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.
Echota Keller
I just made this and it is delicious! I forgot to add the red pepper to cook, so I blended it in raw at the end, and it's still delicious! Thanks so much for this, I know this is now a permanent part of my rotation of recipes. Delicious!
Oh, and I I didn't have the miso paste, so I added chili powder, more paprika and a dash of turmeric instead. Still divine! Thank so much!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much for telling me!! That's good to hear that you still liked it! I am so happy it's part of your regular rotation!
Michel Gilliland
Im not having luck finding chickpea miso in my area, is there a replacement that can be used? Or can I web order or make it from scratch?
I've just started the WFPB diet and am loving it!!!
Thank You for your recipes!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Michel! If you read the comments a few people have used white miso instead! You may need more though, as the flavor isn't as strong. So start with the amount indicated and keep adding until you get the sharp cheesy like flavor you want. So happy to hear you are loving it and thank you for being here!!
Alyshia
I highly recommend using a high speed blender or food processer, I killed my regular blender on the potato step. Very sad occasion as the blending was so close to done! But the consistency looked great. Excited to try it again with a high speed mixer!
veggiesdontbite
Oh no!! Poor blender. Yeah, some blenders aren't set to blend high powered ingredients. But I know you'd love it in a high speed blender!
brooke
Hi! I was so excited about this recipe but I didn't get the cheese flavor, I think I accidentally put too much of the carrot and pepper, as mine came out darker than yours. I ended up adding an organic taco seasoning mix to it and then a jalapeño, so now I have a great cheese for nachos. But as far as for the mac n cheese, would making the mistake of too many carrots or too much pepper mess this up? I don't know where I went wrong. I wish I could tastes yours! Thanks for this site, I really love it! xoxo
veggiesdontbite
Hi Brooke! Yes, you definitely need to make sure you follow the recipe exactly as written paying careful attention to the ingredients I give and their size. If you over did it on the carrot and pepper, those flavors would take over. It's the careful combination of everything that makes this work! But it sounds like you ended up with a great accidental Mexican cheese sauce! YUM! I am actually in the process of updating this with measurements in cups to go along with the size of each veggie so that it helps with making sure you get the right amount. Check back soon to see when I update it and then maybe try again? Thanks so much for being here!!
Brooke
I will definitely try again!! Thanks for all the awesome recipes! You're the best! Xo
veggiesdontbite
Awe, thank you Brooke!! I am still planning on posting the exact measurements soon!
Lindsey
Great recipe, we loved it! Used a food processor and only soaked cashews for 30 minutes in hot water and it was fine. I used regular miso since I didn't see chickpea miso and used double the amount. I also added a little extra salt and lemon. Definitely cheese sauce but it was delicious. Thank you!!
veggiesdontbite
Oh yay!!! So happy you loved it Lindsey!!
Samantha G Avery
Hello,
So I tried this sauce last night and so very badly wanted to love it because of all the beautiful pictures and reviews but was sadly disappointed. I did love the texture created by the blended potato and the cashew mixture but the taste is what fell flat for me. It was overwhelming in the taste of pepper. I added more of the miso paste because I had a brown rice variety instead of the chickpea but even still that "cheesy" flavor just was not there. I ended up adding in nutritional yeast (which for the record I do love) which helped some what but I was kind of sad to have used a batch of my homemade pasta on this sauce. Maybe if I try it again without the pepper it would have an different taste but overall the dish seemed to lack flavor and that sharp quality you described. I am hoping to give your white cheddar sauce a try though and see if that hits my taste buds on a high note!!! Thanks for the inspiration to continue my search of the perfect cheese sauce.
Thanks again,
Samantha
veggiesdontbite
Hi Samantha, by pepper do you mean red pepper? The key to this sauce is to pay close attention to the measurements I give for each thing. I literally used a ruler to measure. It's possible to be off on taste of you just guess on the sizes. I've made it more times than I can count even for non vegan eaters with great success, as have several people, so I know the flavor is cheesy if made exactly as I wrote. That being said perhaps we have different ideas of what constitutes "cheesy", I personally don't think nutritional yeast tastes cheesy especially in sauces. But I can tell you that my non vegan friends who eat cheese sauce have tried this and we're shocked how close it was. Let me know if you try the sharp white one. It's definitely more of a sharper flavor!
