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This nut-free vegan Nacho Cheese is easy to make and good for you! Add it to vegan tacos, burritos, nachos, mac and cheese, and more. The possibilities are endless! Plus, it’s ready in just 20 minutes!
Thank you to Lively Days for bringing this video to life. The one in the video is the first recipe before I improved upon it.
Easy and Creamy Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Sauce
Whether you need the perfect topping for a plate of vegan nachos, a zesty and creamy sauce for butternut squash mac ‘n cheese, or a new go-to sweet potato burrito sauce, this vegan nacho cheese sauce has you covered! The recipe comes from my book, Plant-Based on a Budget, and delivers incredibly creamy dairy-free nacho cheese using just 7 real ingredients.
This vegan nacho cheese sauce recipe looks and tastes just like the real thing but is made entirely from veggies and budget-friendly ingredients. Cooked potatoes and carrots are blended with salsa and nutritional yeast (check out this nutritional yeast guide) until the sauce is luscious and creamy. And with bold Tex-Mex flavors in every scoop, you’ll keep coming back for more!
Best of all, this vegan nacho cheese recipe is 100% nut-free, gluten-free, paleo, oil-free, dairy-free, and spice-adjustable! After about 20 minutes of hands-on work, you’re free to dig into this delicious sauce with air fryer tortilla chips or pour it over vegan tacos (like these vegan fajita tacos), nachos, burritos (like this quinoa burrito), or pasta.
Looking for more cheesy vegan recipes? Check out our Vegan Tofu Ricotta Cheese, Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese, and Vegan Cheesy Zucchini Chips!
The Ingredients and Substitutes
What Else Could I Add?
- Tang: A drop of mustard or pickle juice does wonders if you like an extra tangy cheese sauce (trust me!).
- Smoke: A pinch of smoked paprika or a few drops of liquid smoke makes it nice and smoky.
- Spicy: Blend in a pinch of cayenne pepper, pickled jalapeno slices, or freshly diced chilies.
- Starch: Add 1 teaspoon of arrowroot flour or tapioca starch to make the cooked vegan cheese sauce more stretchy and gooey (perfect for a plate of nachos or homemade vegan pizza).
How To Make Vegan Nacho Cheese
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and recipe instructions.
Step 1: First, fill a large pot with water and add the chopped and peeled potatoes and carrots.
Step 2: Bring the water to a boil and cook until the veggies are soft. Drain the water.
Step 3: Blend the boiled potatoes, carrots, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and salsa until smooth. Enjoy!
FAQs
Absolutely! Unlike regular nacho cheese, which is loaded with dairy and preservatives, this carrot potato cheese sauce has a long list of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Plus, when making homemade vegan nacho cheese, you get to be in control of the amount of fat and sodium used, so it’s a win-win!
Only if you want that delicious ‘cheesy’ flavor! I know nutritional yeast can be hard to find sometimes, but the sauce won’t be the same without it. As I said, you technically can use debittered brewer’s yeast as a substitute, but the flavor isn’t quite the same.
Yes, you can use frozen carrots and potatoes if that’s what you already have on hand. Either let them thaw ahead of time or boil them quickly so they’re easier to blend.
Top Recipe Tips and Notes
- Peel the carrots and potatoes in advance: Otherwise, the chunks of peel will make the sauce less smooth!
- Chop the veggies uniformly: That way, they’ll boil and blend evenly.
- Try to use a high-speed blender: A powerful high-speed blender whips up creamy and smooth vegan cheese sauce in an instant! If you only have a regular blender, it should still work but you’ll need to blend for a little longer.
- Adjust the consistency: Blending in an extra splash of the reserved veggie cooking water or non-dairy milk will help thin the cheese sauce.
- Taste while blending: Remember to taste the vegan cheese sauce once or twice during the blending process. Add a little more lemon juice, salt, salsa, or nutritional yeast as needed to adjust the flavors.
Serving Suggestions
Because it comes together so easily, the nacho dip is a great fit for parties and special events! Surround the bowl with air fryer tortilla chips and crackers (like these rosemary vegan crackers) and watch as your guests gather around. Otherwise, you can serve the vegan cheese with:
- Salads and grain bowls: Like a vegan taco salad or burrito bowl topped with cucumber pico de gallo, refried bean dip , garden fresh salsa or green chili salsa, fajita vegetables, and crispy pan fried tofu.
