I used to wonder what all the hype was surrounding cashew cheese sauce. Was it really that good, and did it really taste like cheese?!
I had to find out for myself, so I set out on a quest to make the BEST vegan cheese sauce out there. I wanted it to be full of umami flavors, taste like something close to nacho cheese, be completely smooth and creamy with a little hint of spice.
The results were simply unbelievable. Hence why we now call this recipe the BEST vegan cashew cheese sauce you’ll ever eat. It’s incredibly easy, oh so delicious, creamy and just so happens to be Abra’s favorite thing to make every single week to drizzle on top of quinoa, tacos and whatever else she’s cooking up. Make it once and it lasts all week, or make it once and throw it in some really good easy stovetop vegan mac and cheese. You know you want to.
What’s in this vegan cheese sauce?
I know it sounds crazy and weird that you could turn cashews into something that tastes cheesy but please just trust me when I say that this vegan cheese sauce tastes pretty close to creamy nacho cheese. Except that this version is dairy free, vegan and made completely from… CASHEWS! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Raw cashews: yes, RAW cashews are the base of this recipe, and when soaked and blended with a little water or milk, the nuts form into a beautiful, super creamy nutritious sauce full of fiber, protein and healthy fats. Just remember you’ll have to soak the cashews for at least 45 minutes, so keep that in mind. Just put them in a bowl and walk away for a few hours; I’ve also added a way to speed up the process to only 30 minutes in the instructions of this recipe.
- Nutritional yeast: have you ever had nutritional yeast before? My mom originally got me hooked during college. She puts it on her buttered toast with a little garlic powder and salt and it tasted just like cheesy garlic bread. So, what is nutritional yeast? It’s a deactivated yeast made from sugarcane and beet molasses. It has a nutty, cheesy flavor and contains an incredible amount of B vitamins. You can buy nutritional yeast at most grocery stores including Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.
- Almond milk: make sure to use unsweetened almond milk in this recipe. Water or plain oat milk would likely also work, but I love how it gets super creamy with the addition of almond milk. I haven’t tried it out with vegetable broth so I’m not 100% sure how it would affect the flavor.
- Garlic: because what is life without garlic?
- Spices: another thing I use to flavor this mac and cheese is plenty of spices including ground turmeric, paprika and onion powder. Don’t forget plenty of salt & pepper, too! Feel free to use smoked paprika or cayenne pepper if you like a smoky, spicier flavor.
- Dijon mustard: This gives the mac and cheese a little zesty and adds a slight tang. Just TRUST ME!
- Jalapeño: you’ll put the entire pepper in (seeds and all) and it’s never been too spicy for me or anyone I know. It adds lovely flavor. If you’re nervous about the spices or making this for kids, take out the seeds or leave out the jalapeno completely.
Can I make it nut free?
Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a nut-free substitute for the cashews in this dairy-free cheese sauce. It’s truly the key to the base and consistency! I’ve seen some vegan cheese sauce recipes made with vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower and/or carrots, but I personally love the texture and flavor that cashews add.
How to make vegan cheese sauce
- Soften your cashews. First, you’ll need to soak your cashews for at least 2 hours. However, I’ve found that you can easily speed up the process by adding the raw cashews to a pot with water and placing it over high heat. Bring to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat. Let the cashews sit for 30-45 minutes in the warm water, then drain.
- Blend the sauce. Add all of the vegan cheese sauce ingredients to a blender (including your softened cashews) and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.
- Use or store. Feel free to use it in whatever recipes you’d like (including mac and cheese), or keep it in the fridge to use throughout the week!
How to store & reheat vegan cheese sauce
- In the refrigerator: this delicious vegan cashew cheese sauce recipe will stay good in your fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. To reheat, simply pour it into a microwave-safe container and reheat it in the microwave until nice and warm. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of water (or pasta water if adding to pasta right away) if it’s become too thick.
- In the freezer: you can also easily freeze this recipe! Simply add the vegan cheese sauce to a freezer-safe container or bag and place it in your freezer. When you’re ready to us it, let the cheese sauce thaw in the fridge before using it. You may need to blend it with a bit more water if you’re finding that it’s too thick.
