This vegan cheese sauce comes together in just 5 minutes without any cooking involved! This is the best dairy-free cheese sauce to use on anything and everything including veggies, baked potatoes, nachos, pasta, and more! Oil-free, gluten-free, and made without coconut or soy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This sauce is a game changer and couldn't be easier. I've tried many other recipes that were okay but not great. I wouldn't hesitate to give this to a non-vegan. I'm so happy to have one spectacular cheese sauce now, instead of having to rifle through all the other recipes trying to remember if they were passable. Not only is it delicious, but all the ingredients should be found in any vegan kitchen. Thanks Lori!" - Kim
When it comes to vegan cheese alternatives, there are so many choices available at grocery stores, now more than ever.
While most store-bought vegan cheese options are typically made with coconut oil and are often highly processed, it's easy to make your own vegan cheeses at home without any of these ingredients!
This vegan cheese sauce recipe is made using a base of cashews along with other wholesome ingredients you can easily find at the grocery store.
If you're looking for more vegan cheese recipes, be sure to check out my vegan queso, vegan cream cheese, pimento cheese, and mozzarella next!
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Why You'll Love This Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe
- It's just as tasty as traditional cheese sauce without using any animal products.
- It's easy! No boiling potatoes, carrots or other veggies.
- All you need are 5 minutes, a few basic ingredients, and a high-powered blender to make this cheesy sauce!
Ingredients
This easy recipe uses the following simple ingredients. Note that measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- raw cashews - The naturally occurring starch in cashews helps thicken this cheese sauce and gives it a velvety smooth consistency.
- nutritional yeast - Gives the sauce its cheesy taste. Even if you think you don't like cheeses made with nutritional yeast, I encourage you to give this a try. Also, I highly recommend this non-fortified nutritional yeast by Sari. The flavor is much better than the ones fortified with B12 and folate. If you'd like to use a fortified version, I recommend Bob's Red Mill nutritional yeast.
- roasted red peppers - One of my secret (or not so secret) tricks to create cheesy, tangy flavor. Be sure to use roasted red peppers in a jar similar to the product in the link. The ingredients should be red peppers, water, salt, and citric acid. Tip: Avoid ones that contain sugar because the sweetness interferes with the cheesy flavor.
- rolled oats - Oats help make the sauce extra creamy since we're not using potato or tapioca starch.
- miso - Miso, or fermented soybean paste, gives the cheese sauce a subtle, cheesy, fermented quality. I really like chickpea miso for vegan cheese recipes, but white miso also works.
- hot sauce - This is totally optional and you'll probably want to omit it for most uses. Include hot sauce only if you want more of a vegan nacho cheese sauce.
- lemon juice and rice vinegar - Both add acidity to the sauce and help to balance the flavors.
- garlic powder and onion powder - These add important savory flavors.
- salt - Provides saltiness and helps balance the other flavors in the sauce.
How to Make This Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
Add the cashews followed by the remaining ingredients to a high-speed blender, and blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until completely smooth.
After blending, taste and adjust the salt/acid balance to your liking.
The sauce will get warm during blending. It can be used right away, or refrigerated until ready to use. The cheese sauce will thicken as it cools.
Variations and Tips
It's easy to slightly tweak the ingredients so that this sauce suits your needs. For example:
- Adjust the amount of cashews to make the sauce thicker and more mild, or tangier with a thinner consistency.
- Tweak the amount of salt and miso to get the saltiness just right for your palate.
- Tweak the lemon juice and rice vinegar for the desired level of tanginess.
- Bump up the amount of roasted red pepper and hot sauce (if using) for awesome nacho cheese!
- Add smoked paprika or liquid smoke for a slightly smoky flavor.
How to Serve Oil-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce
This vegan cheese sauce is so versatile, there are so many different ways you can use it. Here are some ideas:
- potatoes - Pour this velvety sauce on top of a baked potato or roasted sweet potatoes. You can also dip fries and potato wedges in it. And don't forget cheesy mashed potatoes!
- pasta - Mix into your favorite pasta for a quick and easy vegan mac and cheese, or turn it into a pasta bake with some veggies and a breadcrumb topping.
- tofu/tempeh - Fold this sauce into your next tofu scramble for an epic vegan brunch, or simply drizzle it onto baked tofu and tempeh.
- vegetables - From steamed broccoli and air fryer cauliflower to sautés and roasted veggies, this cheese sauce never met a vegetable it didn't like!
- tortilla chips - It's really the perfect vegan nacho cheese! Use it as a simple dip or drizzle the cheese on loaded nachos.
Storing and Freezing
Store leftover cashew cheese sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to one month. Thaw and briefly heat the sauce on the stovetop to restore its original creamy consistency.
FAQs
No, if you don't have a high-speed blender, feel free to use a standard blender. However, you will want to soak the cashews before making the cheese sauce. Either soak them overnight or soak in hot water for 1 to 2 hours. Drain the cashews before adding them to the blender.
You can try replacing the cashews with a different nut or seed, but note that the consistency, flavor, and color may be affected. Cashews not only add richness to this recipe, their natural starch content also makes the sauce creamy (in addition to the oats). If you need a nut-free cheese sauce, this Oil-Free Vegan Queso can be made with soaked, raw sunflower seeds instead of cashews. And this Vegan Mac and Cheese uses a nut-free cheese sauce that was inspired by this recipe.
More Vegan Cheese Recipes
Recipe Video
Tap to play the video and see how quick and easy it is to make my vegan cheese sauce!
I hope you enjoy the flavor and versatility of this Vegan Cheese Sauce! As always, if you try the recipe I would love to hear from you.
Leave a comment and a star rating below to let everyone know how it turned out, and if you share a photo on instagram tag me with @myquietkitchen to make sure I see it!
