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Home » Sauces » Vegan Cheese Sauce

Vegan Cheese Sauce

Published: Apr 14, 2021 · Modified: Oct 4, 2022 by Gigi & Sersie

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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.

side view closes up of vegan cheese sauce in a mason jar
thick, creamy, delicious vegan cheese sauce

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
top view of the ingredients for vegan cheese sauce: potatoes, cashews, nutritional yeast, carrot, lemon and seasonings
ingredients for vegan cheese sauce: potatoes, cashews, carrot, nutritional yeast, lemon, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne

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.

side view of broccoli floret being dipped in a small bowl of vegan cheese sauce.
this sauce is great for dipping broccoli

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!

close up top view of the cheese sauce being drizzled on broccoli with a side of  air fry potato wedges on a white plate
add this tasty vegan cheese to veggies and oil-free, oven-baked or air-fryer fries

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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side view of vegan cheese sauce in a mason jar

Vegan Cheese Sauce


★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Gigi & Sersie
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

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 broccoli, as a dip with Oven-Baked Tortilla Chips, and is used to make Vegan Mac 'n Cheese.  #vegancheeserecipe #healthyveganrecipes #danielfastrecipes #plantbasedcheese #oilfree #nooil


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 ½ to 4 cups russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 3 medium potatoes)
  • ½ cup chopped carrots (about 1 medium carrot)
  • ½ cup raw cashews
  • 5 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 2 ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp fresh 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.

Enjoy this cheese sauce over broccoli, oven-baked or air-fried potato wedges, grilled or roasted mushrooms, baked potato, or Oven-Baked Tortilla Chips. 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. 

Notes

EQUIPMENT / SUPPLIES

  1. Knife
  2. Cutting board
  3. Measuring cup
  4. Measuring spoons
  5. Medium-large pot
  6. Strainer
  7. Blender
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Sauces
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: vegan cheese, vegan cheese sauce, veggies, compliant, daniel fast compliant, soy free, gluten free, cashews, nutritional yeast, potatoes, carrots, daniel fast recipes, wfpb cheese sauce, vegan cheese sauce potato carrot, healthy vegan recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marie Nitz

    December 09, 2021 at 5:49 pm

    This recipe has been my favorite for quite sometime.
    I am loving the new look on Danielsplate.com!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Gigi & Sersie

      December 11, 2021 at 6:13 am

      Hey Marie. We're so glad you love the cheese sauce and the new look of our website. We do too! 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  2. Anna

    February 11, 2022 at 1:42 am

    This “cheese” sauce is amazing! My whole family like it.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Gigi & Sersie

      February 12, 2022 at 10:52 pm

      Yay! That's wonderful Anna! So healthy too. 🙂

      Reply

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Hi, we are Sersie and Gigi. We love to eat delicious whole plant foods that energize us to live out our purpose of helping you take control of your health.

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