Delicious ways to use this vegan cashew cheese sauce
I’ve been using this sauce as a topping for enchiladas, tortilla chips, on buddha bowls, fluffy quinoa or vegetarian taco bowls, on veggies like stuffed peppers, over sweet potatoes and so much more. Here are a few more delicious recipes to try it with:
- Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Tofu Vegan Nachos with Cashew Cheese Sauce (it’s truly the BEST vegan nacho cheese sauce!)
- Vegan Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl
- As a dip for Sweet Potato Fries or your fav raw or steamed veggie (broccoli would be delish)
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and rate the recipe below. We appreciate it. xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
The Best Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce You'll Ever Eat
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews*
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, plus more to thin if necessary
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (feel free to deseed or leave out if sensitive to spice)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- *To make the cashew cheese sauce: soak the cashews in 4 cups of water for at least 2 hours; otherwise I've found that you can easily speed up the process by adding the raw cashews to a pot with water and placing over high heat. Bring water to a boil, then immediately turn off the heat; let the cashews sit for 30-45 minutes in the warm water, then drain.
- Once the cashews have finished soaking you'll be ready to make the sauce: add drained cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, almond milk, jalapeno, turmeric, paprika, onion powder, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper to a high powered blender. Blend until a thick sauce comes together. If you want a thinner sauce, add a bit more almond milk. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Enjoy! Serves 6-8, depending on how you use it.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
Mmmm, looks great. Must give it a try.
Enjoy!
Vegan cheese sauce is LIFE and I can’t wait to try your version! xo
SO GOOD! Hope you love it <3
Is there a substitute for cashews? My husband is allergic. Looks delicious!
I actually haven’t tried other nuts in here so I’m not sure how much of their nut flavors will come out in the cheese!
This looks awesome and so easy to make. Can’t wait to try. And those drizzle shots are awesome!!
YES I hope you love it!!
I love nachos and this looks amazing. Yum!
Nachos are the best! Hope you get a chance to try this 🙂
Looks like something I’d eat with all my tortilla chips! 🙂 Wish my childhood self new about cashew cheese, because I’m lactose intolerant!
Right?! It’s such a great alternative!
This recipe sounds amazing! Can you replace yeast with something else?
The nutritional yeast is actually what helps give it that cheesy flavor, so I’d recommend keeping it in! Hope you get a chance to try this!
I just made this vegan cheese sauce and it’s amazing!! Thank you so much for the recipe, I am going to use this all the time now for like, EVERYTHING!!
Yes!! So happy to hear that!
How long could you store extra sauce in the fridge
I’d say about 1 week!
New vegan here and tried this and absolutely love it!! We used it on our homemade pizza and it was approved by my 4 year old, two year old, and 1 year old, as well as my husband. My husband, who is not vegan, requested this for our nachos tonight. Can’t wait to make batch number two!
Amazing! So happy to hear that Jackie 🙂
Can you use something other than dry mustard? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it out! I’ve been looking for a cheese sauce I like and hope this is it!
You can just leave it out if you don’t have it and add additional nutritional yeast. Enjoy!
Oh. my. god. Life changing!! First time making anything with soaked cashews. I think I still have to work on the texture but made it in a food processor and added extra garlic powder and a little more salt. Ate it with Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and *actually* licked the plate clean of sauce. Woops. THANK YOU!
I’m so glad you gave this recipe a try! Seriously SO delicious and perfect for adjusting here and there to your taste preferences. You’ll have to give this recipe a try next 🙂
Have you tried with coconut milk?? Canned or carton?? Just curious. Excited to try this!
I haven’t! I find coconut milk to be a bit sweet naturally so it might make the sauce have a sweeter flavor.
Just a question: Would unsweetened soy milk work instead of almond milk? It is my milk of choice.
i’m soy milk will be FINE. That’s what I’m going to use.
So good and so easy! I did the boil method for cashews to reduce the wait time and it worked perfectly. I poured it over steamed broccoli. Very tasty!
Yum this sounds delicious over broccoli! Glad you enjoyed!
