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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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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 @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.
Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) coconut milk canned (*see notes )
- 3 tbsp (20 g) nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour OR arrowroot flour/starch (*see notes)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- Pinch of smoked paprika (optional)
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
- 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: 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 shop or big supermarkets 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 flakes which 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 or turmeric powder.
Nutrition
If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Just made this sauce. Very good and super easy! Thank you!
Awesome! I am glad you liked it. 🙂
This was amazing!!
Happy it turned out amazing! 🙂
My family loved this sauce! We Doubled the recipe and used it as a dip for chips, and then added the rest to your amazing stuffed pepper recipe! Since I didn’t have tapioca flour I used chickpea flour, and since I didn’t have smoked paprika, I used regular paprika with a couple drops of liquid smoke . I thought it turned out delicious! I’m looking forward to making it with all the right ingredients next time. If I even like it better than I already do, WOW!!!
I am so glad it turned out great, Moree! I am sure you will love it even more with the right ingredients. 🙂
Thanks for your amazing feedback.
This sauce legit brings every meal from 0 to hero. It’s stretchy & melty, you would have no idea that its coconut milk-based. I use this sauce in so many ways throughout the week, – it’s perfect in a risotto, cheesy pasta, quesadilla. I’m so relieved to have found this after making crappy cashew cheese sauce for so long.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Emily! I am so glad you love it as much as I do. 🙂
At first I was a bit hesitant putting this in my broccoli, chicken, rice casserole. But MAN this was a perfect substitute for the cheese sauce i used to use. I’m not vegan, but within the last year I’ve gotten extremely sensitive to dairy. It made my casserole taste soooo much better than what i was doing before. ! Can’t wait to try it for chips and dip 😋
Happy you loved the recipe! 🙂
Can you sub arrowroot for the tapioca starch?
Hi Emily! Yes, and it’s actually mentioned in the recipe notes. 🙂
Awesome cheeze sauce!!! Had it on top of baked potatoes with chives and man was it good!!! Going to make pizza with the rest. Thanks fir the great recipe!
So happy you love it, Christine! 🙂
Had to add a TON more nutritional yeast for it to taste mostly like cheese but I came out SO good! Thank you!
My pleasure, Rebecca! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Best vegan cheese, hands down! I love all of your recipes and am so grateful that you share your talents with the rest of us! Thank YOU!!
Aww, you are a sweetheart, Melissa! I am so glad you love my recipes. 🙂
Much love, Ela
Hello Ela
I have tried to make this, but can’t seem to make it thicken at all, what can I have done wrong??
Hey Sebastian, that sounds weird. Did you use tapioca flour/starch or something different?
This is the BEST! Thank you!
I am glad you love it, Renia! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Medical Medium does not recommend nutritional yeast due to MSG (explains why it gives me a headache). Is there a replacement for nutritional yeast.
Hi, Celia, please check the article of Dr. Mercola:
“Yeast is a natural source of umami flavor, or natural glutamic acid (glutamate). This is what gives it its rich, satisfying, almost meat-like flavor. It’s also what triggers the MSG fears, but they are unfounded.
The glutamic acid found in nutritional yeast is “bound” to other amino acids or proteins. The glutamic acid that is MSG is not. When you eat glutamic acid in real foods, your body controls how much is absorbed. Excess glutamic acid is passed off as waste, not stored in your body. As reported by Smithsonian magazine”
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/04/04/nutritional-yeast.aspx
And no, unfortunately, there is no good replacement for it.
maybe miso as a replacement for nooch?
Yes, Anne, I heard that quite often but actually never tried it myself. 🙂
It is a year now since I had to start cutting out all dairy, egg, gluten and sugar due to food allergies and this is the best pizza I have had in a year!!! I do not usually experiment in the kitchen (cooking is not one of my passions and I am a bit of a boring cook.) and all the “cheating” the past couple of weeks were making me feel horrible. So I decided to spent some more time in the kitchen and get alternatives for the things that I tend to cheat with. This sauce was so good! I used normal coconut milk (the dairy milk replacement, not the canned type) as I have a lot of that in the house. I think the sauce was creamy enough. I also put in all the extra’s (onion, garlic and paprika). The onion taste of the sauce was a bit overwhelming though. So next time I will try it again with the coconut milk, but without the onion and garlic salt. My 10 year old daughter and I ended up having a pizza competition and this is the first time that she admitted my pizza won fair and square.
So glad you loved it, Mariaan! Thanks for your thorough feedback. 🙂
Thank you! This is the vegan cheese sauce I’ve been looking for! I feel like I’ve tried allll the cheese sauce recipes. They always involve cooking veggies, soaking cashews, dirtying a bunch of appliances/dishes, and a lot of time….and they still don’t taste great. I really didn’t expect much taste-wise since this was so quick and easy, but it’s prefect! Cheesy texture and great taste! This is a keeper!
That’s awesome, Julie! So happy you love the taste and simplicity of this sauce! Thanks for your great comment. 🙂
So good! I’m newly dairy-free and was missing cheese. This recipe hit the spot! I used almond flour and some different herbs. The consistency was not stretchy (which I expected) but it was thick(ish), savory, and surprisingly cheese-like. I think it would taste great on shirataki noodles. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey, I am glad you liked it but I hope you will give it another try with tapioca flour. 🙂
Excellent recipe, thank you! I’ve been wanting a nacho cheese sauce and didnt have cashews readily available. I had all the ingredients for your recipe so I whipped up a batch this morning which I thoroughly enjoyed with some tortilla chips before adding the rest to your Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole recipe! Now I’m making another batch just because lol, it’s so good! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes, keep up the beautiful work!!
Aww, thanks for your kind compliments, Kahleela! I am so glad you like this nacho sauce. I agree, it’s addicting, in a good way. 😀
Best cheese sauce ever! Amazing how it stretches! Used homemade cashew milk and no garlic and put it in my quesadillas. Making again and all of the time for sure!!
That’s awesome Kelly! I am so glad you love it as much as I do. 🙂
Hello Ela,
It came out as Amazing cheese sauce! Loved it we used it for pizza. Very good vegan options!
I was wondering is there a recipe with cashews? Thanks a lot.
Thanks so much, Roopa! I am glad you loved it! 🙂
Yes, please check out my cashew based vegan cheese sauce: Healthy Vegan Mac And Cheese
I followed this recipe and was surprised how amazing it was on a jacket potato with home made coleslaw. Yum thanks.i don’t have onion powder or smoked paprika.
So easy and taste good thanks
That’s awesome, Mik! I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. Homemade coleslaw sounds yummy! 🙂
So I’m lactose intolerant and wanted to try a vegan cheese sauce for pizza but without the high fat content that comes with cashew based cheese sauces. This one was not that bad! I will say that I increased the liquid by 1/2 cup (I used a Ripple Original Unsweetened Pea milk for added protein) because the arrowroot starch I used made it a little too thick to stir once it became stretchy. I also added some Sriracha spice (1 tsp), 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp lemon juice and about 1-2 more tbsp of nutritional yeast (it didn’t taste cheesy enough for me before), and it’s more to my taste. The original recipe was sorta bland for my taste but a good starter recipe!
Thanks for your feedback, Esther! 🙂
Made this the other week and tossed the cheese sauce with broccoli to serve over baked potatoes. ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Kids didn’t know it wasn’t real cheese. Going to experiment with it tonight to thin it out with vegetable stock to make a broccoli cheese soup – any tips?
Sounds amazing, Tarisa! I am glad you liked it. 🙂
Unfortunately, the recipe was not edible for me. I had to dump it. The texture was similar to cheese but the flavor was way off. The flavors that really came through were coconut milk and nutritional yeast. Not a great combination imo.
Ugh, such a pity you didn’t like it. As mentioned in the recipe notes, there are plenty of substitutes for coconut milk… no need to use it.
Thousands of people rave about the recipe but not every recipe can please everyone. 🙂
My first time making tonight. Loved the texture….just thinned a bit with water. I added lime juice & some mild hot sauce & the flavor was terrific! The additions helped the flavor along. Thank you for such a simple recipe! 😊
Sounds amazing, Francesca. 🙂
This is just so much easier and comes together so much quicker than a lot of other vegan cheese sauce recipes.
It’s a great template to start with and then you can adjust seasonings and add whatever else you like to get it just right. I throw in jalapenos or green chilies.
