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.
Tina
Will it alter the sauce drastically if I leave out the garlic?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Tina! I wouldn't say drastically, no. The roasted garlic does add to the overall flavor, it ads some sweetness and some tang, but give it a try without and let me know what you think! If you feel there's something missing, maybe add a tad more red pepper or carrot to make up for the sweetness, even a few more cashews could help. Maybe a tiny splash more lemon for the tang. But start with simply taking it out and see what you think. Thanks for being here!
Tina
Thank you so much for your suggestions, I will definitely try it tonight. 🙂 I'm newly vegan, and prior to that I wasn't much of a cook, so finding recipes like yours are a life saver!
veggiesdontbite
That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks so much!
Tina
So, I tried the recipe last night. I left out the garlic and I used white miso instead of chickpea miso. Otherwise I stuck to the recipe. When I first tasted it it was definitely too bland and the potato flavor was very prevalent. Made me think more of baby food. So I added more salt, paprika, and threw in 1/4 TSP of garlic powder. If I really, really tried to imagine it tasting like cheese I could get trick my taste buds, but a taste test among co-workers didn't pass. They thought it was too sweet to pass for cheese and reminded them more of a hummus.
So, back to the drawing board. I wonder if I used too much carrot, hence the sweetness. Any suggestions what other seasonings I could throw in to add more pep, but not spicyness?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Tina! Thanks so much for getting in touch. I did so many trials of this recipe and the recipe written exactly as is was the best result I got. The roasted garlic plays a role in the overall flavor as does the chickpea miso. I know that a few readers have had great success with white miso but I believe they almost had to double the amount to get the flavor punch/pep as its more mild than the chickpea variety. Another important thing is to make sure you pay close attention to the sizes of each ingredient I give. I literally measured mine to get the perfect ratio. So if your potatoes or carrots are too big or small, you will definitely get a different flavor. I've had many readers follow the recipe exactly as is with great results. And I've also taken it to non vegan parties and had many people eat it in huge amazement that it had no dairy. So to really see it for its true flavor the recipe should be followed. The only part I can vouch for a good sub is the miso, but as I said the readers who used the white said they needed more so I'd start with what I state in the recipe and slowly go up 1/4 teaspoon at a time. Add this last so you have the full flavor with only the miso left. And again, pay attention to your sizes of things. Hope you can try it again!
Sarah
Hi! I'm always on the hunt for new vegan cheese recipes, and this one will definitely be made soon! I've made vegan mac & cheese many times with a similar recipe to yours I've hybridized from many. My vegetable base, however, is usually butternut squash. I'm just curious if during your "journey" to this recipe you had any trials with cooked squash? I've made it with sweet potato as well, but found the final texture a bit powdery compared to the squash. So, I guess my question is whether or not using actual potatoes gives any powdery texture (if that makes sense) despite the obvious creaminess you've tapped into? I don't always have squash on hand, so I'd love to try a potato version next but have a weird issue with certain textures. Thank you so much for your efforts!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Sarah! Thanks so much for getting in touch. I have tried a few squash based cheese sauces, and although tasty, they never really tasted like "cheese" to me. My goal for this was to get as darn close to cheese sauce as I could with using whole foods. Sweet potatoes definitely give a different texture than regular potatoes. Regular potatoes have more starch and the texture is really smooth. At least as long as you have a high speed blender. I actually had to make this without one on a vacation a few weeks back and I was mostly successful using a food processor, but I had to run it a LONG time. A high speed blender really is the best, but not a deal breaker if you don't have one. Please let me know what you think if you try it!
Sarah
Thanks for the quick and thorough reply! I do have a high speed blender and would be lost without it. I love the butternut version, but maybe the potato version will blow my mind, haha. I like that your version is more of an all-purpose cheese sauce as well. I notice you use red potatoes--any particular reason texture-wise or would another type work? Yukon Gold is usually what I have on hand, but can easily get red if necessary 🙂
veggiesdontbite
No problem Sarah! My Vitamix is my baby!! LOL As far as the potatoes, you can use yukon gold for sure. The only difference is a little bit in the starchiness of them but both work. I use the red mostly because that's what my mom always used!