If you put cashews with water into the microwave for 2 minutes it works fine! Soy does as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for sharing!
This “cheese” is so delicious I could eat it by the bowlful! At first I found it a teeny bit bland so I added some pickled jalapeño juice from a jar in the fridge (even tho I used a fresh one for the sauce), and it pulled it together beautifully! I imagine apple cider vinegar would have the same effect. The vinegar made it taste more like cheese.
Love that idea! This one’s great for customizing to your taste/spice preferences, too 🙂
Could you use Cashew Butter (no sugar or oils added)?
I haven’t tried it before but I’m guessing 1/4 cup raw cashew butted would work! Roasted will have a different flavor.
this is quite delicious.I used it for my black bean enchiladas. I added a little smoked paprika, Braggs Sauce and a squeeze of lemon juice. Particularly the Braggs and Lemon juice made it taste more like cheese.
Love that idea! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
We are not strictly vegan but I love to find new delicious recipes! Especially when it involves finding a cheese substitute. (Although I don’t know if I could give it up forever…) This recipe is killer! I LOVE working with Raw Cashews. SO much you can do with it! Have you ever tried doing a vegan cashew sour cream? I think you may really like it!
https://familyfoodfreezer.com/?s=sour+cream
So delicious! I’m glad you found this recipe 🙂 and great idea with a vegan cashew sour cream – I’ll have to give that a try next!
What kind of nutritional yeast do you recommend? I’m new to the vegan community and also trying it since I’m lactose intolerant, I’m still trying to find the best products to use!
Bragg and Bob’s Red Mill both have great nutritional yeast options!
A full jalapeno was way too spicy for me, distracts from the other flavors. I didn’t have onion powder, so I used fresh onion and I didn’t have dijon mustard so I had to use brown mustard.
Feel free to leave the jalapeño out or just use a bit of one! Hope you enjoyed regardless!
I just made this again and tripled the recipe BECAUSE it’s was so good the first time! This is life changing. I love it the most on loaded sweet potatoes! I did used smoked paprika and added a few drops of liquid smoke and some fresh squeezed lemon! Thank you for the easy great recipe using pantry staples! 😁
Amazing!! Glad you enjoyed!
I’ve tried it today, and I am soooooo happy about the taste! It’s just PERFECT! Thanks a lot, greetings from Russia)
Amazing! I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
I made this and left out the Jalapeno otherwise it was according to instructions. When I was done I put it in the fridge overnight and used it with pasta the next evening. I tossed it with the noodles in the pan to reheat as I don’t have a microwave. It turned to paste and started baking in the bottom of the pan like a pancake. It was super thick and goopy. It also tasted like paste. I was very disappointed.
When reheated you do need to add a little bit of the reserved pasta water to help it heat up and smooth out.
sublime with rice and cauliflower broccoli medley
Love it!
This was great! My lactose-intolerant husband is now obsessed with it! We had it on pizza, and have enough left over for mac n cheese tomorrow.
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
Awesome! Been trying to nail a vegan Mac and cheese and this is the one!!! Super easy and so so good!!!Great comfort food.. making again for sure!
Perfect! So happy you loved it!
Followed the recipe exactly as written (minus the jalapeño) and wound up with something that tasted more like cake frosting than cheez. Even adding lemon juice, ACV, and extra mustard did not seem to balance out the flavors.
Oh no, I’m not sure how nutritional yeast and dijon mustard could taste like frosting!
this was incredible! my first vegan mac and cheese and i am so happy i chose this recipe! i didn’t have any onion powder on hand but it was still incredible. really tasty, creamy, and keeps well in the fridge. i will definitely be making this is the future!
Amazing! So glad you loved it!
I made this today and it’s is delicious. I didn’t have jalapeño or mustard, so I omitted those. I added fresh shallot and garlic. I used soy milk. The texture was good and it tasted delicious on my nachos. Thank you!
Perfect! Love this on nachos 🙂
I’m dairy free so I easily make this twice a month. Even my husband who hates any and every cashew “cheese” sauce I’ve ever made agrees this is delicious!
