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

By Ela on | 970 Comments. This post may contain affiliate links*. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

4.93 from 427 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 427 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!

If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:

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 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.

Can you make a roux without milk? ›

Using stock in a roux

The white sauce and its derivatives are the most common ways of using a roux, but you can also use stock instead of milk for the base to a pie filling, or make a flavoured sauce called a velouté, which is normally enriched with cream.

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 a non-grainy cheese sauce? ›

My #1 tip for creating a non grainy, smooth cheese sauce is to not boil the milk. Keep the heat at a consistent medium during the entire cooking process, being ready to turn it down if the milk starts to boil. Cheese sauce becomes grainy when the cheese breaks down because the liquid was too hot.

How do you keep cheese sauce creamy? ›

Always keep the sauce over low heat so it's warm but not bubbling. If you have the time to bring your cheese and milk to room temperature first, that's another way to prevent a grainy, lumpy mess.

How do you melt cheese so it doesn't harden? ›

Cover with a vented lid and melt at LOW heat in 15-second increments, stirring in between. 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.

What is a good substitute for roux? ›

How to Make a Roux Without Flour. Roux is commonly made with flour, but you can also sub in cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Mix the cornstarch or arrowroot powder with water to form a slurry before adding it to the pan and cooking it with the fat.

How many cups of milk do you need for a roux? ›

For a medium thickness, you'd use 2 tablespoons each of butter and flour to 1 cup milk. For a really thick sauce, you'd use 3 tablespoons each of butter and flour. The roux is actually the base of starch and fat that is cooked for a short time before the liquid is stirred in.

How do you thicken milk without flour or cornstarch? ›

One of the easiest ways to thicken milk is by boiling it on the stove. As it heats up, the liquid parts of the milk will start to evaporate. Remember to keep stirring the whole time! If you want to make condensed milk, add sugar before you heat it up.

What is three cheese sauce made of? ›

Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Diced Tomatoes In Tomato Juice, Sugar, Contains Less Than 1% Of: Salt, Canola Oil, Granular Cheese (Milk, Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Ricotta Cheese (Milk, Whey, Distilled Vinegar, Salt), Spices, Citric Acid, Whey, Basil, Concentrated Parmesan Cheese Paste (Parmesan Cheese [Milk, ...

What is a broken cheese sauce? ›

A broken sauce is generally caused by the separation of sauces into two components: a watery liquid and an oily film on top. This happens when there's too much fat or liquid in the mixture. This can happen when there are not enough emulsifiers (which help keep your ingredients together).

What is cheese sauce made of? ›

Classic cheese sauce begins with béchamel — a simple white sauce made of butter, flour, milk, and a few seasonings. Cheese is then added to the white sauce to create cheese sauce (called a Mornay sauce in French cuisine).

Why is my cheese not melting 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.

How to enhance cheese sauce? ›

If you make your cheese sauce with roux, milk and then grated cheese, then this might help. The more cheese and milk added, the looser the sauce and also the drop in flavour. Sometimes a late addition of more cheese can balance things out. A bit of freshly ground pepper and nutmeg helps out, you get an extra warmth.

How do you make cheese sauce without curdling? ›

To temper a cheese sauce, you must take your boiling milk mixture off the heat and let it cool a bit so that the proteins in the cheese don't immediately break bonds with the fat and water. Sara Moulton suggests that you grate your cheese before adding it to minimize the heat required for melting.

How to keep cheese sauce from congealing? ›

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.

How do you keep cream cheese from hardening? ›

How can you store cream cheese so that it doesn't dry out or get moldy? An airtight container prevents dryng out, like a Ziploc bag. But, once opened, it will get moldy, it's just a matter of time. Use it up quickly and refrigerate immediately after each use.

Why won't my cheese sauce thicken? ›

Flour or cornstarch can both thicken a liquid. In a small separate bowl, mix a tablespoon of either flour or cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cheese sauce until the mixture is smooth. Add the mixture back to the milky cheese sauce, and stir until combined and desired thickness is achieved.

How to stop mac and cheese from solidifying? ›

Here are a few tips to keep in mind: Avoid adding cold pasta to a hot cheese sauce, as this can cause the sauce to solidify and the emulsion of the cheese to weaken. Instead, make sure to keep the pasta hot while preparing the cheese sauce and add it to the sauce while it's still warm.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lakeisha Bayer VM

Last Updated:

Views: 5737

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (49 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lakeisha Bayer VM

Birthday: 1997-10-17

Address: Suite 835 34136 Adrian Mountains, Floydton, UT 81036

Phone: +3571527672278

Job: Manufacturing Agent

Hobby: Skimboarding, Photography, Roller skating, Knife making, Paintball, Embroidery, Gunsmithing

Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.