This oozy, gooey vegan cheese sauce is just as good as the real thing! Versatile and easy to make, it's delicious on pasta, nachos, and more.
You don’t have to be vegan to fall for this vegan cheese recipe! It’s creamy, tangy, and rich, with a crave-worthy oozy texture just like that of dairy-based cheese sauce. Even Jack – the biggest real cheese lover I know – adores this recipe. Last time I made it, we stood at the counter, scooping it up with tortilla chips. We only got halfway through the first batch before we decided to make a second. Yep, it’s that good!
Serve this vegan cheese as a dip with tortilla chips or fresh veggies, toss it with pasta to make vegan mac and cheese, top it onto a baked potato, or drizzle it over chips to make a vegan nacho platter. Once you have it on hand, you’ll find endless ways to use it, and you won’t be able to get enough!
Vegan Cheese Recipe Ingredients
This dairy-free cheese is not only delicious – it’s good for you, too! Unlike processed vegan cheese that you might find at grocery stores, it’s made of a short list of whole foods ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Yukon gold potatoes and cashews – They’re the key ingredients for giving vegan cheese recipes oozy, creamy texture.
- Sweet potatoes – You couldn’t make a cheddar-style cheese sauce without an orange ingredient! Sweet potato gives this recipe its vibrant color, and it adds a light sweetness that’s delicious with the rich, tangy flavors here.
- Nutritional yeast – It gives this dairy-free cheese the nutty, savory flavor of the real thing!
- Garlic and onion powder – They add delicious depth of flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar – It gives this vegan cheese a bright, tangy finish. Yum!
To make this cashew cheese recipe, start by boiling the potatoes. When they’re tender, transfer them to a high-speed blender. Add the nutritional yeast, garlic, onion powder, cashews, and vinegar, along with water, extra-virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, adding more liquid as needed. Then, enjoy!
Best Vegan Cheese Variations
Though I love this recipe as written, I also like to change it up from time to time. Here are a few of my favorite variations:
- Change the veggies. If you don’t have sweet potato on hand, swap in carrots or butternut squash.
- Make it smoky. Add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, to taste. I love to serve this variation as a loaded queso dip with guac, pico de gallo, and black beans!
- Spice it up. For extra heat, blend a tablespoon of pickled jalapeños or a chipotle pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo into the cheese.
Let me know what variations you try!
More Plant-Based Basics
If you love this vegan cheese recipe, try one of these plant-based basics next:
- Cashew Sour Cream
- Sriracha Baked Tofu
- Coconut Whipped Cream
- Vegan Bacon
- Homemade Oat Milk
- Marinated Tempeh
Then, check out this post for more of my favorite vegan recipes!
Vegan Cheese
Ingredients
- ¾ cup peeled and diced Yukon Gold potato
- ¾ cup peeled and diced sweet potato
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for cooking the potatoes
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup water
Optional add-ins
- ½ to 1 chipotle pepper from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeños
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Place the Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Add a few pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until fork-tender, 8 to 12 minutes.
- Drain and transfer to a high-speed blender with the garlic, cashews, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, olive oil, and water. Blend until smooth.
- For spicy vegan cheese, add the chipotle pepper or pickled jalapeños. If you’d like a smoky flavor, add the smoked paprika.
- Serve with tortilla chips for dipping or over pasta to make vegan mac & cheese.
Can you please give me the nutritional value for this recipe ?
Holy cow!! I was hesitant given the potatoes but holy wow, it’s delicious. Had to hide the tortilla chips so I won’t overload. How long will it store in the fridge and can you reheat?
New to dairy allergy and very pleasantly surprised at how cheesy good this is!
I’m so glad you loved it!
Hello! I’d love to try this recipe. However, where we are living we don’t have access to nutritional yeast. Is there a particular substitute you’d recommend? Thanks!
Hi Erica, I can’t think of a great vegan sub for the nutritional yeast, but you could simply omit it. In that case, I’d start by halving the vinegar and adding more as desired. The sauce won’t taste as “cheesy” but it will still be creamy, tangy, and flavorful. Another option would be to order nutritional yeast online. Retailers like Target and Amazon carry it.
Hello!
Is it possible to can this recipe? If so, how long would you recommend in either a pressure canner or water bath?
This has too much of a tang for my tastes and the olive oil was a strong note. Next time I’ll use a very light EVOO, less vinegar and sub the water with almond milk. It’s good, but I can’t say it tastes similar to cheese.
Can I make this without the oil? Or is there a low-fat substitute? Thanks!
Hi Diane, you could use more water or vegetable broth if you’d like. You may not need a full 1/4 cup. I’d start with 2 tablespoons and add more as needed to reach your desired consistency.
This is sooo good.
Your cheese recipe sound great but what if you are allergic to tree nuts and peanuts? Is there a substitute for cashew s?
Hi Pat, you could use raw sunflower kernels. I’d start with 2 tablespoons and add more as needed to get a creamy consistency. They pack more densely into a measuring cup than cashews do, so you’ll likely need less.
Has anyone tried this without using oil?
I haven’t tried it, but my first choice would be to use aqua faba (liquid from a can of chickpeas) instead of oil.
Excellent
Grateful for this recipe ??♀️
So glad you enjoyed it!
Fabulous! A nacho cheese sauce that is good for me!
Thank you so much! My husband was skeptical of the ingredients and he loves the sauce. I added the pickled jalapeños and smoked paprika and it’s just what we love. You’re a genius!
Hi Arvis, I’m so glad you both loved the recipe!
I cannot say THANK YOU enough for this recipe!! I have used this so many times for sweet potato nachos and gluten free Mac n’ cheese and more! Even vegan friends coming over for dinner can’t believe how delicious this recipe is. It’s so easy. Thank you!
Hi Liz, I’m so glad you’ve loved it so much!
How long can you store the cheese in the fridge?
My daughter is allergic to sweet potatoes 🙁 is there anything that I can use instead? I have nutritional yeast as well? New to the no dairy game as we are doing elimination method for my daughters eczema
Hi Tiffany, you could carrots instead. Hope that helps!
I made this today and let me tell you it was so delicious, I will never buy regular cheese again, I will make this from now on..
What could you substitute for cashews for a nut allergy?
Sunflower seeds
I made this today and it’s so dang delicious, and creamy.
I’ve been making several versions from different recipe sources but I’ve now found THE ONE! This is the only one I’ll be making from now on. Thank you.
Hi Diane, I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi – Do you think russet potatoes would be ok instead of Yukon gold? Thanks!
I used russets and it turns out great
Hi Mel, yep! I think russets would be fine.
I made four times quantity of this recipe for a vegan potluck. It scaled up easily. It was a big hit, guests loved it.
Definitely top contender for best vegan Mac n cheeze sauce I’ve made, and was easier than I thought even with boiling the potatoes. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Robin, I’m so glad the recipe was a hit!
Would you know nutritional breakdown?
Hi Mignonne, I’m sorry, but we don’t calculate nutrition facts for our recipes. An online nutrition calculator is the best way to get an estimate!