Amazing! Love that 🙂
Yum! So good. Thank you for sharing. I’m making a second batch now. I love that it freezes so well!
Absolutely! Glad you love it 🙂
I made this today exactly by the recipe except for using less salt. I don’t have a high-powered blender so used my food processor instead, The end result is tasty but a bit grainy, probably due to use of the processor vs blender. When I make it again I will add a splash of rice vinegar and a bit more salt to bump up the flavor a bit. I am calling it cashew dip because the word “cheese” made me expect a more cheeselike flavor instead of the nutty flavor it has. I look forward to trying it in place of cheese in a chiles rellenos casserole recipe for a family member who is gluten- and dairy-free. Thanks for the recipe!
Yes the texture may have been because of the food processor! Let me know how it goes with the added salt + rice vinegar and how you like it in the chiles rellenos 🙂
Excellent!!
Glad you enjoyed!
I am not vegan but love eating healthy. This is excellent! I make my own almond milk so I used that. I left out the jalapeños so I could use it in various recipes. When I used it for nacho cheese I cut up some fresh jalapeño and mixed it in. It was awesome! Kudos to ambitious kitchen for a delicious recipe !
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I made this sauce following the recipe exactly, with the exception if using oat milk instead of almond milk. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten. We tried adding more of most of the spices it calls for but there was no improving it to the point we actually wanted to put it on any of our food and dumped the whole batch.
Hi Lana! Oat milk tends to be much sweeter than almond milk, which is probably where the taste was off. I’d suggest sticking with almond milk or a more neutral dairy free milk next time.
I agree in boot caring for it, even exactly as written. I went dairy free for my baby as he may have a dairy intolerance. I had high hopes but just could not seem to bff happy with the flavor. Texture-wise it’s fantastic! Taste.. I’m not sure what more I can do. I just made it and hate to scrap it but can’t bring myself to eat it either.
Delicious and so easy!
Glad you enjoyed!
I’m not a vegan, I’m just trying some new dietary options. I liked this, but I didn’t love it. It’s good, but it didn’t my socks off. I put it over gluten free pasta. Maybe I’ll try it with nachos or pizza next like some of the other commenters suggested.
Sorry to hear that! Feel free to adjust the seasonings as you like, too.
I thought this sauce was really nice on its on as a dip. I poured it over pasta and i was disappointed on how bland it tasted. Any tips to make it tastier? Thanks Sue
Hi Sue! Hmmm very strange. I might suggest adding a bit more salt and/or other spices or nutritional yeast listed in the recipe for more flavor 🙂
How does this work as a substitute for the cheese layer in lasagna (substituting some of the ingredients for something more italian, obviously).
How did you prevent the sauce from turning a bit green from the jalapeños? Other than that, I will be using this recipe over and over!
I would recommend finding a recipe for a vegan béchamel instead of using this sauce.
It’s very cheddar cheesy, I’m not sure I would use for lasagna, although it will definitely work!
This was soo Good,creamy &tastey, the texture was perfect ..Oh yeah I added smokey paprika. MMM Good
Love that! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Loved the flavor with the jalapeño! I found it turned my sauce a bit green though.. was wondering how you got that real, orange cheesy color?
So glad you enjoyed! Hmmm I’ve actually never had that issue! Your jalapeño may have been a little extra juicy. A little additional nutritional yeast might help!
Best cheese sauce I‘ve found in over 10 years of being plant-based. Even just rough eyeballing the measurements produces a beautifully rich, golden deliciousness with the perfect amount of saltiness, tang, and spice.
A few modifications based on patience & supply:
-cashews—soaked in hot water only for as long as it took to gather the rest of the ingredients, because hello, Vitamix
-almond milk— unsweetened vanilla; 1/2 milk, 1/2 water
-jalapeños— about 2 Tbs jarred, sliced
Love this sauce for mac & cheese and for nachos. Thank you!
Amazing! So happy you found this one!
I so sorry to give it this rating but my ‘cheese’ is more like fluffy, bland hummus. I followed the recipe exactly. It doesn’t even taste like anything. I’m wondering why? I even added a bit more of the spices and salt but it just tastes like it wants to be hummus. The consistency is thick and doesn’t pour like the picture.
