This quick and easy vegan nacho cheese is the ultimate comfort food made in just minutes! The flavor of this vegan nacho cheese is undeniably cheese-like, thanks to a simple cashew base, plus a few delightful add-ins.
So cheesy!
Dairy free nacho cheese
This nacho cheese sauce lacks absolutely nothing when it comes to the taste experience!! It is one of the easiest-to-make vegan cheese options out there.
Comfort food at its best, this rich and creamy sauce is my go-to for all things Mexican - unless you need a shreddable cheese and then you might want to check out this amazing easy vegan block cheese.
Related recipe: Vegan Cheese Dip
What is vegan nacho cheese made of?
- Raw Cashews - the queen of creamy nuts! Get some here.
- Seasoned Salt, Garlic and Onion Powder - the flavor trio.
- Nutritional Yeast Flakes - otherwise known as 'nooch'! This stuff adds amazing cheesy flavor. Most large grocery stores carry it, or get some here. Nutritional yeast is loaded with B vitamins and niacin, making this nacho cheese a little healthy.
- Cornstarch or Tapioca Flour - gluten-free thickening agents
- Vegan Butter - adds richness and buttery flavor, but totally optional if you want to skip the refined fats.
- Miso Paste - it's a hidden agent! Don't use dark Miso paste, it will over-power. Stick with light or white Miso paste and you'll be amazed!
- Apple Cider Vinegar - I know it seems weird. It's not. Just try it. You won't taste it, it just gives the right tang.
- Pimentos - lend flavor and color without being over-powering.
Ingredients to make vegan nacho cheese
Related recipe: Pico de Gallo with Mango
Steps for how to make this Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce:
First you rinse your cashews under hot water for several minutes, or soak them for 5 minutes in hot water (Photo 1).
Then put the rest of the ingredients plus just one cup of the water in your blender and process until completely smooth (Photo 2).
(If you are using a high powered blender such as a Blendtec, you can just go ahead and add both cups of water at once, without difficulty.)
Add your second cup of water (if you hadn't already done so!). Pour blender mixture into medium saucepan and whisk over medium heat until it becomes bubbly and thickened! (Photos 3 & 4)
Serve!
A few simple steps to make vegan nacho cheese
Expert tip for making vegan cheeses:
Don't skip the step of rinsing or soaking the raw cashews, this helps soften them for an ultra-smooth vegan cheese, and gets rid of the cashew taste, giving this nacho cheese a truly realistic cheese flavor.
Devour this nacho sauce with:
- make vegan nachos with homemade chipotle tortilla chips, black beans, pico de gallo, and fresh cilantro
- steamed broccoli and baked potatoes
- vegan black bean taquitos
- deluxe vegan burgers
- nachos
- pretzels
- potato wedges
- tostadas
- oven-roasted cauliflower
- almost any cheesy way you can think of, including this vegan refried bean dip!
How to re-heat this vegan nacho cheese sauce:
Re-warm this nacho cheese in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat stirring often, or microwave it!! It lasts for up to 5 days in a covered dish in the refrigerator, and freezes well for up to 4 months!
Look how rich this vegan nacho sauce is!
Add even more flavor:
Another fun way to add even more flavor (and spice!) to this nacho cheese sauce is to add a small (10 oz.) can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel) towards the end of the thickening process! Talk about a yummy nacho cheese dip! It's absolutely irresistible!
No oil option:
As an alternative to vegan margarine/butter you can add a teaspoon of Butter Flavor!
Other delicious vegan recipes:
- Vegan mozzarella cheese
- Vegan feta cheese
- Best easy blender salsa
- Vegan Pepper Jack Cheese
- Vegan smoked Gouda cheese
- Vegan herbed cheese
- Vegan cream cheese
- Black bean salad
- Vegan tofu and black bean tacos
If you’ve tried this, or any other recipe on my blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I LOVE hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and see what's keeping me busy!!
Recipe
Vegan Nacho Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups water, divided
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 oz canned pimientos, or ¼ cup
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch , may also use Tapioca Flour/Starch but increase amount by 1 Tbsp.
- 2 tablespoon vegan margarine/butter, optional (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon white or light miso paste
- 1.5 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, optional (see notes)
Special equipment
Instructions
- Rinse cashews under hot running water for several minutes or soak in HOT water for 5 minutes and then rinse.
- Place rinsed cashews in blender. Add 1 cup of the water and all other remaining ingredients and blend on high until completely smooth.
- Add second cup of water and pour mixture into a med size pot.
- Whisk over med heat until thickened, about 8 minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning.
- Voila! Dip chips, serve as a side for baked potatoes, drizzle over maxi-bowls etc!
Dana
Do pimentos or miso come up in any of your other recipes? I'm trying to decide if they're worth stocking or just substituting. Thank you! Can't wait to try! My daughter has a milk allergy, we recently went vegan so I'm excited for her to try some things she's missed out on. Still learning.
Kate
Yes! Search this site for "miso" and then for "pimiento" and you'll see which recipes use those ingredients. (In my opinion, yes it's worth it, but I also have every spice and herb and seasoning known to mankind, so my opinion might not apply to everyone)
Sharada
Can we use Almonds instead of cashews in vegan cheese recipes? I am allergic to Cashew.
Kate
I haven't tried almonds, but they are not as soft and creamy as cashews so I am afraid they wouldn't work as well, sadly. I know people use cooked potatoes to get a smooth, rich nacho sauce, so that is worth trying!! Since this recipe only uses a little cashews, a half of a boiled and peeled potato would probably be enough, you might want to start with a little less just in case. You'll still get all the flavors of this nacho sauce from the other ingredients! Let me know if you give it a try!
Danielle
This was the best vegan nacho cheese recipe I’ve found. Absolutely delicious. Definitely better than store bought versions I’ve tried.
Kate
SO glad to hear that!! Thanks for letting me know!
Brielle
What’s a good substitute for canned pimentos? I don’t think I’ve seen them before so I’d like to know in case I don’t ind them
Kate
Hi Brielle, you can try using drained roasted red peppers, or even fresh red bell peppers if you think your blender can make them completely smooth - just a couple of pieces of either!
Kayla
Hi! I have a question-do we have to use miso paste? I'm supposed to avoid soy. Is there anything else we can use instead? Does the miso just add texture or is it important for flavor?
Thanks for your awesome recipes!
Rebecca
Thanks for the question! I would go ahead and just omit the miso paste. It is something extra I omit on occasion and everyone still seems to love it just as much! Happy cooking!
Kiara
Hi Kayla! I’m gluten free and soy free. I recently found a chickpea miso that is free of soy and it’s gluten free and vegan. That could be an option for you.
Kate
That's perfect! Thanks for replying and letting us know. I'll have to keep my eye out for it and try it. I am not soy-free, obviously, but it would be really helpful for me to know how it tastes to see where I can recommend it as a substitute.
Marna
Use chickpea miso…it’s readily available as well.