Recipe
Vegan Cheese Sauce (No-Cook)
Equipment
- high-speed blender - optional
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- 1 cup raw cashews - Decrease to ¾ cup for a tangier, slightly less rich sauce; see Notes
- ¼ cup rolled oats - Certified gluten-free, if needed
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 ounces roasted red pepper from a jar (about 1 small pepper) - Make sure it does not contain sugar; sweetness interferes with the cheesy flavor.
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons chickpea or white miso (I'm a fan of Miso Masters brand) - Chickpea miso is soy-free, if needed. If you don't have miso, increase salt to taste.
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce, optional
Instructions
- If using a standard blender, about 1 hour before you plan to make cheese sauce, place cashews in a bowl, cover with boiling water, soak for an hour, then drain and proceed.Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender, and blend on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until completely smooth.
- After blending, taste and adjust salt/acid balance, as desired. Even the slightest tweaks in salt, lemon, rice vinegar, cashews, or water can "fix" the flavor if it's too tangy or salty for your preference.
- The sauce will get warm during blending. It can be used right away, or refrigerated until ready to use. The cheese sauce will thicken as it cools.
Notes
Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used.
Shannon
I am blown away at how satisfyingly great this “cheese” sauce is. Honestly, I’ve put off making it as I expected to be disappointed. But - to my great delight I am enjoying every bite! If you’re on-the-fence, as I was, - make it and see. Enjoy everyone!
Lawrence Kellie
I have tried several vegan "cheese" and/or "cheese sauce" recipes in the last 12 months; including one from the mid to late '80s which I used to love! This recipe, at the moment, is the "hands-down" winner. Whether it resembles any real cheese variety is not that important to me. (Yes, I would be unhappy if a vegan "cheese" tasted like broccoli!) But this one is close enough to be considered as a recipe substitute. I believe that one could make this a sliceable cheese if you added some thickener to it. I won't try today, but I might later. This is the first of your recipes I have actually tried...out of the 9 that I have saved. If the rest are as good as this one....
Lawrence
Jennifer
This sauce is amazing. I call it ‘Insanity Sauce’ because it is just so incredibly good. I followed the recipe exactly, including a bit of sriracha sauce and I didn’t think it made it so much ‘nacho-y’ as just gave the flavor some depth. I think this would be incredible on pasta or really anything. Maybe steamed broccoli? But frankly just eaten with a spoon is pretty fantastic. Thanks for your incredible recipes. Also really appreciate your videos.
Lori
Haha I love the nickname. What great feedback! Thanks so much, Jennifer!
Jane
What can be used in place of cashews? Or will this sauce turn out the same without cashews?
Lori
Hi Jane,
The natural starch in cashews does add to the creaminess, but there's also starch from the oats to help with that. I often have luck substituting raw sunflower seeds for cashews. The consistency will be slightly different, but it's just cheese sauce after all! So I definitely think it's worth experimenting. You can taste and adjust flavors as needed in the blender. Hope that helps!
Beth
Wow, so excited to have a no cook version- this is wonderful! Tasty, easy, another winning recipe. Thanks!
Glenn Schentag
I love this recipe!
I've made twice so far and agree it can see how it can be taken in sooo many directions. My second batch had a few drops of liquid smoke and a 1/4tsp of strong horse radish.
After 2min in the vita-mix on high the oats thicken like they do in oatmeal, giving this sauce a great texture. I put it in a squeeze bottle and put it on whatever.
Next I'm going to try a Lemon based version.
Like an earlier comment, I'll have no problem serving this to anyone.
And I would not tell people it is a substitute anything, it's a creation.
Thanks Lori.
Laura
Superb. Thanks not big enough.
Cindy
Can this cheese be frozen? Thanks!
Lori
Yes, definitely!
Heidi
I was a little skeptical about trying this cheese sauce but then I made it and it is wonderful. I have been looking for this recipe for a while now!! I like that it can used in so many different ways. I was wondering if used white beans in the place of cashews and kept the other ingredients the same if the recipe would still work? This recipe is definitely a keeper and one of the best vegan cheese recipes that I have tried so far! Thank you for sharing!!
Karen Ricketts
Excited to discover this perfect sauce, first time we've made macaroni and "cheese" in over a year. Love all the different flavors you used, so tasty! It was easy to make too. It thickened up in the fridge; itwas easy to make a runnier consistency with a bit more water.
Lori
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback, Karen. And that cheese sauce pour shot you shared on insta looked soooooo good!
Theresa Sam Houghton
I had no idea this recipe existed until this moment, but I’ve clearly needed it MY WHOLE VEGAN LIFE. 😋
Bob in Tennessee
Finally got around to making this simple sauce and it is delicious! I'm steaming some rice and green beans and will use this sauce when eating! Yum. I also plan to try your sunflower based cheese sauce in order to cut back on the fat from the cashews. Thank you for this recipe!
Lori
Well, that just makes my day, Bob. So glad you enjoyed it!
Kim Giovacco
This sauce is a game changer and couldn't be easier. I've tried many other recipes that were okay but not great. I wouldn't hesitate to give this to a non-vegan. I'm so happy to have one spectacular cheese sauce now, instead of having to rifle through all the other recipes trying to remember if they were passable. Not only is it delicious, but all the ingredients should be found in any vegan kitchen. Thanks Lori!
Lori
Wow! 😀 Thank you, Kim! What a lovely review.
Carol
The recipe and comments sound very promising. Have you or anyone made this nut and seed free? We eat wfpb no oil.
Lori Rasmussen
Hi Carol - The source of whole-food fat is fairly important to the overall flavor and texture. You could experiment with cooked potato, to add body and creaminess, but I haven't tried it. If you experiment with it, note that removing the fat may mean you'll need to adjust some of the seasonings.