Any suggestions is very appreciated because I think I’m doing it wrong and I really want to have this in my life!
My best advice is to try again and to add the nutritional yeast and more water to thin if necessary. Also, make sure to soak your cashews for at least 2 hours if you are having this issue. Feel free to add more salt if necessary.
I am not a vegan, but find that many vegan recipes serve my current strict low glycemic load / no diary recipes. Could I sub chicken or veg stock for the almond milk? I am not a milk person in general so having almond milk around isn’t something I really see myself using. Is its purpose to add flavor and thin out the consistency or is it to add to the “creamy” texture? Thanks for your thoughts I am going to try this next week.
milk is recommended for a creamy texture, but a broth or water could work!
I put Serrano pepper instead. I used coconut milk cuz that is all I had. I served it over broccoli and vegan chili! It was to die for! Thank you for the recipe. I now have a jar of the dry ingredients already mixed for future use.
My kids don’t tolerate dairy. This will be our go to topping! Thanks so much!
Love it! Glad you enjoyed!
This cashew cheese is SO delicious! I made it to make a healthier Mac and cheese, and it did not disappoint. My husband, who considers himself a mac n cheese connoisseur, was also obsessed. In fact, whenever I make anything else from Ambitious Kitchen, he says “is that the lady with the cashew cheese?” Haha. It’s memorable!
Wow! I know a lot of recipes call their creations “the best” but this is TRULY the best vegan quesNO dip I’ve ever made! We have a few we really like but this one knocks it out of the park!! Thank you for bringing this into our lives!! I can now delete all other queso recipes from my repertoire, I’ve found THE ONE!
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Can you freeze the sauce?
Absolutely! Just add the vegan cheese sauce to a freezer-safe container or bag and place it in your freezer. When you’re ready to us it, let the cheese sauce thaw in the fridge before using it. You may need to blend it with a bit more water if you’re finding that it’s too thick.
This is the easiest cheese sauce ever and you can use this basic recipe when you want a more creamy texture by adding a potato. This is my number one cheese sauce recipe that I come to often to make over and over again
Yay! So happy that you’re loving it, Jenna. Such a great idea to add a potato 🙂
To be honest I was excited but the smell alone was enough to make me pick dairy back up.
Aw man sorry to hear that! I personally love nutritional yeast but guess it’s not for everyone 🙂
I made this once with jalapeño and once with poblano, both really good. I love to eat it with tortilla chips.
This is my GO TO Vegan Cheese. I love how easy it is to make and how it freezes so well. And of course the taste! I was curious if anyone has ever used it in a casserole and then froze it? I’m looking to prep some food for a beach trip and have a Mexican casserole I think this would be perfect in.
Yay! I’m so glad you love it, Jane! I think it should hold up just fine in the freezer 🙂
Wow – perfection!!!
This is so easy and tasty!
Yay, so happy you’re loving it, Linda!
People who are saying they really don’t like this might be missing one crucial step. This is going to sound really silly and I don’t think you actually spell this part out, put you have to COOK the sauce! Once you whip it up and taste it you need to apply heat to get it to thicken up! I thought well this is interesting but it tastes more like a dressing until I realized omg duh! You need to cook it into your noodles or whatever you’re using it for. Really yummy, thank you!
Yes, it tastes much better warm!! Happy you enjoyed it, Rani 🙂
Love this sauce – so easy and quick to make. Had it tonight on cauliflower and will use rest with pasta in a few days. It’s so tasty and I love the jalapeño kick and the depth that the spices give it. It’s delicious.
Yay! I’m so happy you’re loving it 🙂
Absolutely delicious!! Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much, Tracey! So happy you loved it.
Super yummy! I sauteed 1 chopped onion and the garlic, then put those in the blender. I didn’t add the jalapeno as I didn’t want the heat for this batch. Rather than salt I added 1t garlic salt.
Nice! Love those additions 🙂 Happy you loved it!