Samantha G Avery
I am not sure, I will have to try the white cheddar but will leave out the yellow pepper.
veggiesdontbite
If you leave out an ingredient I can't promise the flavor will be the same. You may have just added too much red pepper so I wouldn't leave out the yellow pepper completely but perhaps put in less? Every ingredient has its purpose to the final flavor. Or put the yellow pepper in last a little at a time. But honestly it's most likely that your measurements of the ingredients were off before.
Amanda
WOW! Is this ever crazy good! I am eating it out of the blender as I type. I had bought some very expensive vegan cheese sauce at a farmers market and was desperate to replicate it. This is it! Ooey gooey and cheesy. Looks exactly like your pictures. I, unlike you, really like nutritional yeast, so I added a tbsp and a half at the end. For me, it bumps the cheesy factor up a notch. Tomorrows project is to try and make slice-able vegan cheese. I am far too excited about vegan cheese, people are starting to stare.
veggiesdontbite
Haha!! That's how it starts for me too! LOL. I am so happy you love it! It was defiantly a labor of love creating it. 2 years it took of major trial and error. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Eclesio Pinheiro de Matos Filho
Vegan cheese is good for the eyes and the palate, wonderful, I loved knowing more about this product
veggiesdontbite
Thank you!
Tonia
Hi! This sauce looks so good. I was wondering if you've ever made it into a mac n cheese bake. I did see you have a recipe for a white cheddar bake, but my son is picky about white mac n cheese. He's only ever tried a particular store bought vegan white cheddar, but he doesn't like it.
I'm intrigued by both of your sauces. Do they both have an artisanal flavor? I want to use one to make a casserole for thanksgiving.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Tonia! Yes! I have done that. You may need to add a touch of liquid so it doesn't dry out, but it's doable and very good. I would try either veggie broth, dairy free milk like cashew or almond, or a combo of both. I think that the sharp white one has more of that artisans flavor, and it's is quite sharp so more picky kids may not like it. This one is definitely more mild, and you can control the flavor sharpness by how much ground mustard and miso you put in so maybe start with a touch less to make sure? I'd follow the recipe for my white mac and cheese bake as far as instructions go to make this as a bake, but use this orange sauce. Let me know how it goes and if you have any questions please email me at veggiesdontbite@gmail.com as I get my emails much faster than these comments!
Tonia
Thanks for the quick reply! I made this for Thanksgiving, and can't wait to try it. I ended up using non-dairy milk and a little flour to add liquid, yet thicken the milk a bit. Tasted great pre-baked, so I'm excited to try it afterwards. I ended up using Panko breadcrumbs for the topping because I happened to have some. Sending you a picture in your email:)
veggiesdontbite
I just saw the email!! Looks amazing! Thank you so much for letting me know. I hope you had a fabulous thanksgiving!
Aundria Costellow
how do I find chickpea miso. I have been seeing miso ingredients and since I am new to the vegetarian world, I don't know where I'm supposed to find miso things
veggiesdontbite
Hi Aundria! You can find miso at most health store type places and at asian markets. Some will have chickpea miso but some may only have white miso. White can also work in this recipe but from what a few others said that have used white instead, you may need more. If you use white, I'd start with the same amount and add a little bit at a time to get the flavor you like. I have also ironically seen miso online at Amazon. Let me know what you think!
Emily
I just have to say, this is awesome. We are attempting to transition to a whole food plant based diet, but cheese is my kryptonite, and mac n cheese is pretty much my favorite way to eat it! This sauce does have a little bit of a potato-y aftertaste, but my kids didn't even notice. They demolished it! And for myself, I found the perfect solution to disguise what little veggie taste there was: I added some wing sauce and made it buffalo mac n cheese. It is incredible, if you like spicy, you've got to try it! I cannot say enough about this sauce, especially the consistency! Seriously, I think it may single-handedly be responsible for sticking to this new plant based lifestyle. Thank you so much!!!!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Emily! Thank you SO much for your kind comment! It made my day! I am thinking that the reason you taste potato is most likely just too much potato. I am working on trying to find the exact measurements in cups for the veggies, but it's hard since I prefer to puree them in whole cooked form, not mashed, as it creates more air in the sauce and helps with the consistency. That's why I say to measure them carefully. This has happened to me too, and I have corrected it by adding a few more cashews and/or a little more of the other veggies if available. But that wing sauce sounds SO good!! I LOVE hot sauce of all kinds, especially buffalo (see all my buffalo recipes!). Will definitely try! I am so thrilled to have helped make this transition easier. I'm always here for any help or support you need so feel free to get in touch any time!!