- French fries: It adds some excitement to these oven baked sweet potato fries, baked zucchini fries, carrot fries, and regular garlic baked potato wedges!
- Vegan queso: Just stir some roasted peppers and chilies into the vegan cheese dip to make vegan queso.
- Vegan tacos: Drizzle it over these cauliflower tacos, tofu tacos, or even southwestern lettuce wraps.
- Pasta: Use it as the sauce for an upgraded batch of vegan mac and cheese or vegan lasagna.
- Enchiladas: Drizzle the sauce over some steaming hot sweet potato enchiladas.
- Plant-based quesadillas: It’s the perfect dipping sauce for these vegan bean quesadillas.
Storage Instructions
Let the vegan cheese sauce cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
Vegan nacho cheese sauce also freezes well! Once it’s cool, transfer it to an airtight container or Ziplock/Stasher bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Allow the sauce to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheat the vegan cheese sauce in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds or in a small saucepan on the stove. Stir in a splash of water or non-dairy milk if needed.
Nacho Cheese
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups of peeled diced russet potatoes
- 1 cup of sliced carrots
- ½ cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- ½ cup of nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup of salsa
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and add the peeled potatoes and carrots. Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil and keep cooking for 10 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Remove from the heat and drain the water.
- In a blender, blend the boiled potatoes, carrots, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and salsa until completely smooth.
Notes
- If you can’t find nutritional yeast: Try using debittered brewer’s yeast. It’s not exactly the same (in fact, I recommend reducing the amount used slightly), but will do in a pinch.
- Experiment with potatoes: While I usually use russet potatoes, most potatoes I’ve tried (like Yukon Gold’s) have worked well. You can even swap out some of the potato for cauliflower (but not all if you want the thick cheesy texture!) if you’re running low.
- The lemon juice: You can substitute the lemon for lime or even a little apple cider vinegar. For a little more tang, you could even add in a drop of mustard or pickle juice (trust me).
I’ve enjoyed reading. Can’t wait to try these yummy recipes!
Hope you enjoy everything you try! 🙂
This cheese is so good! I use the same recipe for vegan mac and cheese, leaving out the salsa and swapping the water with non-dairy milk. I’ve tried lots of vegan cheese sauce recipes and always come back to this one.
Right?! IT’s the best vegan nacho cheese recipe!
Is there anything I can sub for the potatoes? I’m on a low potassium diet for kidney disease, and potatoes are a no-no particulary for something I’m sure to consume in large amounts!
We at PBOAB haven’t tried out a sub for potatoes for this recipe so can’t guarantee any suggestions just yet. If you end up trying something, please let us know how it turns out 🙂
I’m not a dietician or a doctor, but I, too, have CKD. You might look around online (DaVita or other legitimate sites) for information about double-boiling potatoes. It reduces the potato potassium level by about half in most varieties (EXCEPT Yukon Gold). You could then just boil the carrots by themselves and later add the double boiled spuds. However, check first with your medical peeps.
I really appreciate the nut free and oil free recipes you provide! I am embarking on a WFPB diet w no oils and nuts, for heart health, and can use many of your recipes. thank you!
Love that! Toni has a ton of recipes that you will loveee! 🙂
Could you use sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, diet restrictions.
Hi! We haven’t tried that out yet. Yukon Gold’s work well and you can even use cauliflower in a pinch!
I am still working my way into vegan, and have had a very hard time believing that anything could substitute for cheese, especially after trying a few store bought vegan items that had quite an aftertaste…..and SERIOUSLY, this ROCKS!!!! I have “sampled it out” to several folks from work and totally blew their minds too!!! THANK YOU!!!
That is so amazing to hear! This is one of my favorite recipes of Tonis!
The best vegan cheese!
love this nacho cheese! It’s hard not to eat it in one setting 😋
I’m with you! It’s such a great vegan cheese recipe!
Fantastic recipe and the measurements were spot on for me which is so hopeful!
Awesome! It’s such a great nacho cheese recipe. Enjoy!
This turned out perfectly! Reminds me how grateful I am for my Vitamix! I used jalapeño juice for the acid to kick it up a notch. Try to eat dairy free most of the time and this is such a great sub.
The Vitamix is so awesome! Bet your batch was delicious with the jalapeno juice!