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.
Rachael
Hi, at what point do you add the garlic, miso, lemon juice, mustard seeds and paprika? Unless I've missed it I cant seem to find the instructions for this part?
Thanks
veggiesdontbite
Hi Rachael! In the 5th direction down it says "Measure out the needed amount of each veggie and place each in the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients." So just put everything else in then! Hope that helps. Let me know how it goes!
Juliana
I'm actually shocked at how good this recipe is. I've been trying to slowly convert myself from vegetarian to vegan and the recipe doesn't disappoint. Took me about 20 minutes to whip this up with the help of the instant pot. I can't believe how creamy the sauce it. I can see why someone might say this "doesn't taste like real cheese" but it has a great balance of flavor and I wouldn't say any component is overpowering. Can't wait to make this for all my vegan friends lol.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Juliana!! Thank you so so much for the great review. I am so happy you liked it!! I think that you have to go into it reading my post and how this isn't meant to be cheddar cheese. More of the velveeta fake cheese kind of texture and flavor. But way healthier!
Geneva
I'm allergic to carrots, so I would have to sub, but don't want to ruin your recipe! Any thoughts on what an appropriate sub would be? In the past, I've subbed sweet potatoes, pumpkin or butternut. I am pretty sure none of these are perfect - flavor or texture-wise - but I don't know what carrots taste like, so, I can't really tell if it's the recipe that I don't like or the substitution.
Any thoughts/ideas would be appreciated!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Geneva! Sorry to hear you are allergic to carrots. And thanks for checking in on this. While any sub will change the recipe a bit, you can definitely try and sub. Sweet potatoes, pumpkin and butternut definitely have a different flavor and texture than carrots. Carrots can have some sweet undertones when cooked but not as much as those, so if you sub one to one you will get too much sweetness. Texture wise, when carrots are cooked they are most similar to a cross between pumpkin and butternut. But since this recipe is blended and carrots don't make up a huge part, I wouldn't worry about the texture. I would try subbing with butternut but maybe only do 2 tablespoons instead of 3. I can't vouch for the end result, but I would love to hear how it turned out!
Geneva
Thank you so much! I will make sure to update when I make it (over the weekend, at the latest 🙂
Jessica L
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I make it all the time. I just made a double batch and I am planning to freeze it before company comes at the end of next week. You mention defrost it slowly. Do you mean pop it in the fridge the night before or something else? Thanks!
veggiesdontbite
Yay! I am so happy you like it Jessica! Yes, when you need to defrost you can either put in the fridge overnight or you can put it on the counter and let it come to room temperature.
Payton
Ooh I love a good vegan mac n cheese! I love how it’s made with veggies since I try not to eat vegan cheese too often, so this seems like a great substitute! I’ll have to try this recipe out some time. (:
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Payton! It's one of my most popular recipes! Hope you enjoy it.
Regina
I think you really did find the very best vegan cheese sauce!!! I used light yellow miso once and chicken bouillon once. Both worked, but the miso was much better. I cooked all the veggies in an instant pot for 10 minutes on high pressure, made this so easy. I didn't have enough potato, so I split the recipe in half and made half as written and the other half subbing cauliflower for potato and that was excellent and very, very, very similar in taste. I used the cauliflower version for dinner when I didn't want any starchy food and the potato version for lunches when I wanted something rich and filling!
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you liked it! And that you found success with the cauliflower! Thank you so much!
Erica Morrow
Amazing! I can't wait to test it out on the kids 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Let me know what they think!
Amanda
So I didn’t love this recipe but it wasn’t awful by any means! I could strongly taste the red bell pepper, so in the future, could I just leave it out and maybe add another baby carrot or two? I also followed some of the other reviewers and had to use white miso (and more of it). It still didn’t taste cheesy to me so ... brace yourself .... I added nooch 🙈 It was amazing (for me and my tastes) after that! Oh and I’m also here to say the grinding of the cashews in a coffee grinder is friggin genius! Huge thank you from a busy, scatterbrained mom who’s trying to get her kids to eat better! Thank you!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Amanda! Haha! We definitely all have different tastes, if nutritional yeast is something you love, then go for it! It's just not my thing and it doesn't taste cheesy to me. But again, we all have different preferences which is what keeps life exciting. As for the red pepper, I'm curious if you weighed the ingredients or used the measurements? I put in exact weights to make sure the ratios worked for that perfect flavor. So it may just be the measurement you put in. I'd try putting a little less, I do think it contributes to the overall flavor. However if you are adding the nutritional yeast, then you may be good without it and adding more carrot. But you don't want the carrot flavor to overpower either. Let me know what end up working out for you!
lupe lopez
i really want to make this today but i don't have chickpea miso or ground mustard seed.. is there any other thing i can use to substitute these two ingredients or can i make the cheese without this??
veggiesdontbite
Hi Lupe! Both of those add great cheesy flavor to the sauce. You can definitely leave them out but it won't be as good as the original. And you will need to up the salt since the miso is salty. You can use regular miso as well, and maybe a tiny bit of dijon mustard.
