Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut-free Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipes Included)

How to make Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce at Home

To make dairy-free cheese sauce, follow any of the 3 recipes per your preference for making best homemade vegan cheese sauce gluten-free, best homemade vegan cheese sauce no cashews, or homemade vegan tofu cheese sauce. Read on!

1. Best Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce Gluten-free (with cashews)

Ingredients

• ½  cup raw cashews
• 2 ½ Tbsp nutritional yeast (for cheesiness)
• ⅔  cup (160 ml) almond milk (though you may use any other non-dairy milk like oat or coconut, however, the almond milk combo with cashew cheese works best)
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 2 Tbsp tapioca starch/flour (for stretchiness)
• ½  tsp sea salt

Cooking Instructions for Cashew Cheese Sauce

1. Dip cashews in a bowl of boiling water and cover it for 10-15 minutes. Also, dip tapioca starch in double the amount of hot water in a separate bowl. This lets the starch release its binding agent.
2. Now, drain the cashews and add them to a high-speed blender along with all other ingredients (along with the dipped tapioca starch). Blend on high until very smooth and milky in texture, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any coarse chunks and store it in a container. Your cashew cheese sauce is ready!

Nutrition Facts Cashew Cheese Sauce

• Calories: 240 kcal (per serve out of total 4 serves)
• Carbohydrates: 15 g
• Protein: 12 g
• Fat: 16 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g
• Sodium: 312 mg
• Potassium: 447 mg
• Calcium: 72 mg
• Iron: 3 mg
• Fiber: 3 g
• Sugar: 2 g
• Vitamin A: 155 IU
• Vitamin C: 1 mg

2. Best Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce Nut-free

Prep Time: 1 min

Cooking Time: 2 mins

Total Time: 3 mins

Ingredients

• ¾  cup (180 ml) coconut milk (canned)
• 2 tbsp (15 g) tapioca flour 
• 3 tbsp (20 g) nutritional yeast flakes
• ½  tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• ½  tsp onion powder (you may skip if you do not like the umami flavor)
• ¼  tsp garlic powder (you may skip if you do not like the umami flavor)

Cooking Instructions for No-Cashew Cheese Sauce

1. Take a saucepan over medium-low heat and add all the ingredients. Stir with a whisk. Once everything is combined, turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil while stirring constantly.
2. Now, let it simmer on low to medium heat for about one minute until the sauce starts sticking together and gets stretchy.
3. Your vegan cheese sauce with no cashews is ready!

Nutrition Facts No-cashews Cheese Sauce

• Calories: 148 kcal (per serve out of total 4 serves)
• Fat: 10.8 g
• Saturated Fat: 9.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 10.4 g
• Fiber: 2.2 g
• Sugar: 2.3 g
• Protein: 3.9 g

3. Best Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce with Silken Tofu

Prep Time: 5 mins

Total Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 340 grams silken or soft tofu
• ½ cup (120 ml) unsweetened plant-based milk of choice (soy or oat do great due to the nutty deep flavor)
• ½ cup (35 grams) nutritional yeast 
• 1½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cooking Instructions for Vegan Cheese Sauce with No Nuts

1. Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste (if necessary). 
2. Your no-nut vegan cheese sauce is ready!

Nutrition Facts Nut-free Vegan Cheese Sauce

• Calories: 98 kcal  (per serve out of total 4 serves)
• Carbohydrates: 6.9 g 
• Fiber: 2.3 g 
• Sugar: 1 g 
• Protein: 12 g 
• Fat: 2 g
• Sodium: 410 mg 
• Calcium: 70 mg 
• Iron: 1.6 mg
• Vitamin A: 150 IU 
• Vitamin C: 0.8 mg