I am glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
I had no tapioca flour in the house, so I made it with corn starch. With substitution 1:1 I ended up with a solid blob of cheese! Whoops.
Added a bunch of water in slowly while stirring until it was more a sauce-y consistency. I also added a bit of chopped up spicy pepper and a dash of mustard.
Man, this is really good! I ate it straight out of the pot on some tortilla chips while waiting for the rest of my sweet potato taco ingredients to finish cooking.
Definitely a keeper – I’ll put tapioca flour on my shopping list for the week.
Thanks for sharing this recipe
Hi Jenny, yes, I think cornstarch thickens more than tapioca flour. I am glad you were able to turn it into a delicious sauce!
Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Should you use unsweetened coconut milk or sweetened?
Unsweetened! 🙂
Omg Love every one of your recipes. I have been going insane Trying to make burritos out of tortillas that are too thick to fold properly and then I found your soft homemade tortillas and I’m in heaven.
I tried almost every vegan cheese sauce on the Internet and yours in the clear winner. Our use it I’m nachos, I use it on tacos I use it in burritos ….Really anything taste better with it on it.
Thanks for keeping my dinners interesting. Hubby loves the peanut butter noodles, mushroom burrito and the Taquitos. You are my go to internet chef!
Aww that’s awesome, Barbara! Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback. 🙂
Delicious! We are making your Creamy Vegan Risotto with Broccoli and Cheese and I’m afraid I’ll need to make another batch of this cheese because I can’t stop eating it!
Will definitely use this recipe again! Might try to add salsa next time and use as nacho topping. Thanks so much!
Haha, that’s awesome! I make it very often too, totally obsessed with the cheese sauce. 😀
Thanks for your great feedback, Nicki! 🙂
Hi! This sounds so good but I was wondering if I would be able to sub the tapioca flour for regular flour? I don’t have tapioca or cornstarch. Thank you!
Hi Kylie, unfortunately, that won’t work.
My daughter and I are gluten and dairy free. It was such a nice surprise to find this recipe, It’s Delicious! I had to use corn starch instead of the tapioca flour. We also added salsa. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You are very welcome, Leah! I am so glad you liked the recipe! 🙂
Are Maniokmehl and Tapioca Flour same?
No, it’s not. Cassava flour (manioc) is the flour of the whole root and tapioca flour/starch is the extracted starch.
Can we use corn strach instead of topioca flour cause we don’t have it in our country.and it won’t change the texture of the cheese sauce
Hello, please check the recipe notes, as I already answered your question there. I will copy and paste it for you:
This recipe is amazing and delish! I did add some additional seasonings to the taste of my family but I love it! It has definitely made the monthly rotation. Thank you SO MUCH! My daughter has a nut allergy so I have been on a quest for a nut free delicious cheese sauce recipe!!
That’s awesome, Camisha! I am glad the recipe is helpful. 🙂
Can we add some water to this recipe to use for baked scalloped potatoes? (and exclude cashews recommended in your actual scalloped potatoes recipe?) Thank you, I finally tried this with some subs and I am still quite happy with the result, homemade cheese! Who would have guessed!
You can definitely give it a try! It might work fine. 🙂
I just had this for dinner, served over rice and greens. A few chopped black olives in the sauce because the jar was open. Added a bit of mustard for tang and colour. My body is purring with wellbeing.
I shared the recipe to facebook with the following comment: This WORKS! I was just idly cruising recipes. I love to feed people, some of my friends are vegan and I enjoy a challenge. I take a dim view of foods that desperately try to be something else, like all those fake meat soy products. This recipe is easy, supernutritious and amazingly tasty. I added a bit of mustard. For all you people trying to please finicky vegans. And to anyone trying to convert me: us old hippies were combining plant proteins with “Diet for a small planet” when your parents were in diapers. So yes, we can, we just prefer not to.
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ieneke! 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a couple times now…. tonight I added steamed, chopped broccoli to it and used the cheesy broccoli sauce as a baked potato topping….. was a hit with the family!!!! Super easy, super yummy….. thank you for sharing your fabulous recipes!
You are welcome, Jamie! I am glad you love this vegan cheese sauce! 🙂
do you mix the coconut milk and then measure it out? The liquid always separates from the solid so I am not sure if I should include more of the liquid part or the solid part when I measure out 3/4 cup– Thanks for clarity!
Hi Lesley, it’s best to shake the can. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hi Ella, this looks delightful! Can I use corn starch instead of tapioka flour?
Hello Annamaria, your question has been already answered in the recipe notes. I will copy and paste it for you:
Regards, Ela
Dobrý den Elo,recept je úžasný. Mohu tapiokovou mouku nahradit a dát Kuzu?Děkuji:-)
Ahoj, Ivano, já jsem KUZU jeste nikdy nepouzila. Ty to muzes samozrejme zkusit, ale já ti nemuzu zarucit, ze bude výsledek zrovna tak dobrý jako s Tapioka mouckou. 🙂
Really great!!! I threw in a half a piece of vegan cheese just to make it more cheesy/ I was experimenting and still DELICIOUS! Also threw in a handful of peas…cus i need vegetables lol
Really really great.
Thank you!!
It sounds like a fun experiment! Thanks so much for sharing, Regina. 🙂
This was THE BEST vegan cheeze sauce out of the ones I’ve made!! It’s a keeper!!
Awesome! I am glad you love it, Jenny. 🙂
I only had soy milk, so I threw in some mock-butter to up the fat content, hopefully making it closer to the intended fat content level. It was a hair too thick, so I added a splash more milk. It was awesome. It was awesome. I put it on some pasta. This will be my go-to for when I’m feeling lazy, but want something cheesy. I used arrow root starch BTW.
Incredible! So glad you like the recipe. 🙂
Would using regular 1-% milk be OK?
It will probably taste a bit watery. But you can definitely give it a try. 🙂
Just made this and it’s SO good. I used macadamia milk and chose nutritional yeast, and it was perfect! It’s unbelievably easy to make, too! I’ve been looking for just the right sauce to put on everything and this is the one for sure. Can’t wait to experiment with it a bit.
Yay, that’s wonderful, Sarah! Thanks for your great feedback! 🙂
So good, thank you!!
You are very welcome, Courtney! 🙂
I probably use this recipe at least once week. It’s great on macaroni, and my husband actually ask for this instead of traditional dairy filled KD. I love how simple and versat ile it is, and much more affordable then the cashew cheese sauces! Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic! I also make it at least once a week. I am so glad you love it as well. 🙂
Hello Ela!I’ve just found your website and I’m already loving it!
Thank you for such an amazing collection of recipes.
I just wanted to ask u if it is ok to use coconut milk but the one that comes in a box instead of a can?
Thanks a lot 🙂
Hey! No, I wouldn’t recommend it because boxed coconut milk contains mainly water. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
You could use a little turmeric to intensify the yellow color.
Complete success. I love it. I used coconut cream instead of milk and it end in a delicious super creamy cheese! Thank you
Fantastic! I am glad it turned out so good! 🙂
Can I freeze your enchiladas ready made with the cheese sauce? And if I can for how long?
Marie
Hello Marie, yes, that should be fine. I would say freezing for up to 2 months is ok. 🙂
My new go to cheese sause! Thank you
You are very welcome, Danelle! 🙂
Hi, thank you so much for all your recipes, I love them.
I’m telling you that I live in France and here the nutritional yeast is known as Levura Maltée, although I’m not sure if it’s the same, I’m afraid it has gluten. I’ve read that nutritional yeast in general has gluten, but I don’t know if the one you buy is special, or if it’s a lie and that nutritional yeast in general doesn’t have gluten. Please let me know if it is safe to buy Levure Maltée as you are more knowledgeable on the subject.
Yes, Levure Maltée is indeed nutritional yeast flakes. As far as I know, nutritional yeast does NOT contain gluten! But to be on the safer side, always check the packaging of your brand! 🙂
I cant wait to try this for myself. But i also wantbto be able to make this for my husband but the only problem for that is he happens to be alkergic to coconut and all the vagen milks in the store, i want to be able to make my own alomd milk but at this time i am not able to. Is there a way for me to make this for him?
You could make your own cashew milk or use store-bought cashew milk. Many readers also use store-bought almond milk or soy milk. 🙂
Can you make it spicy as well?
