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Delicious nut-free Vegan Cheese Sauce made with potatoes, carrots, and onion. It’s smooth, creamy, low-fat, and healthy! Pour over veggies or use to make some incredible guilt-free nachos.
People tell me all the time they could never go vegan or plant-based because of their “cheese addiction.” And, I totally get it. I can still remember scarfing down blocks of hardened cow secretion like there was no tomorrow. But, I’m also living proof it is possible to walk away and never look back.
If you have the right tools, and recipe, it’s much easier. And, I just happen to have that recipe. So, put down that waxy wedge and say good-bye to high cholesterol. Let’s make this healthy Vegan Cheese Sauce!
This delicious vegan cheese recipe requires very little effort and almost no expertise at anything. You essentially just need to know how to boil and blend. Pretty cool, huh?
All you need to make this awesome sauce is some potatoes, carrots, and onions. And, 5 simple ingredients that are probably just sitting in your pantry.
Table of Contents
How To Make Vegan Cheese Sauce
Boil your potatoes, carrots, and onion in a pot for about 15-20 minutes. You want them super soft.
Get your other ingredients ready while the veggies boil:
- Nutritional yeast
- Lemon juice
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt
Once the potatoes, carrots, and onion finish cooking just toss them in the blender with all the ingredients. Now, just blend everything until it looks like cheese sauce. That’s it!
Nut-Free, Oil-Free, Low-Fat
Most vegan cheese recipes are made with cashews, including one of mine. And, even though nuts are a “whole” food they’re little fat bombs and high in calories.
But, this vegan cheese sauce is different. It’s virtually fat-free and low in calories. So, in addition to being nut-free and oil-free, it’s also guilt-free!
This Vegan Cheese Sauce is also super versatile.
- Add some salsa to make a delicious low-fat nacho cheese dip. Perfect for my Healthy Homemade Tortilla Chips!
- Pour it on top of my Vegan Carrot Dogs and add some jalapenos. AMAZING!
- It goes great with freshly sliced vegetables such as cucumber, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots.
- Drizzle over my 5-Minute Fat-Free Potato Chips to make cheesy potato chips. HEALTHY BAR FOOD!
And, yes. It does make a good vegan mac and cheese. I didn’t include that in the list because I thought it was pretty obvious.
You will love this Vegan Cheese Sauce. It’s…
- Rich
- Creamy
- Cheesy
- Versatile
- Oil-Free
- Extremely Low-Fat
- The perfect party food
- DELICIOUS!
Looking for a few more plant-based cheese recipes? You can check out my Cashew Queso, Plant-based Parmesan, and Creamy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes.
If you make this recipe, be sure and let me know!Leave a comment,RATE IT, andtaga photo#shaneandsimpleon Instagram. I’d love to see what you’re doing!
Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut-Free)
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star
4.9 from 34 reviews
Delicious nut-free Vegan Cheese Sauce made with potatoes, carrots, and onion. It’s smooth, creamy, low-fat, and healthy! Pour over veggies or use to make some incredible guilt-free nachos.
- Author: Shane Martin
- Prep Time: 5 mins.
- Cook Time: 20 mins.
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Dips & Spreads
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup peeled carrots, diced
- ¼ of small-sized onion roughly chopped
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. salt or to taste
- ½ – ¾ cup of warm water
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes, carrots, and onion until soft – usually 15-20 minutes. Once they’re finished drain them and add to your blender.
- Place all the remaining ingredients in your blender and blend until the cheese dip is smooth and creamy. If it’s too thick you can add a little more water while you’re blending. You shouldn’t have to heat up on the stove as the veggies will still be hot.
- Pour into a bowl and enjoy.
- Store leftovers in airtight container up to a week.
Optional
Stir in one can of diced tomatoes and green chiles for a tex-mex kick.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- Calories: 62
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 165 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.5 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
More Dressings & Sauces
- Easy Homemade Ketchup Recipe (5 Minutes)
- Vegan Parmesan Mayo
- The Best Vegan Yum Yum Sauce Recipe
Reader Interactions
Comments
MargaretI really enjoyed this, and froze smaller portions in glass containers, which worked really well! I think maybe I needed to add a little salt. Thank you Shane!
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- Mary Jones
What brand of nutritional yeast do you use? This recipe didn’t really taste like cheese to me. Potato flavor mostly. I bought Bob’s Red Mill
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- Shane Martin
I typically use Anthony’s. You can find it at Amazon.
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- Judy Helie
I’ve tried so many cheese sauces that claim to be the best and have found none that come even close to the real thing! I will try your next and let you know what I think! Hopefully, it will be the end to my searching.
I love watching you on YouTube.
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- Hannah M
Best cheeezzy recipe on the web 🙂 <3 Thanks, Shane!
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- Shane Martin
Thank you, Hannah!
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- Hannah M
Love! Dump it on everything with no guilt!!
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- Jojo
Great recipe, friend.