Sarah
I made the sauce with red potatoes just to stick as close to the recipe as possible for the first go. My only changes were additions: an 1/8 tsp cumin and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. It is seriously delicious and I don't think I could make any improvements in the taste department. I did have a few issues making it though that I thought I'd share for others. First, I don't have an actual Vitamix sadly, but I do have a high-speed blender... I think it's worth noting that Vitamix really is the Cadillac of blenders and when my current one breaks maybe I'll truly invest. My blender did NOT like the potatoes. I did a double batch (divided), so with the first batch I did as directed and blended the potatoes first. Even with the tamper, the blender seized and overheated within about 20 seconds. It was getting nice and gooey, but there just wasn't enough liquid to keep my blender happy. After a long break to cool the blender, I added a half cup of water but it still overheated. Another 1/2 cup seemed to do the trick, and it didn't have any issue once the remaining ingredients were added. I had also pre-soaked my cashews overnight because I know I don't have a Vitamix and would rather not waste precious cashews, haha. The other "issue" was purely aesthetic--the red skins did not fully disappear, so it looked like red pepper flakes throughout. Not a bad thing necessarily, but definitely distracts from the cheesy look. For the second batch I scraped off the skins of the cooked potatoes. I froze the first batch in silicone ice-cube tray for my 1 year old for quick sauces over grains and veggies. She's not picky 😉 CONCLUSION: I would suggest to anyone that doesn't have an actual Vitamix (or maybe BlendTec) to add at LEAST a half cup of water off the bat to the potatoes. The final sauce, even with a cup of liquid, was still super thick and creamy, but it was also semi-pourable from the blender which made transferring it pretty easy. For me, that's a huge plus as I HATE scraping thick things from that blender and I hate the waste it leaves. I will always have this on hand frozen for sure. Sorry for the book... hope it helps someone 🙂 Thanks again for such an awesome recipe!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Sarah! You are so welcome and thank you SO much for all your wonderful details. Yes, I agree on the Vitamix, it is the absolute best machine around. I love it and use it all the time with great ease. And I highly suggest the investment of the "new" style that is shorter and wider as I think it blends much better. It is pricey, but I honestly use it daily and it makes my life so much easier. It makes wonderful soups, sauces, smoothies, pestos and of course this Cheese Sauce! You could try and blend all the veggies together next time and see if that helps with the blending in your blender since the other veggies have some water content to them. Blending the potatoes first helps with the ultra gooey texture but it really isn't that much more than if you blend them all together. You can definitely skin the potatoes, but I really hate skinning potatoes and the skins do add some nutrition (plus with a vitamix they do blend in pretty well), however to make it look prettier skin away! I love that you froze this, I always have some frozen too! One thing to keep in mind, when you defrost it will look like it's not working at first (kind of chunky and more "potato" in texture), but as you keep warming it, it magically begins to melt nice and smooth. I have taken a few videos and I plan to add it to this post as soon as I have some time to edit them! Thank you again for being here and for loving this sauce as much as I do!!
Linda
Thank you for taking two years to develop this recipe...two pluses for me were no nutritional yeast and no turmeric. I left out the miso and didn't miss it(added a dash of nutmeg, and a bit of ground red pepper). Looks fantastic, texture was great. And flavor?? I could definitely convince myself I was eating real cheese sauce! Put it over steamed broccoli...oh my I'm in heaven. All the taste and no dairy after affects! Now to see what else to put it over and or in....
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Linda! What an amazing comment to end my night with! I'm so happy you liked it and thanks for letting us know your subs and how they worked. That's funny because I'm also not a turmeric fan. Lol. I put it on everything and anything!! Let me know if you think of a winner!
Melanie
We are a nut free home and I'm going to try subbing hemp hearts (have used them in other 'cheese' sauces) for the cashews, so we'll see how it turns out 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Hi Melanie! Please let me know how it worked! I've had a few people use sunflower seeds but it will skew the taste a bit. Hemp seeds are a good idea. Won't be as creamy as cashews but for nut free I bet it'll do. Try putting everything else in first, then taste it or even only add hemp seeds to half so just in case you don't like it at least you have some left without. It still does taste good without the nuts altogether.