Sure! You can add hot sauce or cayenne pepper! Feel free to experiment. 🙂
I’m new to plant based and have been looking at a lot of recipes and reading about different flours. Do you think I can replace almond flour for the tapioca flour? I just don’t want to have too many flours expiring.
No, almond definitely won’t work. Arrowroot flour would be fine. Cornstarch would be OK but it won’t make the sauce as stretchy. Almond flour is definitely a NO-GO.
Can you make this and put it in a crockpot to keep warm?
I never tried it but I think it could work! 🙂
Thank you so much! You satisfy all my cravings to this recipe!
Glad to hear you loved the recipe, Avee! 🙂
Hi! I have two questions. Can I use corn starch in place of the tapioca flour? Also, how long will this last in the fridge? I’m thinking of meal prepping it with pasta. Thanks!!
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!
You can store the sauce in the fridge for up to 2 days but it will change the texture. Reheat with a splash of milk. It tastes best freshly made.
Does anyone know how long this keeps in the fridge?
For up to 2 days but it always tastes best freshly made!
Could we use tapioca granules and ground it to starch? 😊 Thank you!
Hi Gigi! No, you can’t use tapioca granules! If you have an electric spice/coffee grinder which can turn them into a very fine powder, then you can do that but I think it’s much easier to use store-bought tapioca flour. 🙂
I just left a Helpful message to Mia who cannot find the tapioca starch in Africa. Is it going to be posted? Please
So kind of you, Gigi! 🙂
Hi! I was able to find the nutritional yeast(what a search that was) but can’t find the flour anywhere! Or the substitute. Can I substitute Almond flour instead?
Ps. All the way from South Africa and ordering off of Amazon isn’t an option for me 🙂
I am sorry, Mia, but almond flour won’t work. You could use cornstarch but the result won’t be as good (stretchy) as with tapioca flour. It will still taste fine! 🙂
Mia, I search the Web for the tapioca starch in Africa. It is called CASSAVA flour, it’s the same. And it grows in many part of the world including Africa. My box says Tapioca (cassava) starch. I’m sure you should find it. Google it ! 😉 Good Luck!👍🏻
How many days can we keep it in the fridge? Thank you!
Up to 3, however, it tastes best freshly made!!
Are you able to post the recipe for that delicious looking waffle sandwhich??
Check out the recipe here: https://elavegan.com/vegan-grilled-cheese/ 🙂
I’ve made this 3 times now and it is absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I had it once on vegan nachos and twice on mushroom and spinach tortillas (also your recipe Ela – yum!) Thank you for your wonderful website. I love trying out your recipes!
You are very welcome, Gabby! I am so glad you love the recipe as much as I do. 🙂
Can I use something instead of nutritional yeast?
Hi Adri, no you can’t because there isn’t really a good substitute for nutritional yeast. You could add some soy sauce for the umami flavor but it will still taste different…
What I like about this recipe that I have to mention is that it compliments food very well. I was not expecting that. There are some cheese recipes that overpower the food that you add it to, and this did not do that. I made this with a coconut LIGHT canned milk and it was tasty! My favorite way to use this is to drizzle over steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots). Although, I will incorporate it into more foods because it’s versatile.
Thanks so much for your helpful feedback, Bel! I also use lite coconut milk quite often and drizzle it over veggies. So happy you like it too! 🙂
This is awesome. Best and easiest I’ve tried. Thank You!
Fantastic! So glad you like the recipe, Dannie! 🙂
Just made this with the canned coconut unsweetened milk and dear Lord in Heaven, this stuff is amazing. My husband, who hates coconut and is a very adamant meat and taters guy (Im vegan) loves this as well. Thank you for the recipe share!! I will have to take a gander at what else you have.
Wow, thank you so much for your feedback! I am thrilled you both love the recipe. You can subscribe to my newsletter to never miss any future recipes. 🙂
Could i substitute corn starch for tapioca? Thank you
I don’t recommend it. Please check the recipe notes. You can use arrowroot flour. 🙂
I like to meal prep and was wondering if this cheese recipe will still be good 3-4 days in the fridge after making?
Hey! I really recommend making it fresh because it does change the texture in the fridge and is not as good after 2-4 days. 🙂
Ok thank you so much Ela I made it for the first time today and am very pleased ! This is the most simple recipe I have found for cheese but the most delicious as well!
Wow, thanks so much for your wonderful feedback! So pleased you love it as well. 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I was wondering if you think this cheese sauce could be used in your cheesy spinach and artichoke dip?? I’d like to try that one too but I don’t want to use the cashews in the “cheese sauce”. Please let me know and thanks again for these awesome recipes!
I am not sure! I think the result will be different. Please report back if you give it a try. 🙂
First time ever of trying a vegan cheese sauce. Very good! I made it with all the suggested seasonings I think I will keep trying to tweak the seasonings. Just curious, mine had a bit of a strong aftertaste – was that the nutritional yeast? I used it on eggs and it was very tasty. Do you think this would do well in an egg casserole since people have used it in lasagna? Thanks!
Hi Vanessa, I use the cheese sauce in all my casseroles! Works great. Not sure about the strong aftertaste though. 🙂
Hi, Ela..
I would love to try this but cannot have nutritional yeast 😬
I know it’s a long shot but do u think it could be substituted for something else..?
Hi Lara! There isn’t really a good replacement. You can either leave it out or add a little soy sauce (for the umami flavor) or miso paste.
you reckon i can use this for a creamy lasagne ?
Yes, that should be fine. I also used it for these vegan lasagna rolls: https://elavegan.com/vegan-lasagna-roll-ups/
Just made some to go with some vegan chili that I made. It’s delicious thank you so much!
You are very welcome, Arianne. 🙂
Very interesting. Will try with soy milk next time for a more neutral base and then add flavours.
Sure! It’s fun to experiment with this recipe because it’s so easy and quick to make. 🙂
Hi Ela
Just want to thank you for the inspiration and delicious recipes. I’m an feeling so unhealthy after all the eating out we have been doing which began on 12/19 for my daughter’s birthday. My husband and I not only agree home cooked food taste much better, we also feel so much better. Your recipes are delicious and even my kiddos enjoy. Thank you for taking the time to share your recipes.
Liz
You are very welcome, Liz! I am so glad you enjoy my recipes. All the best for 2020. 🙂
Just wanted to say this is my first vegan ‘cheese’ anything attempt since my son and I became vegan. I made two small changes to your sauce. I added 1 TBSP Dijon and 1 tsp of smoked paprika instead of a dash. Was so impressed and happy with how it turned out. Thank you.
Sounds amazing, Robert! I am a huge fan of Dijon mustard, so I am sure it was very tasty. Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
I made it this evening and it was so super yum!!! Thank you so much! Use it with some black bean quesadillas. Soooooo good!
Wonderful! Thank you for your fantastic feedback! 🙂
So easy & delicious, I have made this as the recipe states, with light & full fat coconut milk & most recently with unsweetened almond milk, I’ve loved it every time! Tonight I had a little leftover & also had a bit of salsa verde left over, so I mixed it in… Unreal! That will be my new burrito bowl topper, foe sure!
Sounds incredible, Shannon! I love the idea to mix it with salsa verde! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback. 🙂
Wow. I have recently made the change to eating vegan after being vegetarian for over 20 years. This vegan cheese sauce is a game changer. I made the recipe exactly and it was delicious. I think next time I will try soy milk and add a little more flavor with spices/seasoning. Thank you!!! So yummy. So quick to make. Much better than any vegan cheese I have bought at the store and this is not expensive to make.
Aww, thank you so much for your amazing feedback, Jennifer! I am so glad you love the recipe. 🙂
Great recipe! My kid has made this 3 times this week already. As others have noted, it’s best right after it has thickened. I’ve doubled the coconut milk and upped the seasonings a bit and there’s still plenty of stretch to the cheeze. I will try decreasing the tapioca a bit just to see if it will be less gooey after sitting. I whisk hot water into leftovers to thin them out a bit. Every bite gets eaten. I’ve been making cashew “queso” for years and this recipe is a blessing!
Forgot to say that we also add 1/2 tsp of Chipotle sauce (from canned chipotle peppers) and it gives it a great zip!
Wonderful! I am so glad you love the recipe, dear! 🙂
Just made it for my daughter who wanted a grilled cheese. She had hers ‘plain’….I added spinach, coriander (weird yes…) and jalapenos). Both delicious…and when we cut them, the cheese oozed out. Well done….super easy and fast with no cashews!