I made it with a few modifications:
1. I used vegetable broth to boil the vegetables.
2. It needed some flavor so I added chili powder.Overall, great sauce. On its own, I can exclusively taste potato. However, when I dipped a tortilla chip in it, I couldn’t tell it wasn’t dairy queso. What kind of sorcery is this?
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- Jen
Delicious and simple, just what I like. I didn’t have enough carrots so I added a bit of red pepper too. This one is definitely a keeper!
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- Benjamin Adams
Fantastic recipe I did however cook the potato, onion, and carrots in veggie broth. I retained the broth and used it instead of water in the blend.
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- Shane Martin
Great idea! Flavor, flavor, flavor!!!
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- Riley
Can I freeze this? I want to use it for Thanksgiving so I can save some time cooking. Thanks!
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- Suzy
How is this sauce for macaroni and cheese
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- Shane Martin
Excellent.
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- Rachel
Would red potatoes work for this recipe?
Thanks!
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- Shane Martin
I don’t see why not.
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- Karla U.
I made the recipe as written — pretty good! It was a little too tangy for me so I added a couple of splashes of maple syrup and wha-la! Perfection! This will be my new go to cheese sauce.
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- Shane Martin
Ooh, love that idea:)
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- Hannetjie Jordaan
Easy to make and so delicious, thanks!
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- Jetta
Loved it, Also love that it doesn’t have the fat, didn’t have to use cashews, as I am trying to lose weigh. Thank you , I am new to eating plant based and your recipes really help.
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- Beth
Just made this because I had potatoes coming out of my ears! Outstanding! I drown my black bean burger with it & it was yummy! It makes a lot so with half of it I’m going to try the tex mex tip.
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- Shane Martin
AWESOME, Beth!!!
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- Joyce
Love this recipe and make it often for all kinds of appetites.
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- Di
Just made for the first time. Love it.
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- Carol
This is great as is! I love your queso , too. I add Jalapeño pickling liquid and hot sauce to the sauces sometimes. It’s so much fun to play around with the flavors. Thanks for all you create and share!
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- Marsha Myers
I like to add jarred roasted red bell peppers. About 1:4 cup or more to taste. It adds a nice depth of flavor. Plus I use a touch of regular mustard. I love this cheese sauce.
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- Wade Cox
So, I am not a vegetarian or vegan, but my wife is and I cook for her . I am so glad I found your site! The “cheese” sauce is so good – she loves it and I do to! Thanks Shane!
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- Dawn S
Do you think a shallot would work in this recipe? I forgot to get an onion and don’t want to run out for one right away. I do have shallots though.
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- Shane Martin
They’ll work just fine. I’ve used them before when I didn’t have onions.
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- Diane Miletti
Love this.. It is absolutely delicious..
Diane MReply
- Shane Martin
Thank you!
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- Jenn Hill
What if I don’t have an onion? I know, I am SHOCKED that I have no onions to use. Do you think it’s even worth trying and just subbing out for onion powder?
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- Carol
Onion powder works great!
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- Kandy
Hi Shane, I wrote before but my comment was not posted. Is smoked paprika part of the recipe as I see several comments about it. I happen to love it but would like to know how much to add to the recipe. I am making this vegan cheese sauce today. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks again for all you do!
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- Shane Martin
Hi, Kandy! Sorry, I didn’t catch it. Smoked paprika is not part of the original recipe but if you enjoy it go ahead and add it. I would start with a tsp. and go from there.
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- Stephanie Spencer
Does this sauce freeze and reheat ok?
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- Shane Martin
Yes, absolutely! Keep it in a sealed freezer-safe container and store it in your freezer for weeks or up to 3 months. I move the container from the freezer to the fridge the night before, that way it defrosts by itself. Then reheat it in a saucepan and add more water or even non-dairy milk if needed.
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- Sarah
Is it possible to omit the nutritional yeast?
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- Shane Martin
You can but it will be more of just a savory sauce rather than “cheesy”. I say go for it!
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- Shane
4th or 5th time making this as it’s all-around the best “cheese” recipe I have tried. Not having to soak cashews for hours had me sold. I slather it on baked sweet-potato nachos with fresh pico, pickled jales, guac, and salsa. 4 y/o loves it, and wife and I don’t feel like we’re dragging ourselves through Whole30. The whole process of making it feels like alchemy. Thanks, Shane
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- Melissa
This was yummy! I made twice baked potatoes with this. I baked my potatoes, scooped them out and added this cheese sauce and broccoli and then refilled the potato skins. I had extra sauce left that I am currently dipping tortilla chips in. The only thing I did different was added a little smoked paprika and dried ground mustard. Will be making again!
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- r williams
hey there, I am wondering if I could use sweet potato instead of regular potatoes, as I am unable to have nightshades.
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- Shane Martin
I haven’t done it, but know others who have. I think it would work well.
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- JM
White sweet potatoes work best if subbing for potatoes and wanting closest to original.. Otherwise it’s dessert nachos!
