Best Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
This is the best vegan nacho cheese sauce recipe you can make! It stretches, looks like real cheese nacho sauce and it tastes delicious!
This vegan nacho cheese sauce is another recipe I’ve been wanting to try since I started my Best Vegan Cheese Challenge. I am so happy it turned out just like I wanted it to be! It’s stretchy, has a lovely, vibrant color just like cheddar sauce would look like, taste awesome and it’s absolutely perfect for nachos.
I was inspired by Lindsay’s Nacho Cheese Recipe recipe and adapted it from there. I modified the quantities, added some new ingredients and the result exceeded my expectations!
Who would have thought that you can use potatoes and carrots to make an awesome cheese sauce?! Really.. this was awesome! 🙂
Just take a look at the GIF below. See how it stretches?! Pure awesomeness! 🙂
I used this vegan nacho cheese recipe for pasta as well. I will post that recipe soon. The quantities mentioned in the recipe below will be enough for a big bowl of nacho sauce just like the one in the photos, plus for 2-3 servings of delicious nacho cheese pasta. You can eat it just as it is too! It is addictive!
Hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Best Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes cut in small cubes
- 2 carrots sliced
- 5 Tbsps nutritional yeast flakes
- 3 Tbsps olive oil
- 5 Tbsps tapioca starch
- some water the water from boiled veggies
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Boil veggies until tender – 20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave them in the water for 10 more minutes.
- Drain them, save some water, about 1 1/2 cup, maybe a little bit more.
- Put all ingredients in the food processor. Blend until smooth.
- Add water, little by little, until you reach the desired consistency. It has to be smooth and semi-liquid.
- Pour the mixture in a large pan over medium heat.
- Stir continuously. You’ll see that this “sauce” will thicken and get sticky. Stir for about 10 minutes.
- Serve!
If you make this, please leave a review and rating if you liked this recipe! ★★★★★
I needed more flavor so I added curry powder and miso, and omg it was so delicious that this now my new found veg curry sauce!
Can i skip the nutritional yeast since its not aVailable
Hi! Unfortunately, it won’t be the same, it won’t have a cheesy taste without it.
Will the recipe still work if I omit the oil or is it an essential ingredient?
Sure!
Oh my goodness!!!! This was perfect. I have so many food allergies that I have not had any kind of cheese sauce in so long, they all had some ingredient I was allergic to. Not yours. I gave it a shot and I am thrilled. Thank you!!!
Hey, Cyndee, I’m super glad you liked the recipe! 🙂 It’s one of my favorites as well!
Can any potatoes be used or is there a preference to the type ?
Here in Romania, we have just two types of potatoes – white and red. :)) I used white. I have no idea what type they were though. Maybe choose a type that gets stickier when mashed?
Made this cheese dip today to go over some nachos.. it is by far the best vegan cheese dip sauce I’ve come across. I added a 1/4 tsp. Of turmeric to deepen the cheddar affect. It came out great thanks for posting ‘this. AJ 5🌠
Thank you! 😀 So happy to hear you liked it so much!
Can I use regular or smoked paprika?
You can use regular too. The smoked paprika will give it a smoky flavor. 😀
do you peel the potatoes?
Yes. 🙂
I need to make this for a party tonight. Can it be stored in a crockpot and heated up later?
Sure!
This is it! Best vegan nacho cheese recipe on the web. I used cornstarch instead (no tapioca flour on hand) so I lost a bit of stretch, but I just wanted to thicken it to use on pasta. Added more lemon juice and a splash of white wine vinegar for more acidity, and used smoked paprika and garlic. Could not believe the taste – this will now be my go-to recipe. Currently devouring a plate of mac-and-cheese with BBQ tempeh. Thank you, Ruxandra!
Thank you, Mary! So happy you liked it! Great idea with smoked paprika. Yum!!