Have been searching so long for something I can use as I topper for pastas and enchiladas etc. THIS IS IT. I did leave out the chilli as I don’t like too much spice. So glad I tried it. As a follower of the OMS eating programme for Multiple Sclerosis it is so hard to find compliant food. Thank you so much for all your efforts in creating this. I’m off to buy some more Cashews.
Ahhh I’m so glad you found this one and loved it, Sam! So happy it works with your dietary needs and that it came out amazing 🙂 I could really pour it over just about anything haha!
Just made this tonight for my husband and I. So good!! Thanks for the recipe❤️
I’m SO happy you both loved it! Thank you, Carla!
I was looking for a quick cashew based cheese sauce tonight and this was an awesome find. I had baked potato with steamed broccoli and used this cheese sauce as a topping with scallions. Absolutely perfect combination. The sauce was quick and simple with my Vitamix. I soaked my raw cashews in boiling water for about 20 minutes
Amazing! So happy you found this recipe and enjoyed it, Dean 🙂 Thanks so much for leaving a review.
I was looking for a cheese sauce recipe that did not include potatoes or other root vegetables (because I planned to serve it over baked potatoes). This was phenomenal! I doubled the garlic and omitted the jalapeño because I’m very sensitive to heat. It was creamy and delicious, can’t wait to make it again!
So happy you found this one, Jenna! Glad to hear it came out great 😊
The cashew cheese sauce was delicious and I love playing around with recipes so mr loving pimento cheese I roasted a sweet red pepper and added it to the cashew cheese and wow!!! It was delicious!!
Really good! I approve of the addition of turmeric to other recipes I’ve seen. But this needs some lemon juice to add the last bit of cheesy tang; maybe a teaspoon’s worth.
This is amazing. The flavour and consistency is perfect for a vegan lasagne I’m making tomorrow, I’m excited for people to try it. Thanks!
Yay! Happy to hear this recipe came out great ❤️
Very good recipe. I ate with it tortilla chips like cheese dip. I would use less Dijon mustard next time.
The best! So glad you are enjoying this recipe 🙂
This is the best “cheese” sauce recipe I have made. It’s quite addictive – great over enchiladas and then it kept so well in the fridge I heaved it onto pasta for the most delicious cheese and mac. I didn’t have almond milk so subbed in some organic soy and elimanated the pepper (none handy) and it was still delicious.
YES! The BEST! So glad you are loving this recipe, its a great one ❤️
Yum
This recipe looks great. I can’t wait to try it. Can you tell me the quantity it makes, so I can get an idea on how much each serving size is please?
This was really lovely. I tried it out as the sauce for a baked cauliflower and broccoli “cheese” dish.
I doubled the quantity of garlic, onion granules, and dijon mustard, as well as changing the paprika to smoked paprika (and doubling that quantity too) as from previous experience I’ve found that this would suit our taste better, However, such a simple, tasty, and flour-free recipe, thank you so much! I have spent time messing around with sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, tahini and so on to make vegan cheese sauces, and I’ve tried other “cheese” sauces that use cornflour, and they’re just not as nice as this recipe.
Straightforward and quick to make, and most of all, extremely tasty. Thank you.
As a lifetime vegetarian who’s experimented with being vegan, I’m very familiar with cashew cheese recipes. This was THE BEST I’ve ever tried. LOVE the jalepeno kick. Didn’t have powdered paprika, but used a handful of roasted red peppers from a jar, which was an excellent substitute. In Eastern Europe, “paprika” is the name for red bell peppers, so either of these ingredients would taste great in this recipe.
I have made this and love it, I was wondering why the raw vs roasted cashews?
Just used this to make the buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese and it was great!
Yay! So glad you are loving this recipe 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! Quick, easy and delicious! I am eating vegan, oil free, sugar free and this recipe met all my needs and was surprisingly good. I made a veggie pizza tonight and drizzled this on top. Oh, I did make this batch without the jalapeños- will try with the jalapeños next time! 🙂
Just made this sauce- really good! I used oat milk snd thinned it with some veg broth. Also used jarred jalapeños as that’s what I had on hand. This will be a regular!!
