Looking for a Vegan Cheese Sauce that’s creamy, whole food plant-based, and simple enough to make when you're juggling email, meal prep, and life? Perfect for drizzling over vegan nachos or pasta for vegan mac and cheese.
Made with simple whole-food ingredients like potatoes, carrots, and cashews, this vegan cheese sauce is nutrient-packed, dairy-free, oil-free, kid-friendly, and Daniel Fast approved.
This delicious vegan cheese sauce recipe was inspired by The Simple Vegan and Healthier Steps.
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Why You'll Love This Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe
- Dairy-free & Vegan: No milk, butter, or cheese required.
- Nutritious: Made with whole plant food ingredients that provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Oil-Free & Whole Food Plant-Based: One of our Starch Solution Recipes, ideal for those following a WFPB lifestyle and doing the Daniel Fast.
- Easy to Make: Simple ingredients and quick preparation.
- Versatile: Perfect for mac and cheese, dipping, or even as a soup base.
Health Benefits
- Potatoes are nutrient-dense, providing complex carbs, fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidants that support energy, heart health, immunity, and gut health.
- Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, fiber, and antioxidants that support eye health, digestion, and immune function.
- Cashews provide healthy fats, plant-based protein, and essential minerals like magnesium and zinc that support heart health, energy, and immune function.
- Oil-free helps reduce excess calories and saturated fat, supporting heart health and weight management.
What You'll Need to Make This Vegan Cheese Made
- Potatoes: Add a natural starchy creaminess, helping to thicken the sauce while providing fiber, potassium, and a mild, neutral flavor that enhances the cheesy texture. 🥔
- Carrots: Contribute a subtle natural sweetness and vibrant orange color while providing beta-carotene (vitamin A) and antioxidants for added nutrition. 🥕
- Raw cashews: Provide a creamy, rich texture and a source of healthy fats, plant-based protein, and minerals like magnesium.
- Nutritional yeast: Adds a cheesy, umami flavor while being packed with B vitamins and protein.
A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make This Vegan Cheese Sauce
Boil peeled and chopped potatoes and carrots in a medium-large pot of water for 15 to 18 minutes. Add cashews to the pot and continue boiling for another 4 to 5 minutes. Potatoes and carrots should be fork-tender. Strain potatoes, carrots, and cashews and retain the cooking water (set aside).
Add one cup of the potato-carrot-cashew cooking water you set aside, and all other ingredients, to a high-speed blender. Blend and add more water until you reach desired consistency.
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Enjoy this cheese sauce over broccoli, oven-baked or air-fried potato wedges, grilled or roasted mushrooms, baked potato, or Oven-Baked Tortilla Chips for Vegan Nachos. Or you can use this as the base for Vegan Mac 'n Cheese.
Recipe FAQs
They rely on nutritional yeast, nuts or seeds, and plant‑based milks. This sauce uses a whole‑food approach, so there's no oil or processed ingredients. Instead, we're using nutrient-packed potatoes, carrots, and cashews for a cheesy texture.
This vegan cheese sauce recipe blends cashews with water, mimicking a "cashew milk."
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
There you have it: a creamy, versatile Vegan Cheese Sauce that slays the comfort-food game without sacrificing health. It’s simple, healthy, and kid-friendly. Whether you're drizzling it over veggies, making it into Vegan Mac and Cheese, or pouring it over Vegan Nachos, this dairy-free cheese sauce is bound to become a weeknight hero.
Other Vegan Cheese Recipes to Check Out
If you tried this Vegan Cheese Sauce or any other recipe on our website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below! We love to get your feedback for improvement.
Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 ½ to 4 cups russet potatoes peeled and chopped (about 3 medium potatoes)
- ½ cup carrots chopped (about 1 medium carrot)
- ½ cup cashews raw
- 5 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice (about ½ medium lemon)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- salt to taste (I use about ½ tsp)
Instructions
- Boil peeled and chopped potatoes and carrots in a medium-large pot of water for 15 to 18 minutes. Add cashews to the pot and continue boiling for another 4 to 5 minutes. Potatoes and carrots should be fork tender. Strain potatoes, carrots, and cashews and retain the cooking water (set aside).
- Add one cup of the potato-carrot-cashew cooking water you set aside, and all other ingredients, to a high-speed blender. Blend and add more water until you reach desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Robie Sullivan
Made this for our Chiefs watch party last night and loved it! It is the third vegan cheese dip I have tried and is definitely the easiest and most tasty. Thank you!
Gigi & Sersie
Yay! That's great, Robie. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Anna
This “cheese” sauce is amazing! My whole family like it.
Gigi & Sersie
Yay! That's wonderful Anna! So healthy too. 🙂
Marie Nitz
This recipe has been my favorite for quite sometime.
I am loving the new look on Danielsplate.com!
Gigi & Sersie
Hey Marie. We're so glad you love the cheese sauce and the new look of our website. We do too! 🙂