrots (amounts are listed below in the recipe card.)

While they boil, add everything else to a blender:

  • non-dairy milk
  • nutritional yeast
  • olive oil (optional, but I highly recommend for richness)
  • lemon juice
  • salt & spices
  • cornstarch
  • optional for nacho cheese: can of diced green chiles

Once the potatoes and carrots are fork tender, drain and add to the blender. Blend on high until silky smooth.

 

vegan cheese sauce in a blender

You shouldn’t need to warm it on the stove, since the potatoes and carrots were hot when you blended it. But if you want, you can add it to a pot and warm, stirring frequently, until it thickens up a bit more.

This vegan cheese sauce is incredibly versatile and can be used many places, such as:

  • With tortilla chips, for nachos (of course)
  • On baked potatoes
  • Over steamed or roasted broccoli
  • With elbow noodles for Mac and Cheese

My toddler went crazy over this vegan cheese sauce; he literally could not get enough of it! My older kids were impressed, too.

Enjoy!

vegan cheese sauce on a chip

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vegan cheese sauce being poured onto chips

Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut Free!)

Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Author: Nora Taylor
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Silky smooth vegan cheese sauce that is also nut free! It's absolutely perfect over nachos, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and makes a delicious mac and cheese.
4.87 from 15 votes
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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped russet potato (1 medium)
  • 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots (about 2-3 carrots)
  • 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • Optional for nacho cheese: 4 oz can diced green chiles, drained
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Add the potatoes and carrots to a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, until fork tender.
  • While the vegetables are boiling, add all the other ingredients (including green chiles if using) to a blender. 
  • Drain the potatoes and carrots and add them directly to the blender with the other ingredients. Blend on high until silky smooth. You don't need to warm it further, but if you want you could add it to a pot to keep it warm. Stir frequently if you do this; it will thicken even more.
  • Serve over tortilla chips, drizzle on baked potatoes or steamed broccoli. Mix into macaroni pasta to make mac and cheese! Store leftover vegan cheese in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, if it lasts that long.

Notes

  1. May also use yukon gold potatoes, you will need 2 small potatoes.
  2. The oil adds some richness to an otherwise low fat cheese sauce, but if you are avoiding oil you may omit it. 
  3. You can use any unsweetened non-dairy milk that you like, I used coconut milk. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 133kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 513mg, Potassium: 298mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 3646IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 112mg, Iron: 1mg

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