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- Meme
Yummy! My toddler and I enjoyed it as Mac and cheese. So simple and delicious 🤤
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- Courtney
Okay, this is incredible…….I made it and I don’t even believe that there is no cheese in here!!
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- Shane Martin
Thank you so much, Courtney!
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- Luci
LOVE. THIS. SAUCE!
Loved it as written, also loved it dressed up with some smoked paprika & pickled jales!
It’s so good on sooo many things, shoot, it’s good right out of the blender!
Thanks Shane!Reply
- Shane Martin
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
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- Dallas
This is an incredibly delicious and rich VLFWFPB cheese sauce. I double the recipe, increase the nutritional yeast and add turmeric, lemon rind, paprika and spices. I use this as a nacho sauce and much more. Thanks Shane.
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- Shane Martin
Thanks so much, Dallas! Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!!
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- Mark
This was very good. Thank you, Shane!
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- Jen
Could this sauce work for a mac and cheese?
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- Shane Martin
Absolutely! Just make the pasta then pour the sauce over it and mix.
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- Claire
I loved this sauce. I poured it on my asparagus , cauliflower, and tonight on whole wheat pasta. It’s just me eating it so tomorrow it be on baked tortilla chips and beans for nachos.
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- Marlene Fich
This recipe would be perfect when making potato skins. I am going to bake some russet potatoes for making potato skins and use the “meat” of the potato to make your cheese sauce recipe. Then use the cheese sauce to drizzle over the potato skins….win win….can’t wait to try this in 2 weeks.
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- Shane Martin
Sounds amazing!
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- Paula
How long will the sauce keep refrigerated? I am the only vegan, and hope this is something I can make a store if needed.
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- Dawn S
Have your family give it a try. My family would rather have this over regular queso. Even my meat and potatoes husband!
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- Jennifer
I just love this recipe! My favorite vegan cheese sauce and I’ve tried so many. Thank you!!!
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- Maddox
Looks divine! I usually prefer to cook with fresh garlic as opposed to powder, do you think that would work for this recipe? If so, how much would you recommend using? I also have regular paprika in the pantry but not smoked; would it be an alright substitute, or is the smoked version essential? Cheers!
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- Shane Martin
Hi, Maddox! You can totally use both of those. If using fresh garlic, double the amount. So, if it’s 1 Tbsp of garlic powder use 2 Tbsp fresh garlic. And, yes, the paprika will work just fine. Hope this helps and good luck!
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- Pamela
15yr old son approved. That means a great deal!
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- Shane Martin
Wow! Thank you so much. That’s great!
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- Mary
Hi Shane, i was making enchildas and wanted something to take the place of cheese. Wasn’t sure how this sauce would work when baked inside a tortilla. Fabulous! Will definately make this again.
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- Shane Martin
Mary, that’s awesome! And, good to know:) Thank you for sharing!!!
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- Julia
I can’t wait to try it. Thank you
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- Shane Martin
My pleasure. Happy Holidays.
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- Nancy
Haven’t tried your recipe yet because I don’t like nutritional. yeast. Do you have a cheese sauce recipe without it.
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- Shane Martin
Hi, Nancy. There’s not really a “great” substitute spice for nutritional yeast. Brewers yeast might work as it is less bitter. Miso paste or even soy sauce might work too. Hope this helps.
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- Helen
Hi can you freeze this sauce? Not tried yet but as there’s only me that will eat it wondered if it froze OK? Looks amazing
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- Shane Martin
Hi, Helen! YES! It should freeze very well. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reaching out. Blessings.
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- Amanda Sherrill
It’s a good recipe but I agree to much smoky from paprika. I decide to add fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies . Probably not greatest canned addition but helped me handle taste.
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- Shane Martin
Amanda, try omitting the smoked paprika. The recipe will totally work without it. I’m a “smoky” type of guy and that’s usually my preference:) Don’t ever be afraid to experiment and make it your own.
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- Loretta
Hi! I loved the idea of this and had purchased smoked paprika 9but hadn’t used it yet) because I had seen it used in various vegan cheese sauce recipes. Unfortunately I found out that I don’t like the flavor. I also used lemon instead of apple cider vinegar and it may have made it too sour for me. So I had all of this sauce and it looked great, just needed something. Sweet and smoky came to mind and I experimented with adding pure maple syrup. That pretty much did the trick…more like a bbq sauce but very tasty! I can see where using sweet potato and plain sweet paprika might be more to my liking. Love your ideas! Thanks!
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- Shane Martin
Hey, Loretta! Thanks for reaching out. I LOVE hearing feedback like this because I love it when people take things and make it their own. Thanks for sharing and keep cooking!
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- Linda
This is an amazing cheeze sauce and I love stirring salsa in for a great dip and taco topping. Try it with a sweet potato instead for a richer taste.
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- Shane Martin
Thanks, Linda! And, I LOVE the sweet potato idea. Have a great day!!!
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