This smooth and velvety vegan cheese sauce recipe is deliciously cheesy, ultra creamy, and super low in fat and calories.
You’re going to want to put this luxurious vegan cheese sauce over everything.
And the best part is that it is allergy-friendly – no dairy, no tofu, no gluten, and NO cashews!
This was one of those weeknight throw-a-bunch-of-ingredients-together-and-see-what-happens recipes.
I hadn’t prepared anything for dinner and arrived home feeling super hungry after being out all day. Pasta is one of my go-to meals on those types of days, and this quick vegan white sauce was the result of looking through my kitchen cabinets to see what could go with the pasta.
The entire meal was done in barely more time than it takes to boil water!
My favorite comfort food is comfort food that takes longer to eat than to make ♥
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Ways To Use Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Poured over steamed broccoli
- Stirred into rice or quinoa
- On top of baked potatoes or tator tots
- As a dip for these Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Over pasta or spaghetti squash (here’s How To Cook Spaghetti Squash)
Or you could serve yourself a giant bowl of this creamy and ultra velvety vegan cheese sauce and eat it with a spoon.
Am I the only one who does this with cheese sauce???
You know how much I love giving options in my recipes.
This vegan cheese sauce is no exception, and you have a few options here.
I developed variations both with and without nutritional yeast, because I know the ingredient isn’t always easy to find and that not everyone is a fan.
If you’ve never heard of nutritional yeast, it’s something used quite often in vegan cooking because of its addictively cheesy taste.
To be clear, nutritional yeast does not taste exactly like cheese; it just has that same umami flavor.
(Umami—or savory—is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.)
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If you try this recipe, I’d love to see!
Also make this creamy Vegan Alfredo Sauce or my favorite Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce.
Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked white beans, such as cannelini
- 1/2 cup milk of choice, preferably unsweetened
- 5 tbsp nutritional yeast OR 1/3 cup vegan shredded cheese
- salt – I like 1/2 tsp
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- If using nutritional yeast, add optional 1/2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
- optional 2 tsp buttery spread or olive oil – I really like the rich depth of flavor this adds, especially if not using the cheese version
- optional pinch turmeric, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, etc.
Instructions
- Drain and rinse beans if they are canned. Blend together all ingredients except cheese, either in a blender or with a hand blender. Transfer to a pot, and add the cheese, if using. Heat on low, stirring occasionally, until desired serving temperature is reached and optional cheese is melted. If serving with pasta, stir in cooked pasta at this time. Add more milk of choice if a thinner sauce is desired.Instant Pot Version: Instead of transferring to a pot on the stove, put the blended mixture in your instant pot and heat on manual for 5 minutes. Thanks to reader Emma who created this version and left a comment to let us know it can be made in an instant pot!View Nutrition Facts
Notes
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Instead of making this on the stove, can you double the recipe & make it in the Vitamix on the soup setting?
Definitely be sure to report back if you experiment! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this cheese sauce recipe!!! I actually add in the daiya AND nutritional yeast. I think it gives it a more cheesy taste. I’ve put it in lasagna and over zoodles. SO good!
Made this sauce, loved it! great to have guilt free cheese sauce to drown your pasta and veggies in 🙂 made it with macaroni, zucchini, spinach and mushrooms and was awesome!
Wow! I can’t believe how good this is. I used daiya vegan cheddar and added a sprinkle of paprika. I am so happy with this! It’s the best recipe I have found to date! Thank you!
This was delicious! I made mac and cheese, used it a hollandaise-type sauce on top of poached eggs and toast (to die for), on top of roasted potatoes, and added some hot sauce and dipped tortilla chips and veggies in it. I’m sure there is a thousand uses for this sauce , and it’s healthy….I will be making this lots!!! I also added a tablespoon of Dijon mustard for a nice little kick. Thanks for the recipe!
I think maybe it’s 5tsp nutritional yeast, not tbsp… it’s too much :/
Can I use butter beans? Im all out of anything else 🙁
Hi Katie, I just recently discovered your website and this recipe. Ik picked it for my first vegan mac ‘n cheese ever en it was a big success! So yummy! Even still cold, straight from the blender I could have eaten all of it. But I managed to save some for the pasta and broccoli I had cooked 😉
I put it all together in an oven dish, covered it with bread crumbs and let it broil just a little.
My non vegan husband thought he was eating cheese!
I am really gratefull for recipes like this one as it allowes us to eat vegan without compromising on flavour or the joy of eating.
Thank you so much!!!
Wow that looks absolutely amazing!
Just mad this for my husband and I, I have been recently going vegan and he has decided to go vegan recently as well, we loved it!
Oh, my. I am always on the lookout for vegan cheese sauces – without the gooey vegan shredded cheese because sadly hubby doesn’t like that. This was amazing. I was going for a nacho-type and added cumin, turmeric and chili powder. Astounding, and easy, low-fat and creamy. I’m going to try this for a Florentine next blending the spinach into the cheese as well. I might just have to keep a gallon of this in the fridge!