Vegan Cheese Sauce
Creamy vegan cheese sauce with a cashew and potato base. A healthier alternative to more processed vegan cheese sauces. Perfect for mac n cheese or for nachos.
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Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- small pot
- high powered blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight or boiled for 10 minutes
- 1 small potato peeled and cubed
- 1 medium carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup unsweetened plain plant milk
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 teaspoon salt or more to preference
For nacho cheese sauce
- 1 cup prepared vegan cheese sauce
- 1/4 cup jalapeño nacho slices coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes or rotel
- couple dashes your favorite hot sauce
- pinch smoked paprika (optional, to sprinkle on top)
- chopped cilantro (optional, to garnish)
- chopped black olives (optional, to garnish)
Instructions
- Cover potatoes and carrots with water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. (If you haven't soaked your cashews yet, you can also boil them in the same saucepan at this time.)
- Drain potatoes and carrots and add to a blender with remaining ingredients. Reserve the starchy cooking water to thin out your sauce if needed.
- Blend until completely smooth, scraping down sides of blender with a spatula as needed. Depending on how starchy your potato is, you may need to add a little extra water to thin out the sauce. Add some of the reserved cooking water, a few tablespoons at a time, blending between additions until your perfect consistency is achieved.
To make vegan mac n cheese
- Cook your pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and add back into the pot. Pour in your desired amount of vegan cheese sauce and heat over medium, stirring often, until warmed through.
To make vegan nacho cheese sauce
- Add chopped pickled jalapeños, diced tomatoes, cumin, and smoked paprika to cheese sauce. If you like, you can warm it on the stove in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often.
- Top with fresh chopped cilantro and black olives if desired. Sprinkle on smoked paprika. Enjoy as a dip with chips or make a platter of delicious vegan nachos or 7 layer dip.
Notes
Milk: I like to use oat, cashew, or soy milk since they tend to be creamy and neutral in flavor. You can use canned coconut milk for a portion of the liquid to make it extra creamy, but it will influence the flavor somewhat. In a pinch, you can also simply use extra water.
Oil-free: You can omit the vegan butter if you want to make this recipe oil-free.
Nut-free: Substitute in raw sunflower seeds for the cashews. This definitely impacts the flavor but it will still provide a nice creamy base for a nut-free cheese sauce. Soak them for about 30 minutes if you don't own a high-powered blender.
The nutrition information provided on Sarah’s Vegan Kitchen is an estimate and is offered for general informational purposes only. Values will vary depending on the specific brands and amounts used.