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If you miss creamy, cheesy, velvety sauces but want to keep it plant-based, this super-delicious, extremely versatile vegan cheese sauce is a dream come true.
What we love about this recipe
There are so many reasons to eat plant-based and just as many reasons to adore a beautiful creamy cheese sauce. This recipe is the center of that Venn diagram. It’s:
- Flavorful, versatile, and creamy
- The perfect consistency and balance of flavors
- Full of healthy fats and micronutrients
- Quick and easy to make in a high-speed blender ( I use our Vitamix)
- Make-ahead friendly
- Equally good warm or at room temperature, alone or in your favorite recipes
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy, no-cook recipe.
- Raw cashews (not roasted, not salted). You can use cashew pieces rather than whole cashews if they’re less expensive, since you’ll be blending them anyway.
- Nutritional yeast has a super-savory, almost cheese-like flavor that adds depth and crave-ability to this cheese sauce, among many other great recipes.
- My favorite boxed vegetable broth by far is Imagine No Chicken lower-sodium broth. It has a great flavor profile and none of the rust-colored nonsense that plagues many other brands.
How to make it
Here’s how to make this recipe. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Soak the cashews in water for two hours or so to ensure they’ll blend up nice and creamy. Drain all the soaking water, rinse the cashews, and shake off any excess water.
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender. (You can use a regular blender if that’s all you have.)
- Blend until perfectly smooth and warm, about two minutes, starting on low speed and increasing to high.
- That’s it! Sauce is ready to serve or use in recipes.
Expert tips and FAQs
This recipe couldn’t be easier, but here are a few protips to make it the best it can be.
Be sure to buy raw cashews (not roasted ones) and don’t skip soaking them. That’s the key to creaminess.
Use a high-speed blender if you have one. It creates perfect smoothness and heats up the cheese sauce just the right amount. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can use a regular one. Just be sure to soak the cashews until they’re very soft, and to keep processing until the sauce is perfectly smooth.
Yes! Vegan cheese sauce will keep well in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to a week, so make it whenever you like.
It’s a deactivated form of yeast. It’s typically made from the single-celled organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, grown on molasses and then harvested, washed, and dried with heat. This “deactivates” the yeast, meaning it can’t grow or leaven baked goods.
Nutritional yeast is a great source of vitamins and minerals. It’s vegan and naturally gluten-free.
How to use it
Here are a few of our favorite ways to use this creamy sauce:
- As a dip for baked fries
- On our favorite vegan burgers
- On vegan cheesesteaks
- To mix into macaroni for mac and cheese
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Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- ¾ cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon white miso
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Place the cashews into a 2-cup glass measuring cup or a small mixing bowl. Cover by an inch or two with water. You can use room-temperature or hot water.
- Let cashews soak for at least two hours. Then drain and rinse them, shaking off any excess water.
- Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Starting on low speed and increasing to high, blend until perfectly smooth, creamy, and warm, about two minutes.
- Pour into a serving bowl or use in your favorite recipe.
Notes
- Be sure to buy raw cashews (not roasted ones) and don’t skip soaking them. That’s the key to creaminess.
- My favorite boxed vegetable broth by far is Imagine No Chicken lower-sodium broth. It has a great flavor profile and none of the rust-colored nonsense that plagues many other brands.
- Use a high-speed blender if you have one. It creates perfect smoothness and heats up the cheese sauce just the right amount. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you can use a regular one. Just be sure to soak the cashews until they’re very soft, and to keep processing until the sauce is perfectly smooth.
- This recipe is 100% make-ahead friendly. Make it up to a week in advance and keep in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. Store any leftovers the same way.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hungry for more?
Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