Becks
I rarely comment on recipes but this is 100% the best vegan cheese sauce I've ever tasted. The fact that it's that and also made from whole foods is insane. I thought the only way to fake cheese was using creepy products with a million ingredients, and even then the results were super disappointing. Or by using nutritional yeast, which tastes like something you find in a dusty corner. This recipe is awesome - thank you. You just made plant-based a little bit easier for me.
veggiesdontbite
Omg Becks, I think this is probably the best comment I've ever received! Thank you so much. I worked really hard on this one and am so thrilled it's helping so many. And nutritional yeast in a dusty corner ???? I spit my water out! Bahahaha!! You described it exactly. Thank you so much for brightening my day!
Melissa
Wow! This was really good except I'm going to hold off on the mustard next time. My teenage son said it tasted like nacho cheese.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Melissa! Thanks for sharing! Maybe try putting half the mustard powder in. It helps give that cheesy bite. Glad to know you got a kid approval!! Isn't that the best?!
Melissa
Got one more question...I have a lot of miso left over...what can it be used in? I guess that's my second part of the contest; asking for more miso recipes. 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Ha! I have LOADS of other recipes you can use it for! Here's a list:
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2015/07/02/summer-steel-cut-oat-salad-with-maple-miso-balsamic-dressing/
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2015/06/19/maple-miso-balsamic-sauce/
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2014/06/30/arugula-white-bean-polenta-bruschetta-with-miso-balsamic-drizzle/
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2014/06/26/portobello-black-rice-burgers-with-miso-balsamic-arugula/
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2014/03/13/veggie-noodle-miso-soup/
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2015/12/07/sharp-white-mac-and-cheese-bake/
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2015/07/08/ultimate-cheese-sauce/ (may want to lower the mustard in this and the bake above)
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2015/06/25/italian-farro-stuffed-portobello-mushrooms-with-pesto-and-balsamic-sauce/
https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/2014/12/01/korean-chickpeas-carrots-potatoes-over-quinoa/
Stacey
Can't wait to try this. I have an intolerance to bell peppers. I am planning to just leave them out. Any other suggestion as a substitute? Thanks!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Stacey! Thanks so much for giving this a try! The pepper contributes to the overall flavor of the sauce, but texture will still be pretty good without it. Since you can't eat peppers, perhaps try adding in another carrot, on the skinner side or 2 baby carrots if using those. It will help add a touch of the sweetness that the pepper offers. I haven't tried it so I'm not sure how it would turn out but let me know!
john dempsey
Amazing .... Can u freeze it ? How long would u leave it in the refrigerator for?
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much! Yes! I have some in my freezer now. When you're ready to eat, defrost by leaving it out that morning. You will need to slowly warm it back up and mix well to get it back to a gooey consistency but it does! Ive kept mine in the fridge for only a few days because it never lasts more than that. Lol. But id guess up to 5 days is fine! Let me know how it turns out. I have another flavor coming soon, sharp white cheese sauce!
Linda
Yum! I have tried many vegan mac n cheese recipes, some better than others, though none really "cheesy" enough to fool anyone. But, I saw the comments here and decided to give this recipe a go tonight. I didn't have chickpea miso, so I used 1 1/2 tsp. mellow white miso.
This is definitely the creamiest, "cheesiest" vegan mac I have tried thus far (including one from a popular vegan restaurant), and I love that it incorporates so many veggies. I may reduce the amount of roasted garlic next time as it was a little overpowering for me. Now I know this defeats the "whole food" aspect of the recipe and it's not the healthiest, but... I just discovered vegan cream cheese and I stirred in a little into my bowl, and DANG! Even my discerning little brother couldn't believe there was no dairy. Thank you; this one's a keeper!!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Linda!! Thanks so much for trying the cheese sauce! I too was in a position of not being happy with any of the others, that's why I worked and worked until I nailed this one. I have served it to many non plant based eaters with huge success. Perhaps the garlic you used were bigger pieces than what I use, but definitely reduce if you can taste it too much. We don't detect it. And vegan cream cheese is great! At least some, lol. But hey, if it gets your brother to eat it then go for it! Sound delish!!
