Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (2024)

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4.93 from 424 votes

Easy vegan cheese sauce with minimal ingredients and ready in 3 minutes! A super simple and nut-free plant-based recipe which requires only a handful of ingredients. This vegan queso is perfect for pizza, nachos, Mac and Cheese, burgers, pasta bake, toast, and more savory recipes. The sauce doesn’t contain cashews!

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (1)Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Without Cashews!

This is probably the easiest homemade vegan cheese sauce ever! It might change your life, it changed mine, I am not kidding. Coconut milk, tapioca flour, nutritional yeast flakes, water, and salt – these are the ingredients which you will need to make this delicious sauce.

Since most people have water and salt at home, all you need to buy is coconut milk, tapioca flour, and nutritional yeast flakes. But maybe you already have these ingredients at home as well. So let’s start to make this easy recipe, it will be done in 3 minutes!

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (2)Only A Few Ingredients

I know there are tons of vegan cheese sauce recipes out there, but most of them contain cashews + many more ingredients and require longer preparation time. This cashew-free cheese sauce contains only a handful of ingredients and is ready in 3 minutes.

How To Make Vegan Cheese Sauce

You just need to put all the ingredients into a saucepan, bring the mixture to a boil and that’s it! You don’t even need a blender or food processor. No cooking of veggies, no soaking of cashews. It seriously couldn’t be easier than that.

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (3)Not Only For Vegans

This recipe is not only amazing for vegans. I served it also to vegetarians and meat eaters and everyone loved the taste AND texture of this vegan cheese sauce. The tapioca flour (which is also called tapioca starch) makes this recipe so special because it adds the amazing elasticity to the sauce. It makes the sauce stretchy and even reminds of real cheese. Nutritional yeast is an important ingredient for the taste because it adds a cheesy flavor. The spices are up to you, but I love to add some garlic and onion powder, and also a pinch of smoked paprika.

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (4)Perfect For Nachos, Pizza, Gratin And More

You can use this vegan sauce for any savory recipe which requires cheese. Whether it is pizza, nachos, gratin, pasta, or any other plant-based recipe. Sometimes when I am too lazy to make my Mac and Cheese recipe I will simply make this 3-minute cheese sauce and pour it over my cooked pasta and my dinner is served in just a few minutes. I have included some pictures of different dishes which I made using this cheese sauce recipe.

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (5)This easy vegan cheese sauce is:

  • Plant-based
  • Gluten free
  • Oil-free
  • Dairy-free
  • Nut-free (no Cashews!)
  • Paleo-friendly
  • Easy to make in a few minutes

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (6)Make This Vegan Cheese Sauce Today

I made this cheeze sauce probably 100 times already because I use it in almost all of my savory recipes lol. I just love simple recipes which require only a few ingredients and this easy sauce recipe is one of them. So don’t wait any longer and make it NOW. I am sure you will love it as well.

Tapioca flour can be bought in every Asia shop or big supermarkets or simply ordered online. Same goes for nutritional yeast flakes. Check the Recipe Notes for a tapioca flour substitute.

Should you recreate this vegan nacho cheese sauce, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elaveganand #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (7)

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (9)

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce

Author: Michaela Vais

Easy vegan cheese sauce, ready in 3 minutes! A super simple and nut-free plant-based recipe which requires only a handful of ingredients. This vegan queso is perfect for pizza, nachos, Mac and Cheese, burgers, pasta bake, toast, and more savory recipes. The sauce doesn't contain cashews!

4.93 from 424 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Side Dish

Cuisine vegan

Servings 3

Calories 148 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Put all ingredients into a saucepan and stir with a whisk. Once everything is combined, turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly.

  • Let simmer on low to medium heat for about one minute until the sauce is stretchy.

  • Enjoy this vegan cheese sauce with nachos, on pizza, over pasta, and many other savory dishes! Please read the recipe notes below.

Notes

Video Of The Recipe

  • Thickness: If the cheese sauce turns out too thick, just add more coconut milk or any other plant-based milk (or water), up to 1 cup.
  • Coconut milk: I use coconut milk that contains 17% fat. In case you don't like the taste of coconut milk, you can use a different plant-based milk instead, e.g. almond milk, cashew milk, etc. The higher the fat content of the milk, the better will be the taste of the vegan cheese sauce.
  • Tapioca flour: Tapioca flour/starch can be bought in every Asia store or larger grocery stores or simply ordered online.
  • Tapioca substitute: Two readers (thanks, Brooklyn and Nichola) commented that arrowroot flour (also known as arrowroot powder or arrowroot starch) is a great substitute for tapioca flour/starch.
  • Cornstarch: You could use cornstarch instead of tapioca flour, but the result won’t be as good (stretchy) as with tapioca flour. It will still taste ok!
  • How to store: You can store the sauce in the fridge for up to 2 days, but it will change the texture. Reheat with a splash of dairy-free milk. It tastes best freshly made.
  • FAQ: "My cheese sauce didn't turn out yellow. What did I do wrong...?" Answer: Some nutritional yeast brands enrich their products with lots of B-vitamins. The nutritional yeast flakeswhich I ordered from Amazon contain B-vitamins and are therefore yellow. When I use 3 tbsp, the cheese sauce turns out pretty yellow, but when I use less (e.g. just 1 tbsp) the color is just light yellowish." You can also add a pinch of turmeric powder.