It sounds incredible, Mike! I love the idea of adding jalapenos. 🙂
This recipe is quick easy and delicious. I sometimes add chili powder! Thanks for keeping my cheese cravings at bay Ela.
You are very welcome, Rachel! I am super glad you like the recipe, Rachel. 🙂
Holy Cow, this is delicious and so easy! Thank you!!
You are very welcome, Jessica. 🙂
Eu sou muito grata a você pelas dicas e receitas.
Sou uma ajudante de cozinha ,
Estamos montando e testando as suas receitas para nossas marmitinhas fitnes congelada.
Sou muito grata por nós passar seus conhecimentos .
Deus lhe abençoe grandemente
Thanks for your sweet comment, Fabricia! 🙂
Hi Ela, thank you very much for this recipe !
I just tried it and that « cheese » stretch is amazing like you wouldn’t know it’s not actual cheese !
I’m not a big fan of the coconut taste, so i’ll try with another plant-based milk. Still an amazing recipe !
Thanks so much for your great feedback, Marie! I am so glad you like the stretch. 🙂
would rice milk used be too runny? I could thicken with more starch I suppose. If this works, I’ll kiss the cook!!
The problem is not that it’s runny. The taste won’t be as good if you use rice milk because it contains almost zero fat. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend it. 🙂
Forgot to rate it 5 stars!
Thank you! 🙂
Thank you for the recipe! Put it on pizza and it was great. Love how fast and simply it comes together! Look forward to trying some of your other recipes! 🙂
You are very welcome, Anneliese! I am glad you enjoyed your pizza with this vegan cheese sauce. 🙂
This is really delicious, Ela! I’ve made it twice now. I’ve made it according to the recipe, and as it thickens up, I’ve free-poured some coconut milk (from the carton) to thin it out and will be making it in larger quantities. I can’t wait to eat it with chips and add jalapeños!
Thanks!
Paige
Yay, that’s awesome, Paige! Thanks so much for your great feedback. 🙂
Wow this recipe is amazing! We were looking for a vegan cheese for our nachos and this was an amazing success. I will have to try this with Pizza soon. I used Coles (Australia) brand coconut cream, touch of turmeric for colour and since I didn’t have any powdered garlic I used a teaspoon of garlic juice from a can of minced garlic I had in the fridge. Thank you!
Sounds fantastic, Carly! Thanks so much for your amazing feedback! 🙂
This looks wonderful! I would like to bring some to a family party with tortilla chips. Would it stay a good consistency if I kept it on low in a crockpot?
Hello! I never tried that but I think it should work. 🙂
This recipe deserves 10 stars just because it’s so easy to make! Taste I’ll give 5 stars because it’s the best out of the 3 recipes I’ve tried (other 2 used cashews, what a pain!). I may not be alone in trying to accept nooch as tasting like cheese, I’m just not there. Maybe its the brand? I buy my nutritional yeast bulk so I’m not sure. Not like I was a huge cheese eater before going wfpb. With that said, it doesn’t taste like cheese to me, but it does taste really good! Thank you for the recipe.
Thanks so much for your thorough feedback, Mary! I tried two different nutritional yeast brands, and they were both quite similar, not identical though. 🙂
Tried this for the first time yesterday, then immediately made more and knocked up our first vegan lasagne. It was delicious hot, and all the leftovers were enjoyed again for lunch today.
We’ve been looking for a really good alternative to the (often horrible) vegan cheese to allow us to cook as we like, and this sauce has given us back that choice.
Thanks Ela, you’re a star.
I am thrilled that you love the vegan cheese sauce as much as I do! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment, Haj! 🙂
Lots of love, Ela
Hey Ela,
I saw your recipe and it looks amazing! its something I would love to try!
One question, I cant eat anything out of the can! From reading the comments, its sounds like normal coconut milk in the carton is too runny. Do you know of any brands that sell high fat coconut milk or cream not in a can? If not, is it alright just to make my own with the coconut? Thankyou!
btw, that was 2 questions sorry!
I think the boxed milk is always low in fat. Making your own will probably be the best then. 🙂
This is the first of your recipes I have tried, and I am hooked. You are a genius. The cheese sauce is delicious.
Sounds awesome, Vicky! Thanks for your sweet compliment. 🙂
Can you use lite coconut milk or does it need to be regular coconut milk?
Yes, you can Heather! 🙂
This was really nice. I think the three minutes is a little oversell but it was very quick. Discovered you have to have pretty powerful electric grinder to breakdown dried tapioca balls, so the first attempt was a little lumpy but still good. Added some turmeric (about 1/8 teaspoon) to boost the color a little. Look forward to playing around with other flavorings.
Hi! I would never recommend using tapioca balls/pearls! Always buy tapioca flour, it works SO MUCH better! 🙂
Else, you mention water several times but I don’t see it mentioned in the list of measured ingredients. Is it necessary? And if so, how much she we use? Thanks! Your recipe looks amazing!
Hi Jill, you don’t need to use water. I often use canned coconut milk (full-fat) and mix it with water to make “lite coconut milk”. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi Ela! Recipe was amazing and super tasty! Please could you give me a tip on when/ how to add it to pizza? I made the sauce (it was thick, I didn’t see your recommendations for adding more coconut milk ??♀️) so I rolled with the thicker stretchy cheese sauce and put a layer before the toppings and more after toppings. The cooked pizza defo didn’t look as gorgeous as your pics but it tasted perfectly fine ? if my sauce is thinner do I only add it last on top of all the toppings? I noticed my cooked sauce darkened and crisped when I took out the cooked pizza.
Thanks for all your recipes and information! I’ve loved your pasta soup too! And I’m eager to make your mushroom stroganoff xx Colette
Hi Colette! Yes, you can make it a little thinner and put it on top of all other toppings, then bake in the oven! I am glad you like the taste. 🙂
Ela! I’ve made many of your recipes but OMG this vegan cheese is SO delicious! Thank you ?
So glad you loved it, Tania! 🙂
Hi Ela, can I sub the sour cream for anything?
Hi Rebecca! Do you mean instead of the coconut milk? I believe sour cream would be too thick. Maybe sour cream mixed with water.
Do i have to get tapioca or arrowroot flour i can’t get them for now . Can i use normal flour or not ? I really want to try it
No, it doesn’t work with normal flour.
The texture is amazing and it tastes delicious! I made this to dip soft pretzels in. My nutritional yeast didn’t result in the same deep yellow colour, so I’ll probably tweak the recipe the next time in an attempt to make it look more like typical nacho cheese, just for the visual!
Hi Hayley, if the nutritional yeast doesn’t contain B-vitamins, it typically doesn’t have a yellow color. You can try a different brand or add a pinch of turmeric powder to achieve a yellowish color. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hello! Do you think I could use nutritional yeast powder instead of flakes? Can’t wait to try! Thank
Hi Wafa, I think that is totally fine. 🙂
This is by far the most delicious vegan cheese I’ve ever eaten!!! I was just confused as to why some of the coconut milk’s natural oil separated from the cheese. When I heated it, it created sort of like a dough texture which separated off from the oil. Could it be because I blended the ingredients in the blender rather than by whisk? Or did I add too much tapioca starch? Nevertheless it was still amazing! I will try this again with strict measurements and a whisk.
Hi Raja, I never tried blending it. Maybe your coconut milk was higher in fat and therefore the natural oil separated from the cheese.
I am glad you liked the taste. 🙂
I’m not vegan but simply trying to reduce dairy because I’m pretty addicted to it and eating cheese every day was causing digestive trouble. Anyways, I made this recipe. The only sub is I had coconut cream which I diluted 50% with water, along with instant tapioca. It is freaking amazing! I’m happy I don’t have to spend tons of money on cashews to get an awesome cheese sauce.
Yay! I am so glad you love the recipe, Nina! Thanks for your wonderful feedback. 🙂
I’m a bit confused: should I buy tapioca flour or tapioca starch? I’m definitely going to try this sauce!
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Sofie! Tapioca flour and tapioca starch are exactly the same. 🙂
Hence the confusion! Thanks!!
Thank you for the recipe! It`s wonderful 🙂 . I used oat milk instead of coconut.
Sounds great! Thanks for leaving feedback, Auli. 🙂
This cheese sauce is so delicious and super quick and easy to make! Best quesadillas ever!