Amazing ! We did it with pasta and broccoli
Yum! 😀
I only added 2tbls of tapioca flour and after a 1/4 cup of the potato water I was pleased with the consistency. I added a little garlic two and WOW!! Next is going to try and add salsa and make a dip! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Bonnie! 😀
This was a SUPER AWESOME recipe. I used it for nachos, mac n cheese, grilled cheese & quesadillas ?. Thank you!!!
SI glad you liked it, Luisa! 😀
Do you have nutritional information for this recipe?
Hi, Abigail! No. But you can use cronometer.com
I made it and loved it! But when I started to stir on the stove top, it became like one big pot of glue. So I stopped, and as I had already discard the cooking water, I instead added pasta water and it worked just all right. Yes, I happened to make pasta on the same day! And since I didn’t have tapioca flour, I used potato starch instead and it worked. I haven’t tried tapioca flour yet, but I’m assuming the texture would be pretty close. Anyway, I thought I would leave a note to say thank you. I’m going to make another batch (actually, double the portion this time because this is soooo good) as soon as I print out the recipe. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hi, Yoko! You’re welcome! 😀 So glad to hear that you liked it! 😀 It turns into a big pot of glue, it’s normal to get stickier. However, you can adjust the texture, just like you did, by adding more water. Good to know it works with potato starch as well. Somebody asked me this in the past, but I only tested it with tapioca, so I couldn’t tell. With tapioca gets strechy, like melted cheese. With potato starch it just thinkens, I guess, but for pasta is great.
This recipe looks amazing!!! What kind of potatoes do you recommend?
Thank you, Bronte! 😀 You can use any kind of white potatoes. I tried it with both waxy and starchy potatoes and it turned out just as good. 🙂
I can’t find tapioca flour in my area. Would it be okay just to use regular flour?
Unfortunately, no. 🙁 It will not have the same texture. You could use corn starch, but it will lose its stretchy texture. It will just get thicker. Tapioca flour is what gives it the cheesy texture.
I am not vegan but enjoy trying vegan recipes and the texture of this is SO SIMILAR to cheese that you can barely tell the difference! I saved the leftovers in the fridge and plan on serving it over baked potatoes and broccoli tonight. And I’m definitely making this sauce again to use in mac and cheese. You’re a genius for this recipe! 🙂
I’m so happy you like it, Jazmin! 😀 Serving it on baked potatoes sounds DELICIOUS! I think I’ll try it too. I only used this sauce for pasta and tortilla chips so far, but using it over baked veggies seems like a great choice. 🙂
This was SO good! Thank you so much! I had it over nachos (with tempeh) last night and plan to have a baked potato for lunch smothered in this delicious sauce! 🙂
So glad you liked it, Andrea! 😀 Baked potatoes and this sauce sounds like a match made in Heaven! I will surely give it a try too! 🙂
Huge fan! Thank you so much for the recipe! I would definitely recommend!
So glad you like it, Emily!! 😀
Hi! Do you think you could use mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes to make this paleo? 🙂
Yes, that may work. You gave me a great idea for a future vegan cheese sauce! 🙂 Thanks!
Made this today.
I LOVE IT.
Thank you Thank you thank you thank you! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
So happy you liked it!! 😀 You’re welcome! 🙂
This is a perfect option for my grandson who is allergic to dairy and nuts. Most all vegan cheese is based on a nut base but this one doesn’t! Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks Gina! So glad you like it! Hope your grandson will like it too! 🙂
Won’t use the oil.
Hi Ruxandra,
How long will this keep and how much quantity is made with this recipe?
Thanks,
Rukmini
Hi Rukmini!
You can make about 2 1/2 bowls like the one in the photos with these quantities. The sauce is better served right away. I don’t know how or if it will change its texture when refrigerated. I think you can keep it in the fridge for a 2-3 days with no problems.
i never would have thought you could make cheese sauce from carrots and potatoes but it looks like you can. I am going to have to try this
Yes!! It was surprisingly good! The texture was perfect as well. 🙂