Yay! I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe! 🙂
Love this sauce, but would like to make it spicier. Adding hot sauce was wierd – do you have any tips on a different type of pepper to use or a way you’d recommend to spice it up? Thank you!
This turned out really good. I didn’t need to soak the cashews – my Vitamix ground them up good, so it was a really fast recipe to make. I used unsweetened soy milk, and onion salt instead of the salt and onion powder. It seemed a little sweet. Maybe I’ll try more nutritional yeast and mustard to see if that helps.
I never leave recipe reviews, but this recipe appalled me. I double checked the recipe to make sure I did it correctly, and I did but it was still awful. Maybe it’s because I’m not vegan and I know what real cheese tastes like, but this is bland and not even close.
Sorry this recipe didn’t turn out as you hoped. It is a vegan cheese sauce, so it won’t taste exactly like regular cheese
This cheese is the effing bomb.
Yesss! I am SO glad you are loving this recipe 🙂
By far the best vegan cheese sauce recipe I’ve made so far. Wish I would’ve doubled the recipe!
Ah yay! I am so excited to hear you’re loving this recipe, Colleen 😍
I made this and it is delicious! What is considered 1 serving? Is it a cup, a certain number of tablespoons, etc? The recipe doesn’t specify.
So glad you enjoyed! 1 serving should be about 1/2 cup.
Very good. I served it over rice and vegetables. Color looks nothing like the photos though. Mine had more of a hummus color.
Glad you enjoyed this recipe! Not sure what might have gone wrong that the colors wasn’t as bright.
My go to cheese sauce recipe! Reminds me of my favorite vegan restaurant in DC 🙂
Yess! This is seriously the best – thank you for your comment, I appreciate you!
Does not taste anywhere close to cheese sauce, vegan or otherwise.
So sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you? Did you change anything about the recipe?
Woah! Beyond glorious! First time I’ve been beyond impressed with a vegan cheese sauce substitute. Added the sauce to boiled and drained elbow macaroni. Best Mac & “Cheese” I’ve ever had.. including that made with real cheese. Sitting here now considering all the ways I can use this..
Ahh I am SO glad to hear that you are loving this cheese sauce. Can’t wait to hear all the ways you decide to use it!
The absolute best vegan cheese sauce I’ve ever had!!! I’ve been hunting for years! Thank you!!!
YUM! So glad you’re enjoying this recipe, Jennifer!
Great recipe! My jalapeños expired, so I substituted a couple of canned chipotle peppers, and the result was similar.
Sounds delicious – glad this sauce turned out amazing for you!
Too sweet, I would try with just a cup of cashews
Hi! The cashews shouldn’t make these sauce sweet – it just creates the thick texture. I would suggest adding more nutritional yeast and/or salt to get the flavor that you like!
This recipe is wonderful & so easy to make. So glad I found it.
So happy you found this one, too!
Quick and easy to make, thank you for the alternative, I may make a vegan out of my husband yet. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes.
Absolutely! I hope you find more recipes here that you love 🙂
This recipe is fantastic. I am making meals for my wife as she recovers from COVID. I did not see the amounts for each ingredient, so I guessed and it came out amazing. My wife loved it over spinach tortellini. Thanks so much!
I’m glad this still turned out well, Gary! You’ll find all of the ingredient amounts and the full instructions at the bottom of the post after I’ve written my tips and shared photos of the recipe. Feel free to click “Jump to Recipe” at the top of the page, too!
I made it on a weekly basis now as per my children’s request, with a few friends requesting it often. I was told it’s awesome and finger liking good,.
Amazing! So glad it’s a hit!
Looking forward to making this just put cashews to soak great easy instructions thanks
Perfect! Hope you love it!
Not vegan but wanted to give this recipe a try and it did not disappoint. The creaminess from the soaked cashews and the tanginess from the nutritional yeast makes you not even miss the cheese in this vegan Mac and cheese. I’ve made this for bbqs and guests can’t believe it’s vegan.
Love it! Glad it’s a hit!