Megan
This is by far the best vegan cheese sauce I've ever made! My review is long overdue, but I wanted to make sure to come say thank you! I try to eyeball the potato/red pepper/carrot/onion before they boil so I don't waste anything, but I inevitably end up tossing some pieces. My only wish is that the recipe would call for pre-boiling measurements so I don't have to deal with measuring the hot, soft, soggy vegetables. If anyone has any tips on that part, please share! Until then, I'll suck it up and keep making this because it's just so delicious. Try it on broccoli or baked potatoes! 💜
veggiesdontbite
Hi Megan!! Thank you so much for the great review! I am thrilled you like it. It's really hard to list preboiling measurements because you can't really get the exact amount with hard veggies. When they are boiled and soft, you can shape them into the measuring tool or weigh them. I tried to give approximates in the recipe for the raw veggies. One thing I do, is I save the extras and freeze them. Eventually I have enough for another batch and nothing is wasted!
Alex
Thanks!! We’re newly vegan and I hate the vegan cheeses. I have a toddler so Mac and cheese is a staple. I will have to add less salt next time but otherwise it was great! I tried it all in the instant pot and then straight into my vitamix! Soooo easy!! I could only find mild yellow miso though. It comes in such a large tub to only use 1tsp. Can I just freeze the whole container and scoop out a serving each time I make it?
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you like it Alex!!! Yes, the Instapot is a great way to cook it all! I have been doing that lately too! As for the miso, it lasts FOREVER. It's a fermented food so doesn't really go bad. I keep mine in the fridge. Here is a quote straight from a miso site: Miso is a “preservative food,” that can be kept for a long period of time due to its salt content. If kept in your refrigerator, miso itself does not go bad. In terms of the quality of the taste, miso should remain relatively consistent for up to one year.
Marilyn
OmyGOD !!! I finally made your cheese sauce...late to the party, I know. This is THE BEST CHEESE SAUCE EVER !!!! I HATE nutritional yeast...have tried leaving it out and adding I bit of mustard and miso as someone suggested. Umm..nope! I was hopeful about yours because of all the great comments, but still doubtful. I have NO MORE DOUBTS !!! You have made my plant-based journey happy again! Thank you so much for this and all your delicious recipes...just recently found you.....will not lose you..that’s for sure!!! xxx
veggiesdontbite
This made my night! Thank you so much for the great review. I am so so happy you like it!! And not late at all, I'm always here for new readers and am so happy to have you!
Shera
I wrote a comment, but now don’t see it, so will write again. I made the cheese sauce exactly per recipe to make poblano Mac and cheese. The sauce has a nice flavor, but did not become gooey, so it is not like cheese sauce. I know I did something wrong, because you and many others have had success. Just trying to figure out what I did wrong. The potatoes were Yukon gold; maybe that type is not starchy enough? Please help!! I so desperately want to try this delicious cheese sauce everyone is raving about!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Shera! So sorry but I need to approve comments from new people before they post, just the way it's set up to avoid spammers. Since it tasted good, tt sounds like perhaps it was too liquidy and not thick enough. How did you cook the veggies? If you boiled them and did not drain them enough it would definitely cause the sauce to not be thick and gooey. It could also be the potato not being starchy enough but I think others have found success with the yukon gold. I would love to help you figure out the issue! Feel free to email me sophia@veggiesdontbite.com and we can talk it out!!
Kris
Cashew allergu. Do you think almonds would work?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Kris! I wouldn't use almonds as they have a different flavor. If you are allergic to cashews, many people in the comments have added things like white beans, upping the potato and even adding some cauliflower. It will definitely not taste the same or be as creamy but read through the comments because many have still loved the sauce.
Sydney
Sunflower seeds are a great alternative to cashews
veggiesdontbite
They can be but I find the flavor really comes through and is hard to mask so just keep that in mind when you are using them. If you're used to the sunflower flavor then you'll be ok, but I'm not so I could taste it.
Nadine
Can you please post metric measurements?The current measurements aren’t precise
veggiesdontbite
Hi Nadine, my recipe card plugin automatically calculates the metric equivalents on my recipes. I have a disclaimer on this. Some of the recipes on my blog I have double checked the conversions and some I have not. It takes a lot of time to create, photograph and post these recipes and I simply don't have the time to double check all of them. I can say that the ones I have checked, most of the conversions were correct. I quickly spot checked it by googling the conversions and they seem right but again, I am not an expert in metric. If I remember, next time I make this I will try and measure!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Nadine! I made more cheese sauce and weighed out the measurements and now all of my cheese sauces have been updated with the correct grams for the vegetables and cashews!
Rosie
How on earth do you get accurate measurement with 2 cups potatoes? Do you chop small and press into a cup ? You mention that correct measurement is vital for this recipe. I prefer to cook using by weight. So I would like your feedback.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Rosie! I give the measurement of the potatoes themselves as well. But the potato is cooked, so I mash it into the measuring cup.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Rosie! I made more cheese sauce and weighed out the measurements and now all of my cheese sauces have been updated with the correct grams for the vegetables and cashews!