a hand picking up a blue corn tortilla chip next to a bowl of vegan cheese dip

Iconic Vegan Cheese Sauce

Active time

15 min

Total time

40 min

Servings

8

💡 This vegan cheese sauce truly is an iconic foundational recipe. You can make Texas Queso (as shown in the image above), casseroles, enchiladas, and even mac n' cheese. The sky is the limit with this vegan cheese sauce and it ain't going to send you running to the bathroom.

Vegan Cheese Sauce Ingredients

  • 4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled

  • 1 carrot, peeled and ends removed

  • ¼ C red bell pepper, or simply the top portion of the bell pepper

  • ½ sweet yellow onion

  • ½ C cashews

  • Salt

  • ¾ C Nutritional Yeast

  • 1 C reserved cooking liquid

💡 If you have a nut allergy, add silken tofu to the blender during step 4. All other steps in this vegan cheese sauce recipe stay the same.

Vegan Cheese Sauce Directions

Step 1

Combine the potatoes, carrot, red bell pepper, onion, cashews, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover with water.

Step 2

Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the cashews and potatoes are very soft.

Step 3

Reserve some of the cooking water, then strain the vegetable mixture.

Step 4

Transfer the vegetables to a blender. Add the nutritional yeast and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water.

Step 5

Blend until very smooth.

Step 6

Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt, nutritional yeast, or cooking water as needed. You now have a vegan cheese sauce for dips, casseroles, and mac n' cheese.

a person serving a plate of vegan cheese dip and blue corn tortilla chips