Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
A super easy nut-free plant-based recipe that you can make in about 5 minutes. This Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce is thick, creamy, silky smooth, and loaded with cheesy flavor. It’s delicious on pasta, nachos, baked potatoes, and more!
I developed this well-loved recipe when I was deep into my smoothie bowl phase and putting anything and everything into a blender. So, it’s no surprise that if you put savory ingredients into a blender, you come out with a creamy sauce! I’ve made this recipe countless times since then, sharing it with family and (dairy-loving) friends. The exclamation is almost always the same… “I can’t stop eating this cheese sauce!”
I’ve experimented with many different vegan cheese sauces over the years, from cashew-based sauces which are rich and creamy but expensive and loaded with calories, to bean-based sauces which are thick but hold onto a hint of bean flavor, to stovetop sauces made from potatoes, carrots, and onions which are flavorful but require cooking time.
My goal was to combine the best of all those recipes into a thick, silky, creamy sauce that was quick and easy to make, economical, and that delivered an uncompromising cheesy flavor. This vegan cheese sauce is all that!
What’s in this vegan cheese sauce?
Jewel Yam:
Jewel yams are actually an orange-fleshed variety of sweet potato that was created in the United States in the mid-20th century. They have copper-colored skin and brilliant orange flesh that is sweet and moist when cooked. True yams are a starchy, less sweet, edible root imported from Africa that can grow up to 5 feet long! In the (US) grocery stores you’ll see jewel yams labeled as “yams or sweet potato yams” so we’ll call it that. To read more about the difference between yams and sweet potatoes, click here.
Yams are what gives the sauce its incredible silky smooth creaminess, brilliant orange “cheese” color, and a hint of sweetness.
There are 2 ways you can cook yams, the fast way, and the slow way. The fastest way is to wrap the yam in a paper or kitchen towel and cook it in the microwave for 5 minutes until it is soft and squishy. The slow way is to prick it all over with a fork (so it doesn’t explode in your oven) and bake it at 425 F / 218 C for about 45-50 minutes until it is soft but not dry. I always go with the microwave method for speed but if that idea makes you cringe, the oven is always an option.
Nutritional yeast:
This is what gives the cheese sauce its cheesy flavor. Nutritional yeast, fondly called nooch or golden flakes, is an inactive yeast that is grown on blackstrap molasses, whey, or sugar beets. It’s a staple in your plant-based pantry and imparts a unique umami flavor to savory recipes.
Miso Paste:
This ultra-savory ingredient is a staple in Japanese cooking and is made from fermented soybeans. The most common types are red and white miso. The white miso that we use in this recipe is sweet and mellow in flavor because it is fermented for a shorter amount of time and is lower in salt than red miso. My favorite brand that is also certified gluten-free is Miso Master Organic Mellow White Miso.
Lemon Juice:
Lemon juice brightens and balances the umami ingredients in this cheese sauce recipe. The unique combination of nutritional yeast, miso paste, and lemon juice, makes a holy trinity of flavors that taste just like dairy-based cheese. Use fresh-squeezed lemon juice instead of bottled lemon juice if you can.
Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Salt:
These dried aromatics enhance the sauce’s flavor and give it that special zing!
Almond Milk:
Almond milk is the dairy-free liquid base that helps your blender turn the thick ingredients into a creamy sauce. I use unsweetened almond milk in this recipe. Unsweetened oat milk tastes great too for a nut-free option.
This recipe is:
Dairy-free
Nut-free (no cashews!)
Low calorie
Easy to make in about 5 minutes
Thick, creamy, and silky smooth
Utterly delicious
There are SO many ways to enjoy this cheese sauce. I usually make mac ‘n cheese with it because it’s the perfect thickness to coat each noodle in creamy goodness. But it makes a killer dip for nacho chips and pairs marvelously with baked potatoes and broccoli.
Keep scrolling for step-by-step instructions and photos!
Ingredients for Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
1¼ cups of “jewel yam”, cooked and peeled (an orange-fleshed variety of sweet potato)
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (use oat milk for nut-free)
4 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup (30g) of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon of white miso (also known as sweet or mellow miso)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of sriracha (optional)
Makes 1¼ cups of cheese sauce
How to make this recipe
Step 1:
1. First cook your yam. You can do this in the microwave or the oven. The quickest method by far is in the microwave. Wrap the yam in a paper towel so it doesn’t explode all over the inside of your microwave and cook until it’s soft and squishy about 5 minutes. Let it cool enough so it’s safe to handle and then peel off the skin. Or, bake in a 425 F / 218 C oven until soft but not dry. Prick the outside all over with a fork first, place it in the hot oven, and then check on it after 45 minutes for doneness, baking longer if needed.
Steps 2-3:
2. Add all of your ingredients to a blender, secure the lid, and blend until completely smooth. This will take 1-2 minutes in a high-powered blender and longer in a basic blender. Blend until your sauce is silky and smooth with no lumps.
3. Pour over elbow noodles for macaroni and cheese, smother tortilla chips nacho style, or drizzle over broccoli or a baked potato!
How to store
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Store leftover noodles and sauce separately as the sauce will absorb into the noodles and become dry.
More pasta recipes to enjoy!
Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
- First cook your yam. You can do this in the microwave or the oven. The quickest method by far is in the microwave. Wrap the yam in a paper towel so it doesn’t explode all over the inside of your microwave and cook until it’s soft and squishy about 5 minutes. Let it cool enough so it’s safe to handle and then peel off the skin. Or, bake in a 425 F / 218 C oven until soft but not dry. Prick the outside all over with a fork first, place it in the hot oven, and then check on it after 45 minutes for doneness, baking longer if needed.
- Add all of your ingredients to a blender, secure the lid, and blend until completely smooth. This will take 1-2 minutes in a high-powered blender and longer in a basic blender. Blend until your sauce is silky and smooth with no lumps.
- Pour over elbow noodles for macaroni and cheese, smother tortilla chips nacho style, or drizzle over broccoli or a baked potato!
Notes
Storage:
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Store leftover noodles and sauce separately as the sauce will absorb into the noodles and become dry.
For step-by-step instructions and photos, see blog post!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
76.35Fat (grams)
1.20Sat. Fat (grams)
0.15Carbs (grams)
13.67Fiber (grams)
3.24Net carbs
10.44Sugar (grams)
0.58Protein (grams)
4.02Sodium (milligrams)
783.69Cholesterol (grams)
0.11Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.