My son couldn’t believe there was no cheese in it! ?
Makes me so happy that you like this vegan cheese sauce recipe, Pam. Thanks! 🙂
It looks amazing!! I wonder if I can make it and keep some in the fridge?
How do you recommend to stor it if I’m pre making it for a meal?
Thanks a lot
So good! I subbed cassava flour for the tapioca and used cashew milk. I also added a bit of vegan butter. O.M.G amazing!
All you have to say is cheese and i’m all for it! Sounds so good! I’m going to have to make it this week! Thanks!
Wonderful! Enjoy. 🙂
Will it work with something other than tapioca or arrowroot starch?
Like, could I use an all-purpose gluten-free flour, homemade chia flour, coconut flour, etc?
No, that won’t work! Tapioca flour is the best. 🙂
I was looking for an easy sauce I could use as gravy over polenta. This worked perfectly, and tasted really good. I didn’t have tapioca flour, so I used potato starch, and that was fine. I’m looking forward to having this with pasta, too, or with cooked veggies. Thank you!
Fantastic! I am glad you liked the recipe, Chris! 🙂
This was easy and delicious. I’m loving all of your recipes that I’ve tried.
Question- the description mentions water twice but it’s not listed in the recipe? Did I miss something?
Hi Karen! Thanks so much for your comment. I think I will need to change the description. In the past I have mixed the coconut milk (if it was too thick) with water, just to make it thinner and therefore I mentioned it in the blog post. But I can see that it’s kinda confusing! 🙂
Just made it. Super easy and fast. 2 comments….1) a bit too salty so next time will omit the salt or cut down in half the onion and garlic powder. and 2) must use/eat is straight away otherwise it becomes a bit ‘clumpy’ (maybe not the 100% correct description.
Was making pasta and the sauce….sauce was done about 5 minutes before the pasta….by the time pasta was ready, sauce was already ‘consolidating’ and getting less ‘gooey’. Even when mixing with the hot pasta, really had to mix it very well to keep the ‘gooeyiness’…
Maybe more milk needed?
Thanks for your feedback, Mike! 🙂
How long it will last In fridge? Can I frozen the l ft over?
Thank you
I always use it right away. It will get pretty thick in the fridge once it cools. You could reheat it with a splash of plant-based milk the next day if you don’t want to use it right away. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it.
This recipe is just amazing!! Best vegan cheese sauce ever!! I am so excited to try out all your other recipes too. Thanks Ela!!
Thank you so much, Anu! 🙂
hey Ela, i’m making your pizza tonight and I wanted to share two tweaks i’ve made since I don’t have nutritional yeast since it’s crazy expensive here in Brazil. I added 1 tbsp of chickpea flour, a pinch of turmeric and a tsp of acv, for color and more flavor, and I loved it!
That’s a great tip! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Just made this. Amazingly tasty! Smelled so good while it was cooking. I put it over my dinner which was a layer, really a double layer of peeled chopped steamed russet potatoes, with refried beans, bulgar taco meat Ela’s cheese sauce & salsa. Loved it! I did also try the sauce solo & this is my new go to vegan cheese sauce. Anyone thinking of trying in yoyr blender, even if it gets hot, don’t bother. I didn’t but I thought about it. I can’t imagine trying to get this gooey cheese sauce out from under the blades. Besides stovetop using a whisk (not an immersion blender) was super easy!
So glad you like the recipe as well! Thanks for your feedback, Dana! 🙂
Wow. Wow. Wow. Made this sauce for vegan tacos & uh, mind blown!!!! Thanks!!!
Awesome! I am so glad you loved it. 🙂
Hi, this recipe looks awesome! I’m always looking for new and cheaper ways to satisfy my vegan cheese cravings. Just wondering if the ingredients amounts listed would be enough for two 12 inch pizzas? And would you put the cheese on before you put the pizzas in the oven or after? Thanks!
Hi Abbie, you should definitely double the recipe if you make two 12 inch pizzas. I always put the cheese on before I put the pizza in the oven. 🙂
I used almond milk so I added a TBS of guacamole for fat. It was thin but very tasty! I am going to experiment and try to make a potato and broccoli soup. Thanks!
Hi Ela,
This looks incredible and I can’t wait to try it!
Can you use light (low fat) coconut milk? Or will this make the sauce more watery?
Thank you!!
Hi Natalie! 🙂 Yes, that’s totally possible! The one I use isn’t very high in fat either. 🙂
It looks great. Thank you.
How long will it keep in fridge?
Can it be frozen?
I always use it right away. It will get pretty thick in the fridge once it cools. You could reheat it with a splash of plant-based milk the next day if you don’t want to use it right away. I never tried freezing the vegan cheese sauce.
This didn’t work out for nachos =\ it had that strong kick from the coconut milk. Unfortunately reminded me nothing of cheese -_-
Every taste differs, right… You can use any other plant-based milk. Doesn’t have to be coconut milk.
Hey Ela, this looks so good I will definitely make this and as I am searching for vegan/dairy free alternatives this is perfect! I am searching for tapioka-flour sold in germany… which one do you use? I never used it that`s why I am a bit unsure about whats the “best”?!
Hi Julia, “Tapioka Mehl” is available in most Asia stores or check your “Reformhaus”. Please don’t use tapioca perls though. 😀
Can’t wait to try this! Do you change up the seasonings at all to use on pizza or pasta? I love cheesey Italian dishes but am not sure how to get the right flavor.
No, I don’t. When I use it over pasta, I simply add ground oregano or an Italian spice blend to the tomato sauce. 🙂
This looks amazing! Can I use corn starch instead? 🙂
You can but the result won’t be as good. The sauce will be thick but not stretchy. 🙂
Hi Ela – just discovered you! This cheese is delicious, thanks for the great easy recipe. I am also extremely happy that you do not have autoplay HD video ads as some of us still pay for bandwidth in the 3rd world (I once left a website open by accident overnight and it used 6 GIGS)! Because of this and this cheese sauce recipe you are bookmarked and my go-to 🙂
I am glad you liked the recipe! Thanks for bookmarking my page, Michele. 🙂
Do you have any idea on what could be used in pace of nutritional yeast?
Unfortunately, I don’t, sorry!
So excited to try this recipe! Could I use xanathan gum instead of the tapioca flour do you think or should I head to the store? 😉
No xanthan please! Xanthan is only beneficial in gluten-free flours but never more than 1 tsp or so. Please purchase tapioca flour to make this recipe. 🙂
I have made this absolutely yummy sauce twice now, following the recipe exactly. It’s soooooooo tasty! My husband and two year old love it! I have only used it as a mac and cheese sauce but I’m sure it is excellent however it gets utilized. I dropped it off with a meat-eating friend who was babysitting for me and she wanted the recipe and said she liked the taste better than regular mac and cheese! The second time I forgot to add the tapioca powder until after I heated the sauce so it turned out super clumpy and it STILL tasted amazing! Thank you for this gem!
Such a wonderful feedback! Thanks so much, Melissa! I am really happy you loved the recipe. 🙂
Awww Looks delish ??
Can this sauce be used on pizzas too?
Of course! If you scroll up you will see a photo of the pizza. I use it all the time on pizza! 😀
Thank you Ela ?? will definitely try.it out.
Awesome! ?
Would really love to learn a version without nutritional yeadt as I can not have it. All vegan cheesy dishes have it 🙁
This was amazingly good! I’ve missed cheese so much but this is my new favorite thing! I’m SO glad I found your site!!!
Thank you, Julianne! So glad you loved the recipe! 🙂
Wow. I made this and I’m in love! The only change I made was adding in 1/4 tsp of turmeric for color! Although we are eating over everything, it’s particularly delicious over thinly sliced, sauteed yellow zucchini!
So glad you liked the recipe, Dee! I also eat it over everything (except desserts) haha. 🙂
Thank you so so much.
You are welcome, June! 🙂
Hi, is there a difference between nutritional yeast in powder and flake?
The only difference is that the powder is finer than the flakes but the taste is the same. 🙂
Where is the pizza receipe?
You can find all pizza recipes here: https://elavegan.com/tag/pizza
This is AMAZING. Mac and cheese it all the way. I really enjoyed this, and my brother, who is a picky vegan, also loved it. A success!
