You’re a little late for Cinco de Mayo,
you might say.
Why aren’t you like other bloggers who publish 25-Margaritas-for-Cinco-de-Mayo posts weeks in advance?,
you might say.
We don’t even like vegan nacho cheese sauce,
you might say.
And you’ll be wrong, on all counts. Except I really did intend to publish a list of really badass margaritas for Cinco de Mayo and just failed tremendously, what with coming back from Europe and, I don’t know, renormalizing? My life’s tough.
But vegan nacho cheese sauce is never late. It’s always right on time, especially this liquid gold. How many five-dollar bills have you spent on crappy, plutonium-enriched nacho cheese at pre-vegan basketball games and nights out at the movies with people you’re really comfortable with? Me, I’ve spent many. Many five-dollar bills on that siren song of artificial cheese and maximum junk food deliciousness. I even checked the ingredients of common brands when I went vegan, just in case that really wasn’t cheese, but alas, there’s enough milk protein and cheese-like substances in there to take this guilty pleasure out of rotation for any vegans or paleo..ers.
You might, then, equate this vegan nacho cheese sauce with weirdly “not right”-tasting vegan cheese and pass with a simple, annoyingly polite “no, thank you”. But you’re misled, my friend! Come back to us. Why?
This stuff is magic.
About a minute in a high-speed blender, and you’ve nearly got yourself a batch of the finest non-dairy nacho cheese you’ve ever tasted, I swear it! I’m 100% convinced I could fool any nacho-lovin’ dairy-eatin’ sucker (or non-sucker, for the sake of my case) with this sauce, it’s that good. Not only that.. it’s healthy!
What?
I mean, WHAT?!
Cashews, pimentos, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and some spices. That’s it, people. Can I get an amen?
…thank you, you know who you are.
This vegan nacho cheese sauce is ridiculously versatile–it works just as beautifully on steamed veggies or a baked potato, as drenching tortilla chips, layered with sautéed mushrooms and onions, tomatoes, jalapeños. Perfect for dipping–especially with a can of chopped green chiles or jalapeños thrown in there. I bet it’d even kick some booty as a mac and cheese sauce!
If you have a high-speed blender, you’ll love the super creamy texture and how easily everything comes together. If you don’t have a high-speed blender, get one! Just kidding (not really), but all you have to do is blend the crap out of it and if it’s not perfectly smooth, strain the sauce to draw out the wayward little bits of cashew if you want. Either way, it’ll be monstrously delicious.
Make this.
Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2/3 cup raw cashews
- 1 2-ounce jar pimentos drained
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 - 1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder to taste, optional
Instructions
- Combine water and all other ingredients in a Vita-Mix or other blender and blend until completely smooth. If you're using a Vita-Mix, use the "hot soup" setting, and you'll be good to go! Otherwise, transfer mixture to a medium saucepan and whisk constantly over medium-low heat until heated through.
- Serve as a dip, drizzle over nachos (think refried black beans, a simple guac, fresh jalapeno slices, homemade salsa, sliced black olives, sautéed mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and thinly sliced red onions..... which is exactly what we had for dinner last night, coincidentally), or burritos.
Notes
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Amba says
I have made this recipe so many times. More than I can count everyone, even nonvegans love it. It also works amazing in potato soup!!! Have you ever tried freezing it? I seem to make double batches so I can use half for soup and half for nachos, but got lazy and have a decent amount left and was hoping to freeze before it went bad.
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
We have not tried freezing it, but think it could definitely work!
Cammie says
You are a genius!! This was SOOOOO good! I’m not vegan, but I am trying to be dairy-free and you are making it so easy for me! I have used this to dip with so many things, but our favorite is with steamed or roasted broccoli florets! Thanks so much and keep the recipes coming!
Amber says
Still love this recipe though I’ve had to tweak it just a tad – Have you tried using this for a macaroni and cheese? I’m eating it with some steamed cauliflower and broccoli right now. It’s amazing still. Thanks 🙂
Cheryl Malik says
Sounds so good! What do you do to tweak it?
Amber says
I just have to tell you how much I lovethis recipe. It is the FIRST vegan cheese that I’ve liked…no LOVED! I make this often for nachos. I also have never been able to find pimentos so I just leave them out. Still phenomenal!!! Thanks so much!!!
Lindsey says
do you have to soak the cashews first?? Or just blend them?
Cheryl Malik says
If you have a Vitamix or Blendtec, you don’t need to soak the cashews, but if you don’t have a high-speed blender, I definitely recommend soaking them for at least 4 hours. Sorry my response is so late!
Laura says
Do you have any suggestions for pimento substitutes? Or maybe it would be okay to just leave them out entirely? I actually kinda loathe pimento, but I’d love to make my kids some cheese sauce for their pita chips.
Cheryl Malik says
Hrm, I wouldn’t leave them out, as an element, but maybe replace them with roasted red peppers instead?
Angela Pun says
Can you offer any suggestions to substitute the cashew? My son is allergic to nuts.
Also, any advice on other vegan, non-nut substitutes for dairy would be most welcome!
Cheryl Hurley says
Yikes, I really can’t think of any substitute for the cashew, for this recipe. However, try this one: http://veganyumminess.com/vegan-nacho-cheese/ It’s totally nut-free! Let me know how you like it 🙂 In terms of other non-nut subs for dairy, I know coconut milk works well for whipping and other similar things, and I often make milk out of cooked brown rice.. I’m pretty sure the vegan dairy subs like Tofutti are nut-free but not exactly unprocessed. I’ll come back to this comment if I come across any. Thanks for commenting and reading!
Kristin says
You might try garbanzo beans instead?
RavieNomNoms says
Huh, this is so interesting! I use nutritional yeast at home, I need to try this!
Cheryl Hurley says
You’ll really be amazed at how good it tastes, I swear. I always forget that the recipe is HEALTHY, too, which is just nuts! Har har.. har.. Let me know what you think (of the recipe, not my super weak puns [note that it took quite a lot of effort to not call my puns weak*sauce*]) if you make it!