Jackie
I must've done something wrong because mine was awful 🙁
veggiesdontbite
Oh no Jackie! We must figure out what went wrong because I make this all the time and so do many of my friends and readers with huge success! In fact I just had a friend today tell me she made it for the first time and it was great! Did you follow my directions step by step exactly? Paying attention to the size of the each ingredient is critical as too much of something can throw it off. Please email me and I can totally help! veggiesdontbite@gmail.com
Brittany
Wow just wow.. This. is. AWESOME! Big hit in my house full of people who love cheese! I'm vegan and have been showing my family vegan alternatives and they, along with love this! It taste just like cheese.I altered things a bit by using russet potatoes instead of red and also I did add nutritional yeast and used onion powder instead of whole onions because I was out, but wow. Great recipe thank you so much!
veggiesdontbite
Awe Brittany! This totally made my night!! I am so happy you loved it!! Yes, russets work great too. Thank you so much for letting me know by leaving a comment! It means the world to me!
Nan
Love this recipe, thank you! I added chili powder, cumin, and green chiles for a nacho dip twist and everyone loved it. They couldn't believe it was made from vegetables. I have a question though... my Vitamix does not like making this and over heats rather quickly. Anyone else have any trouble making this in their Vitamix? Any tips for me or is my machine not working the way it should? Not sure what I should be doing differently. Thanks!!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Nan! That sounds delicious! I have a new recipe "Chile con Queso Dip" that I bet you'd love! It uses this sauce. So as for the vitamix, do you have the older model that's tall and skinny? I find that those tend to have more trouble moving ingredients around. Try using the tamper, or adding all the veggies in together to get more water content, or even add a tad of water to get it moving. I have the short fat version and use the tamper to push the potatoes down but after that it moves fabulous. The only reason I need it for the potatoes is that they get the gooiest if dry and blended at high speed that way, so once pushed down and blended they are nice and gooey and moving smoothly. But again if your vitamix is old and having other issues, it may be the motor too.
Nan
Thanks, I will definitely check out that recipe. My vitamix is not very old, but I do have the tall skinny container. I did add some water and used my tamper and it just didn't do well and over heated rather quickly imo. I will call vitamix and see what they think. Thank you for your reply and again for sharing such a great recipe!
veggiesdontbite
Hmmm, that is interesting that it overheated so quickly even with liquid. You can try adding more liquid until it is able to handle it, but honestly it shouldn't overheat that quickly since Vitamix is made to do things like frozen treats and those would require a lot more than this recipe. Let me know what happens!
Nan
Just talked with someone at Vitamix (excellent and very thorough customer service, I must say). He said that if you don't turn the machine up to the highest speed quick enough, the machine can overheat because the fan doesn't turn on until it hits the highest speed. I'm thinking that is where I went wrong. Maybe. He also suggested adding some water and the other cooked veggies first then the potato and see if that helps.
veggiesdontbite
Ah! That makes sense. Glad to hear he had the same suggestions, hopefully those should work. Using the other veggies first will work, I just use the potatoes first for ultimate gooeyness but the taste will be the same and the texture will still be great. Let me know how it works!
Deb
I SO agree with you about the nutritional yeast! Ugh! I never could understand how it was supposed to taste like cheese. Therefore I am REALLY looking forward to trying this! Where do I get the miso YOU used? Thank you so much.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Deb!! I don't mind the yeast as a dry sprinkle on stuff in small amounts, but I am not a fan in sauces at all and it doesn't taste cheesy to me...I got the miso I used at a natural market. An asian market would have it as well. I know Whole Foods has white miso and others have had success using it but needed more. The chickpea is a little harder to find but I love it. Let me know if you have any other questions and if you try it!