I’ve been excited to try a vegan cheese dip recipe with cashews & nutritional yeast & this is the first one I tried. WOW, this stuff is so freaking good I want to eat it on everything!! I can’t imagine even trying another recipe this is that good!! I skipped the mustard & I’m glad I did & I didn’t have jalapeño so I used a bit of cayenne pepper – SUPER YUMMY!!
Love that! Glad you found this one!
FANTASTIC results.
I did things a bit different (as usual). No jalapeño so used about 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne. No onion powder so used about 1/4-1/3 cup of yellow onion.
Put everything in a quart canning jar and used my amazing Vitamix immersion blender.
This a definite keeper…WOW.
Thank you for the recipe.
I’m glad those swaps worked out well! Such a great sauce to have on hand 🙂
This was amazing, I did however find about 1/4 t- 1/2 t salt was all we really needed. The first time I made it I used the full one teaspoon and then ended up making a batch with no salt and mixing the two. This is amazing and I can’t wait to try it out and replace some of the almond milk with a gf beer to make a beer cheese dipping sauce! I even my husband who isn’t df said it was amazing.
Everyone’s salt preference is a bit different, so I’m glad that mix worked out well! Great idea to make a vegan beer cheese, too!
I enjoyed following your instructions and it saved a “what’s for dinner” panic. The taste was very good. I had smoked paprika and ground mustard on hand. No doubt have extra milk on hand, it sets up very creamy.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Before going vegan at age 50 macaroni and cheese was my favorite. I rarely ate it though because it’s bad for you! So for the past nine years I’ve been playing around with vegan macaroni and cheese recipes trying to duplicate the flavor and texture. This one is the best!
Amazing! So glad you gave this one a try!
This is a WONDERFUL recipe! Thank you! Game Day Nachos are our favorite (GO CHIEFS!) and these dip makes a perfect alternative to the processed junk. Thank you!
Love that!! Perfect for fall 🙂
Hello. I am going to make this today. Can I make a batch and refrigerate and use as needed?
Yes!
I just made this recipe to the letter substituting only homemade hemp-milk sweetened with maple syrup because I had just run out of unsweetened soy milk. It came out really cheesy and made the perfect cheese sauce for soy curl “steak” tips in a wrap. Will be eating more over the next few days and definitely will make again. The flavor is rich and cheesy and the texture is not too runny and not too thick
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed.
Yummy very good- and of course cruelty free!
Excellent! Much better than the last recipe I tried. I think the Dijon mustard is a game changer. The info about that it was okay to keep adding more almond milk was also very helpful. I made a huge batch and am freezing some. Thanks! 😊
So glad you loved it!
I was expecting this to taste like cheese, so I was disappointed. It didn’t taste bad, just not like cheese. I put it on macaroni, so the sauce was front and center. I’d recommend it maybe as a topping for vegetables, or in place of hummus, Not sure I’d tell my guests it’s a cheese sauce, so as to manage their expectations. I don’t think I’ll make it again.
It won’t taste exactly like cheese because of the ingredients, but I’ve found it to be very close for a vegan option! Be sure to add salt to taste to bring out the flavor.
Am I missing something? I made this recipe and while the consistency was cheese like, it tasted nothing like cheese.
Hi! The nutritional yeast and salt to taste is what will bring out that cheesy flavor. Did you taste and adjust the salt to your liking?
Excellent sauce, love it. I add a bit of pickle juice to mine for my palate. Thank you for this recipe!
Mmm, I need to try that! 🙂
Can you use salted cashews?
Sure! I’d then suggest starting with about half as much salt, tasting the sauce, and adding more as needed.
It’s delicious! And so easy to make. I’ll be smearing it on tortillas with beans & salsa. Can’t wait!
Sounds so good! Glad you enjoyed!
Why no nutritional value for sodium?
Sodium contents can vary depending on brands of ingredients, “salt to taste,” etc.!
I appreciate the lack of animal products in this recipe but I have to say it was not…great.
O think it’s way too much nutritional yeast.
Sorry you didn’t love this one! I don’t typically find 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast to be too much with the full cup of milk and 1 1/2 cups of cashews – it’s what gives it the cheesy flavor.