That’s fantastic! I am so glad you both enjoyed this recipe, Angela. 🙂
UH-MAZE-ING!!! Seriously so good I might just finally be able to commit to Vegan 🙂 Cheese was my big hold back, and this is THAT good. Thanks for creating and sharing.
Yay, I am so happy to read that, Emily! Giving up cheese was also very hard for me, that’s why I had to create this easy vegan cheese recipe to make my life easier. 😀
Thanks for your great feedback! 🙂
Has anyone tried reheating the next day? I ‘d like to make a day ahead for some meal planning.
Lol.. nevermind. After scrolling for sometime reading comments. I decided to post my question. And right above it someone else posted my question yesterday ??
Haha, yes! I should probably answer it in the recipe notes! 😀
I will be trying this recipe out, but I was wondering if it can be stored if some remained or should it be consumed right away?
It always tastes best consumed right away as it will change the consistency in the fridge and get thick. You can reheat it with more milk but I prefer to make it fresh since it takes only a few minutes! Hope this helps.
I never leave comments on food blogs but this LITERALLY the best vegan cheese recipe I’ve ever made. And it’s made better by how simple and quick it is to make. Thank you for sharing!
Aww, this makes me so happy, Teresa! Thanks a lot for your amazing feedback! I am glad you love the recipe as well. 🙂
Love this recipe! It’s so easy to make and really tasty. I’ve started making extra to have on hand!
Glad you liked it Alicia! 🙂
Love this sauce ? I usually use a cashew recipe which is very tasty but this is so simple and easy I’m all about a simple life in the kitchen!! Thanks so much Ela xx
Btw, I’m in the UK and the shop I got my tapioca flour from said it’s also called cassava flour in some places. Hope that helps other people find it easier, I got a huge bag much cheaper than the tiny expensive bag of tapioca off amazon xx
Yay, that’s awesome, Kyla! I am so glad you loved the recipe. And great tip for other readers, thank you! 🙂
Unfortunately I did not like the taste of it at all. I used exact same ingredients but found it really inedible. I think i am too used to the cashew based cheese and this was way different.
So sorry you didn’t like the taste of this vegan cheese sauce. It’s my favorite sauce ever and has become the most popular recipe on my blog with hundreds of raving reviews over all social media channels. Every taste differs though. 🙂
Hiya,
Made this tonight and I liked it, however it had to sit a few minutes (while I was feeding small kids), and in the meantime it went super elastic and rubbery. Wondering what size TBS you use – 15ml or 20ml? I added in extra coco milk too, so thought maybe you use the 15ml tablespoon and I added too much tapioca/arrowroot….
Hi Johanna, I use the 15 ml tablespoon and it’s not heaped. The sauce can quickly become too thick if using too much tapioca. Hope this helps. 🙂
Wow, this was amazing! It tastes like alfredo sauce, and mine looks like it too. It was great on my pasta and broccoli, and I’m going to adjust the seasonings for different dishes too.
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback, Syleste! 🙂
To make the cheese sauce more yellow, you could add some Turmeric powder. It looks orange-ish in the bottle, but turns very yellow when combined with wet/damp ingredients. Be careful, it stains; use paper towels to clean up any spills.
Yes, true! 🙂
Okay, well this really is it as far as cheese recipes go. I’ve made it about four times now with almond milk. Just now I didn’t have any almond milk open, but did have the liquid from a can of cannellini beans, so I used that instead. The result was at least as good if not better than the almond milk version. So this recipe is not only easy and yummy but also versatile. And also, I’m thinking of pre-mixing the dry ingredients in bulk to make the process even more streamlined. Anyway, thanks for the recipe, it’s just so good.
Fantastic feedback! Thanks a lot. 🙂
I’m now pleased to report that using plain water instead of almond milk also works; while still being super yummy
Interesting! I never tried that I guess. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi! I recently made this and it came out slimy…..do you know what may have caused this?
Which milk did you use? Did you use heaped tbsp of tapioca starch? Sounds like too much tapioca flour.
Hi there! I was just curious, does this have a coconut after taste or can you still taste the coconut flavor is the cheese? Thank for your help!
Maybe a little bit! If you don’t like the coconut taste, then use a different plant-based milk with a higher fat content such as cashew milk.
Can I use almond flour?
No, definitely not. 🙂
Very happy with this recipe. I always just use a full cup of nutmilk, or I find it too rubbery.
Glad you love the recipe, Joe! 🙂
I just made this recipe and it turned out way better than I expected.. I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I changed it up a bit. I used coconut cream instead of milk and i used cornstarch instead of the flour. It thickened up perfectly and it seriously reminds me of the nacho cheese I used to eat before i went dairy free.. I ate mine with chips, but next time I think I’ll use it for macaroni ❤❤❤??
Amazing! I am so happy you loved the recipe, Hope. 🙂
Like you (used to be) I’m a cheese addict so I obviously had to try this. I’m not a vegan but very curious about vegan cooking and your recipes all look amazing! Used it with quesadillas (own variation with courgettes, sweet peppers and refried beans)
Seriously, topped with your sauce it was so good!
Can’t wait to try another of your recipes!
Fantastic! Thanks for your amazing feedback, Margareta! 🙂
Hi! how much water are you supposed to add? At the beginning of the recipe it says it needs water but you didn’t add it in the ingredients list! Thank you 🙂
Where does it say it needs water? This recipe doesn’t need any water. You probably mean a different recipe. 🙂
Hi Ela, Danke für die tollen Rezepte.
Welche Hefeflocken nimmst Du ? Bei mir ist die Farbe der Sauce eher… grau …
Ich dacht, Du hattest mal gepostet wo Du die kaufst ?
Danke und liebe Grüße
Petra
Ich kaufe sie in USA und verlinke sie in meinem englischen Blogpost im Rezept. 🙂
I usually make this a couple times a week with almond milk and crush the entire serving. Love it with broccoli and tortilla chips equally but don’t feel bad about the calories or ort or harm to animals that real queso hides. Amazing and easy recipe! Love it!!
Terrific! I am so happy you love the recipe as much as I do. Thank you, Courtney! 🙂
I’m not sure exactly what I’ve done wrong but I just tried making this recipe twice (first with coconut milk and then with oat milk) and neither time turned out. I’ve made vegan cheese with corn starch before but this recipe has a funny taste and the texture wasn’t there for me. I’m not sure if I’ve done something wrong or if it’s just so different than what I expected? I wish it had worked for me like so many of the other reviewers!
Hm, not sure what you mean with “funny taste”. 🙂 I have made this recipe at least 250 times and it never disappointed (neither the taste nor the texture). So many reviewers are raving about this vegan cheese sauce, especially on Instagram, so I am afraid something must have gone wrong at your end. If the sauce turned out too thick, you simply need to use less tapioca flour or more milk. But since you didn’t really say what went wrong, I cannot give you any helpful tips. 🙂
Yeah it did same for me too ?
I answered your other comment. Don’t use boxed milk. It tastes like water.
I made this and it was amazing! I can’t wait to experiment with other types of “milk.” Can you provide the recipe for the waffle sandwich you have pictured on this page?
So happy you liked the vegan cheese sauce, Elizabeth! Do you mean the recipe for the waffles? I used this one without sweetener: https://elavegan.com/vegan-gluten-free-waffles-healthy-recipe/. The filling was grilled carrot, pepper, spinach, and the vegan cheese sauce plus some spices (onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika). Hope this helps. 🙂
Very stretchy indeed! Perfectly satisfied my need for a bowl of vegan “cheesy” mac without going for the super processed Daiya products! Worked swell with the low fat version of canned coconut milk
Wonderful! I am glad you love the recipe, Kyly! 🙂
Hi Ela, do you know the keeping time of this recipe and whether it must be warm to stay stringy? Is it still liquid in its cold state? Also can i add more spices to this recipe? Thank you so much
The texture will definitely change once you store it in the fridge (it will turn into a cream cheese after a while). I prefer making it fresh each time since it takes only 3 minutes! 🙂
The texture will definitely change once you store it in the fridge (it will turn into a cream cheese after a while). I prefer making it fresh each time since it takes only 3 minutes! 🙂
This cheese sauce is absolutely life changing for a vegan! The one thing I really miss is CHEESE and this does it for me. Thanks so much for the recipe! I am making the Chilli cheese fries tonight for the whole family(not vegan) so we will see how we go! 🙂 Your recipes have definitely been my favourite. Thanks so much for sharing your skills with the world.