Ursula
You're right! This recipe is amaaaaaaazing. Best. Vegan. Cheese. Ever.
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so so much Ursula! Made my night to read this awesome comment! SO happy you liked it.
Kali
This looks great! I'm so excited to try. I have tons of brown rice miso on hand. Will that work as an okay substitute for chickpea miso?
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Kali! That's my sister's name btw, just spelled differently 🙂 I have never had brown rice miso, but I looked it up and it says it has some sweet undertones which is the same as the chickpea miso I used. I think it would work great. I'd start with maybe a little less though and keep tasting and adding until you get the right cheesy flavor. Let me know how it works out!
Mandi
It is so nice to see a vegan cheese recipe that contains no yeast! I was diagnosed with chronic thrush/yeast intolerance last year, so no yeast, no refined sugar and only very little dairy allowed. Can't wait to try this, it's also a great way to integrate a few more veggies into Miss 2's diet lol.
veggiesdontbite
So glad to hear it will help you too Mandi! I really wanted to create a cheese sauce that didn't have nutritional yeast and was whole foods based. I was so happy when I nailed the recipe! We still use this weekly. My boys love it! I don't feel bad when I give them "nachos" for snack! LOL
Holly
Wowzerz - this looks amazing!
I'm working in more dairy free foods for my 3 year old's sensitive tummy, and she'd eat mac and cheese every day if I let her (what child wouldn't?!). I'd love to make this tonight - but I don't have any chickpea miso, and I live a bit out in the boonies, so I don't think my local grocery store would carry it - is there anything I could substitute in it's place besides white miso? Or could I just leave it out entirely without it changing the taste too much?
I've never had it myself - so I'm not familiar with its taste, so I'm not sure what flavor profile it brings to the dish - but this looks delicious!!!!
😀
veggiesdontbite
Hi Holly! Thanks so much! My boys love it as Mac n cheese and don't see it as any different than the original. I'd just leave the miso out. There really isn't a sub for that flavor. It gives the sauce a richer sharper cheese flavor so without it the sauce will still be gooey and creamy just not as cheesy as with it. Let me know how it works out!
Melanie
Do you absolutely need to use the Himalyan Salt or can you use sea salt instead? I can't wait to try this as my son and I are on a dairy free diet and cheese is one of the indulgences that I miss ?. Thanks so much for sharing!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Melanie! Yes, you can use sea salt. I use himalayan pink salt at home but sea salt will work just fine. Let me know how you like it!!
Paige
Hi Sophia!
I am so excited to find a vegan cheese recipe that doesn't use nutritional yeast! I've been diagnosed with a yeast allergy, and I was so sad that I've had to cut it out of my diet. With that, I can't have fermented foods including miso. How' essential is the chickpea miso, and is there a non-fermented substitute for it? (so not just another miso)?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Paige! Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you are able to enjoy a cheese sauce again! I don't like sauces with nutritional yeast, I can handle small amounts but it's the large amounts in stuff I don't like. As for the miso, it gives the sauce that extra "oomph" of cheesy flavor. It will work without it, the texture and color will still be spot on, and it will still be very creamy and good, however it won't be as cheesy as it is with the miso. Miso really is a unique flavor so there isn't anything that I can think of that would work in here as a sub. I would just leave it out and see what you think. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out! I'd love to be able to tell others that may be in your same spot. Thanks again for being here!
tori
is it possible to make this without miso? im allergic.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Tori! Is it the soy you are allergic too, because the miso I use is chickpea miso and is totally soy free. If you can't find that, then you can definitely make it without, but the miso gives it that extra depth of cheesy flavor so although it will still be creamy, gooey and delicious, it won't be as flavorful as it is with the miso. Let me know!