Other recipes: Check out my other "cheesy" recipes that I made with this sauce:

  • Vegan Quesadillas
  • Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
  • Vegan Pasta Bake

You might also like this Vegan Fondue. And if you prefer a firm cheese, make sure to check out my sliceable Vegan Cheese Recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce

Serving Size

72 g

Amount per Serving

Calories

148

% Daily Value*

Fat

10.8

g

17

%

Saturated Fat

9.3

g

47

%

Carbohydrates

10.4

g

3

%

Fiber

2.2

g

9

%

Sugar

2.3

g

3

%

Protein

3.9

g

8

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (10) Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!

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Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (11)

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe | Ready In 3 Minutes! - Elavegan (2024)

FAQs

How to make a Delia cheese sauce? ›

Method. When you're ready to make the sauce, put the milk in a saucepan. Then simply add the sauce flour, butter and seasoning and bring everything gradually up to simmering point over a medium heat, whisking continuously with a balloon whisk, until the sauce has thickened and becomes smooth and glossy.

How to make cheese sauce that doesn t harden? ›

For Smooth, Stable Cheese Sauces, Cornstarch and Evaporated Milk Are Your Friends. How to make a stable emulsion of melted cheese using two basic pantry staples.

What makes vegan cheese cheesy? ›

Vegan cheese is made using a similar process, but it starts with plant-based milk, like soy or nut milk. A bacterial culture is added to separate the proteins in the milk, and it's often supplemented with oils, emulsifiers, and thickeners, like tapioca, pea flour, arrowroot, or agar, to achieve a cheese-like texture.

What cheese is vegan but real? ›

Real Vegan Cheese (RVC) is a grassroots, non-profit research project working to produce real cheese using cellular agriculture. We add the genes for cheese proteins to yeast and other microflora, and turn them into little protein factories, then make real cheese by adding plant-based fats and sugars.

Is vegan cheese more unhealthy than normal cheese? ›

Vegan cheeses are typically lower in fat, protein and calcium than regular cheese and are likely gluten-free. Because vegan cheese is a processed food, it tends to be higher in sodium, so check your labels.

What thickens cheese sauce? ›

Egg yolk. Grated cheese. Grated cheese, such as cheddar or parmesan, can also act as a thickener in a cheese sauce and becomes a great binding agent in the cooking process. Try, for example, incorporating it into crustless quiches and cauli-pizza dough.

What is the best melting cheese for a sauce? ›

What is the best melting cheese? Cheeses with more moisture and lower melting points - cheddar is one of the most popular choices, but Swiss and Gruyère are also terrific options. Which melts better, mild or sharp cheddar? Mild cheddar melts more smoothly than sharper (more aged) cheddar.

How do you make cheese sauce thicker without cheese? ›

How to Thicken Sauce With Cornstarch
  1. Combine equal parts cornstarch and cold water. Stir together until smooth.
  2. Pour into your sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring continually, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
  3. Test the sauce with a spoon.
Jun 20, 2023

How do you keep cheese sauce creamy? ›

Starch (such as all-purpose flour, cornstarch, or potato flour) will keep the cheese from curdling. If using all-purpose flour, add it to the mixture before the cheese; it needs to be cooked for a few minutes to remove the starchy taste.

How do you keep cheese sauce melty? ›

Cheese sauce can be kept from congealing by applying enough heat to keep it semi-liquid but not enough to scorch it or dry it out. A candle or an electric heat source can be used for this. A fondue pot is one type of vessel commonly used for the process.

Why won't my cheese melt in my cheese sauce? ›

One of the most common ways to help cheese melt smoothly is to add starch: this is a process that works in sauces like mornay, or nacho cheese sauce. Starches and other thickeners will physically impede fat molecules from joining up into larger droplets, as well as making the water phase of the cheese more viscous.

What are three dominant ingredients in vegan cheese? ›

Common Ingredients in Dairy Free Cheese
  • Soy Based. Soy is unsurprisingly one of the most common bases for vegan cheeses—and is popular in many plant-based animal-product substitute. ...
  • Coconut. ...
  • Flour. ...
  • Tree Seeds and Nuts. ...
  • A Safer Alternative.
Apr 29, 2020

How do they get vegan cheese to melt? ›

Some vegan cheese brands stand out for their meltability, and using less, shredding it finely, and avoiding pre-shredded types can help achieve a better melt. Cooking techniques like stovetop stirring, oven baking with foil, and cautious microwaving are key for melting vegan cheese effectively in various dishes.

What plant based cheese tastes like cheese? ›

Parmela Shreds

Parmela nailed it (don't ask us how). These cashew-based shreds not only taste like cheese, but they also melt perfectly. Varieties include Mild Cheddar, Sharp Cheddar, Mozzarella, and Fiery Jack. The last one is phenomenal in dairy-free quesadillas!

Does any vegan cheese taste like cheese? ›

It's important to understand that vegan cheese, being made with different ingredients, typically does not taste exactly like traditional dairy cheese. However, it does replicate some of the flavors and textures that you might remember from dairy cheese and tastes great in its own right.

Does vegan cheese melt like regular cheese? ›

Does Vegan Cheese Melt. A resounding yes, it sure does, not all of it, but vegan cheese does melt and melt well. Just like non-vegan cheese, there will be some that aren't created to melt, nor do it well, it's just the same. Make sure to cook vegan cheeses on a lower heat than you would normally and keep an eye on them ...

What is a healthy alternative to cheese? ›

A healthier, more nutritious, and plant-based substitute for parmesan cheese is nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a plant-based alternative that provides a nutty and cheesy flavor. Alternatively, in some cases, a substitute that could work instead of parmesan cheese is sesame seeds.

Is Go veggie cheese healthy? ›

Containing no saturated fats, Go Veggie is considered a healthier alternative to other vegan cheese brands.

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