I am so happy you love my vegan cheese sauce! 🙂
Is corn starch frowned upon as a sub for tapioca/arrowroot?
If so, why? (Note: the arrowroot jar says right on it you can sub 1 for 1 with corn starch…)
I tried cornstarch and it just doesn’t work as good as tapioca or arrowroot.
It will make the sauce thick but NOT stretchy.
What can i substitute the nutritional yeast with? Any suggestions
There is not really a substitute for nutritional yeast! You can leave it out but it will taste less cheesy!
Hi! I recently discovered your blog and I can’t wait to try more recipes here. I made this cheese sauce as a double batch. It was delicious! We did have leftovers and are wanting to know how long this keeps in the fridge? Thanks!
Oh my god! You seriously changed my life right now. I made the best enchiladas in the world with this queso…and honestly if I didn’t tell my husband they were Vegan, he would of never noticed. I can’t wait to put this on everything! Haha ….and also try ALL of your recipes. Thank you so much! ?
Thanks so much for your sweet feedback, Shay! 🙂
I absolutely love this sauce. I made it with homemade almond milk, so delicious! Thanks for that recipe!:-)
Terrific! Thanks for your feedback, Chris. 🙂
Ela, this was delicious! I successfully substituted Almond milk and added a sprinkle of turmeric for color. It was great!
Amazing! Thanks for your feedback, Mandy. 🙂
Hey Ella, this looks really easy and delicious,
i know you answerd loads of this questions, but I would like to know can I use gram flour instead of tapioca,as i have everything home except this.
If not, i’llhave to try another day 🙂
Thank you!
Hey Jelena, I really would not recommend it because it won’t have the same texture. 🙂
Hello 🙂
I am trying to make the cheese but its been hard finding the yeast flakes, is there anything else I could replace this with?
You could order them online! Unfortunately, there isn’t really anything else which tastes similar!
Aww well thank you so much 🙂 I am so excited to make it! I love your page <3
You are very welcome! 🙂
Lovely flavour, first time I made it. But I did get a few lumps and had to sieve it. Apart from that it was great.
It’s important to add the tapioca flour while the milk is still cold and then whisk continuously. I am glad you liked it though! 🙂
I literally just finished eating a slice of pizza that I used this sauce on and it was superb. Easy peasy and delicious.. The only change I made with substituting corn starch for the tapioca starch and it worked well. Thank you for posting.
Sounds awesome! Glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Absolutly incredible ! Thank you !
So glad you liked it, Helene! 🙂
You have no idea how much this recipe and others i have found on your page have been DELICIOUS!!!!!! Thank you so much for such amazing recipes, as a new vegan it’s helped so much!!! <3
Makes me so happy! Thanks for your kind feedback, Jolette! 🙂
This looks amazing!! Ive not yet tried any vegan cheese recipes since they all look so difficult and nutty. I see it says 3 servings, but about how much does the recipe yield? A couple cups or so? Thank you!
It yields about a cup. 🙂
Hi Ela, thank-you so much for creating and sharing this recipe. It is so easy and so delicious. I have made it a number of times now, and am at the moment using it in experimenting to get mushroom, leek and spinach mac’n’cheese. This cheese sauce will be definitely a very regular make in our house – in many different dishes and meals for sure. I used tapioca flour until I ran out and now am using up my arrowroot – both work great! So YUMMY!!! 🙂
Amazing! Thank you so much for your incredible feedback. 🙂
Hi Ela!Just stumbled across this recipe and i instantly went to the kitchen to make it.This is my first time making vegan cheese sauce and i have to say its quite delicious even though im not a vegan myself!Thanks!
Great! I am glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
Made this Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce and topped my veggie lasagna , then more tomato sauce. It soaked through coating everything , making it very rich tasting and creamy. Used half tapioca flour and half arrowroot flour as I have both. Came out wonderful.
Used 1 pack precooked lasagna noodles, 2 jars pre-made spaghetti sauce, layered it with fresh lightly steamed spinach, lightly steamed frozen mixed veggies. Threw on Chorizo flavored meat sub. for added interest. Next time I’ll use mushrooms and broccoli and cauliflower or whatever I have.
Thanks, Carol
That’s great, Carol! I am glad you liked this vegan cheese sauce. Veggie lasagna sounds amazing. 🙂
Hi, Ela. I made this last night to go with your buffalo chickpea taquitos, and I thought it was really tasty. Mine didn’t come out as yellow as yours, it was also super gloopy. While I did wonder why that was (I followed the recipe exactly), it wasn’t a problem. I may have cooked it a bit too high, and the color might have been due to the cashew milk I used. Anyway, I’ll definitely be making this again to try with other things like pasta, over fries, etc. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks a lot for your feedback! 🙂
I tried the vegan cheese sauce yesterday and it did not turn at any good. It tasted too much nutritional yeast- which I dont think taste too good. Could the taste from nutritional yeast very from brand to brand?
Hey Kristine, I am sorry you didn’t like the taste. Which brand of nutritional yeast did you use? I have used two different ones so far and loved both. One is from KAL (which is also linked in the recipe) and the other one was from Anthony’s.
I think it is a swedish brand- “carls bergh pharma ab”. Maybe if I add less nutritional yeast into the recipe it would taste better?
Yes, maybe. You can give it a try. 🙂
Did it yesterday along with the Potatoe bake with pumkin and lentils. Thank you Ela 😉 it was delicious!!! First of many I’ll surely cook.
Yay, that’s great! Thanks a lot for your amazing feedback. 🙂
That looks amazing, I will give this a go with the chickpea gnocchi! If it’s not yellow enough I can always add some turmeric for colour and health benefits ????
Awesome! And yes, turmeric will add a nice yellow color. 🙂
Do you think this could be frozen & shredded then spread on pizza etc? I may experiment ????
Good question! I never tried it out but it could work. Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
Hi Ela. So excited to try this recipe. Can I use lite coconut milk? Or does it need to be full fat?
Thanks,
Janet
Yes, you can use lite coconut milk. 🙂
Thanks for the quick response, Ela! You Rock!
❤️
This cheese sauce is the BEST!!! So easy! I’ve used other flours I’ve had on hand, different coconut milk s and everything has worked… EVERYTIME. Thank you for making my life easy in the corner????
Awesome!! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
Can you use regular flour or almond flour?
No, that won’t work. You’ll need tapioca flour or arrowroot flour.
Wow! This cheese sauce is amazing. I used almond milk instead of coconut being as I have MS and must keep my fats as low as possible. I will be making this quite often. Thanks
Awesome! Thanks so much for your fantastic feedback, Pam! 🙂
Can you post a recipe of the pizza you posted on this page? It looks amazing on the pizza.
Hey, the base is my gluten-free pizza dough. You can find the recipe here: https://elavegan.com/best-gluten-free-pizza-crust-vegan/
And the topping is just tomato sauce, a couple of spices (onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper) and the vegan cheese sauce. 🙂
Thanks for the quick reply!
Do we put this cheese on before or after it goes in the oven?
Before it goes in the oven. 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! Finally a vegan cheese that’s easy to prepare! I’ll try it tomorrow! ????
Do you know if this can go to the fridge and be reheated later, or will it lose its texture?
Vielen Dank!
Hi Liv, the texture will be different after you put it in the fridge. You will need to reheat it, add a splash of plant-based milk and whisk it to make it pourable again. 🙂
Happy Holidays Ela, I just made this cheese sauce and I loved it. I used the coconut almond milk I aleady had on hand, I didn’t have smoked paprika, but I added some cayenne to spice it up. I really loved the taste. Even my mom, who is slowly but surely embracing more vegan dishes, thought it was delicious. Thank you for the great recipe and have a Merry Christmas.
Yay, that’s awesome! So happy you and your mom liked my recipe. Merry Christmas! 🙂
I have made this cheese sauce the days in a row. It is amazing. Easy and delicious, I love it! I served it with chopped sun-dried tomatoes on pasta, and added some turmeric (just for color) when I served it on burritos.
I made it with coconut milk the first time, and the next two times I made it with cashew milk and 1.5 tbsp of grapeseed oil. It worked just as well both ways.
I have a question- do you think it would work in a casserole? I would like to make a cheesy quinoa- broccoli bake with it.
Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thanks so much! I am happy you love my vegan cheese sauce.
