Vegan Cheese Sauce

This delicious creamy vegan cheese sauce is made from potatoes, carrots and cashews. It's oil-free, soy-free and kid-friendly. This cheese sauce goes beautifully on Vegan Nachos, broccoli, and Mac 'n Cheese.

What is vegan cheese sauce made of?

Vegan Cheese Sauce has 8 key ingredients:

1. Potatoes
2. Carrots
3. Raw cashews
4. Nutritional yeast
5. Garlic powder
6. Onion powder
7. Lemon
8. Cayenne pepper

The potatoes and cashews give this sauce body and creaminess. The carrots give the cheese it's orange color and the cayenne gives it a subtle kick of heat. Of course, the nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor.

How to prepare this 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.

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 use this as the base for Vegan Mac 'n Cheese.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 

What do vegans use for cheese?

There are several types of vegan cheeses on the market. Many are made with coconut oil which is also high in saturated fat (like animal-based cheeses). Eating a diet high in saturated fat has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke by raising LDL (or "bad") cholesterol levels. Check out this article from Harvard Health to learn more.

The American Heart Association recommends we keep our saturated fat to less than 6% of daily calories. This works out to less than 12 grams of saturated fat for someone who eats about 1,800 calories per day.

So, that is why I'm a big fan of this vegan cheese sauce recipe. It's low in saturated fat with less than 1 gram per serving. Whereas some store-bought vegan cheese brands will pack upwards of 3 to 6 grams of saturated fat per serving.

Hooked on cheese?

There was a period in my life where I seriously believed that cheese was the holy grail of food. It was difficult to imagine life without it. Dramatic, I know, but I loved cheese from cows to the moon and back.

Once I discovered how dairy cheese from cows was harmful to my health, and how easier it was to lose weight and manage my blood pressure without it, I was determined to explore new ways of eating non-dairy cheese. This recipe does just that. This delicious cheese sauce was inspired by The Simple Vegan and Healthier Steps. It is so flavorful and mimics the smooth texture of a traditional cheese sauce, but without the harmful saturated fat and hormones found in animal-based cheeses.

This vegan cheese sauce will make you forget your first love, and you will leave baffled every time. It is a go-to favorite, and can be used on top of a baked potato, steamed broccoli, air fryer potato wedges or as the base for an amazing Vegan Mac 'n Cheese!

We hope you love this vegan cheese sauce as much as we do. Please rate and leave a comment below. Be sure to share a picture on Instagram and tag us @danielsplaterecipes so we can see your creation!

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