And yes, you can totally use it in a casserole. Please check out the following recipes: PASTA BAKE and POTATO BAKE
Holy crap I’ve made this a few times now and this is seriously life changing. I like it even better than the more time consuming cashew cheese. Yesterday I mixed this in with some rice for a quick bite and it was soooo good. Thank you!
Yay! I am so glad that you love my vegan cheese sauce. Thanks for your amazing feedback, Jeff! 🙂
Hi Ela- I don’t like to use anything from a can can I use unsweetened almond milk from the carton .or coconut milk from the carton instead ?
Hi Jessica, as mentioned in the recipe notes, you can use any other plant-based milk instead. However, boxed almond milk or coconut milk is most of the time just water with a tiny bit of fat, flavor, and preservatives, that’s why the taste won’t be as good (there is just not enough fat). So I recommend canned coconut milk or homemade nut milk of choice, or plant-based cream.
Ok now I understand thank you I do make homemade almond milk so it’s the fat content thanks so much so if I use cans just for this I’ll live ????
Awesome, Jessica! Homemade almond milk sounds lovely. 🙂
This looks so amazing. I was wondering what are storage instructions or does it have to be used right away?
I always use it right away. It will get pretty thick in the fridge once it cools. You could reheat it with a splash of plant-based milk the next day if you don’t want to use it right away.
Hey Ela, this vvvegan cheese recipe is the best. I made it last night and tossed with noodles and it was perfect. Regarding nutritional yeast, it has plenty of B-vitamins and healthy nutrients in it’s natural form, so buying a fortified version isn’t necessary. I added 1/4 tspn of ground tumeric powder to your recipe and achieda nice yellow color with no hassle. I’ve been vegan for over a year, and I wish other chefs would keep their recipes as simple as yours. I am definitely a fan.
Awesome feedback! Thank you so much, David. 🙂
Hi! I made this tonight and it didn’t turn out quite like how yours looks. I notice you mention water in the description. Are you supposed to add water??
Thank you so much!! Love your recipes.
You can add more coconut milk or any other plant-based milk or even water if the sauce is too thick.
I wouldn’t recommend adding too much water though. ❤️
What can I substitute for nutritional yeast? Can I use cornstarch if I cannot get tapioca starch?
There is no substitute (taste-wise) for nutritional yeast.
Cornstarch does not work, unfortunately. Tapioca or arrowroot.
Hallo liebe Ela,
in der Regel soll man Hefeflockem nicht mitkochen, weil die darin enthaltenen Vitamin B‘s zerstört werden (zumindest so laut meiner Packung).
Denkst du ich würde den gleichen Geschmack erzielen, wenn ich die Flocken erst nachdem kochen (wenn die Soße etwas abgekühlt ist) erreichen??
Hallo Verena, das musst du einfach ausprobieren. Ich habe es noch nie getestet, daher kann ich dazu nichts sagen. 🙂
LG, Ela
This sauce is so delicious! Added bonus is that it’s so quick and easy! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
So glad you liked it, Vicky! 🙂
I made this sauce various times now. It’s so easy and it is delicious. I put it on tacos and quesadillas. I tagged you on Instagram. ???? Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much, Gisela, I am really glad you like it.
Lots of love, Ela 🙂
Hey Ela,
This looks really good. I’m going to give it a try this weekend. I have a question. Can I substitute the coconut milk for a different type milk.? Unfortunately I’m allergic to coconut milk.
Hello Courtney! Yes, you can use any other type of milk. I would recommend mixing your favorite milk with plant-based cream because canned coconut milk is higher in fat than e.g. boxed soy milk or almond milk. 🙂
can we use fresh coconut milk?
what’s the substitute for nutritional yeast ?
Thanks
Yes, you can definitely use fresh coconut milk. 🙂
Unfortunately, there isn’t really a substitute for nutritional yeast which has the same “cheesy” flavor. You could use Liquid Aminos or reduced sodium soy sauce which will add a nice flavor but not the same as nutritional yeast.
The recipe is amazing.. How could I keep well?
I am glad you like it! Do you mean how long it keeps fresh in the fridge? It typically can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. 🙂
Can leftover cheese sauce be refrigerated and reheated?
Yes, however, it will get quite thick when you refrigerate it and you will need to add more milk or water once you reheat it.
I need to re comment on my last review, I left cheese on stove (turned off) for 30 mins and when I got back it was lovely and smooth and no longer thick
Hi again, Hannah! Thanks for commenting again. I am glad to hear that!
Best wishes, Ela
I made this and was a bit disappointed. It was so thick like a dough and I had to put so much more coconut milk in it. Also so pale
Hello! You might have used too much tapioca starch. As regards the color, this question was already addressed in the recipe notes:
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 one I order from Amazon (it’s linked in the recipe) contains B-vitamins and the nutritional yeast flakes have a yellow color. When I use 3 tbsp the cheese sauce turns out pretty yellow like in the pics. When I use less (e.g. just 1 tbsp) the color is just light yellowish.”
Hi Ela I m going to make nachos with this cheese is it ok to put it over the corn chips and then bake in a warm oven? or would that ruin the texture of the cheese?
That will be fine! 🙂
Hi Ella, just began following you on Insta!
This cheese sauce looks delicious!
I’m trying my hand at being dairy free and I just tried the cheese sauce! It turned out very well, only thing is that mine is an off whiteish color….I didn’t get the yellow cheddar color you got..is it the nutritional yeast that gives it color?
Yes, that’s the nutritional yeast brand which I am using since it contains a couple of B-vitamins (which are yellow).
I am glad you liked the recipe! ????
Coconut milk is overpriced in the UK, so I buy blocks of 100% creamed coconut online. To make coconut milk you chop up 1/2 a block and add hot water, but if I am using this recipe, I add the chopped block of creamed coconut right in with the other indredients. I then use half as much tapioca flour and increase the water, salt and seasonings to the desired consistency and taste. Awesome poured onto pizza. Thank you.
That’s awesome, Wendy! Thanks for this helpful feedback. 🙂
Dear Ela,
Thanks a lot for your simple recipe of vegan.
I wonder could the canned coconut replaced with the fresh one? Since our country has a lot of coconut and easy to get the fresh coconut cream. Regards from Indonesia.
Yes, that’s totally possible, Dini! I bet it’s even more delicious. ????
I love eating vegan.. But it is not always easy with 2 children and a husband who don’t love it.. Yesterday I did your quesadillas recipes.. I didn’t have time to take a picture ???? thank you @r.u.g.i.a.d.a
Awesome, thanks for your feedback, Rugiada 🙂
Ms. Ela!!!! This freakin sauce was amazing! This was the first vegan sauce that I have ever made and I have to say that I may just stop right here. The looks and flavors are awesome! Thank You…. Thank You…. Thank You!!! I made pizza tonight for meat eaters with this sauce and they LOVED IT!!!
I’m looking forward to trying your other recipes now.
Yay! I am super happy you all loved it! Wonderful feedback, thanks. I appreciate it. ????
Thankyou SO MUCH for this recipe! I have been following a vegan diet for almost a year and, as a former cheese lover, have struggled to find anything which comes close….until now! I have been put off by other ‘cheese’ recipes due to the number of ingredients, prep etc so I was thrilled to find your super easy recipe. I made this last night to put on top of a homemade pizza and WOOOOOW- best pizza ever! I also ate the remaining sauce this morning just spread onto some toast because it is that good! Thankyou!!!!
Wow!! Thank you so much for this amazing feedback, Aimee!! Makes me seriously so happy to read that you love my vegan cheese sauce! ????
Hi Ela, I made this sauce using arrowroot powder. But when it cooled down, it somewhat solidified. I did not get a pouring consistency. Should i add water to it? I’m afraid that adding more coconut milk will end up with the sauce having a coconut flavor. It tasted really good, thanks for such a simple and good recipe!
Hello Shruti, yes, when the sauce cools down it will get thick but once you heat it up again then it will have a pouring consistency. You can add a splash of any other plant-based milk or water if it’s too thick. 🙂
This was a wonderful recipe! I am amazed at how the tapioca starch changed the consistency of the sauce! Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you very much for your amazing feedback! ????
I’m so going to try this! I’ve experimented with vegan cheese to make a sauce but it has never worked.
Danke!
I hope you will like it. 🙂
Hi, do you think that with some tweaking this could be turned into a hard cheese? If yes, any suggestions how?
Yes, it is possible but you will need agar agar powder. I haven’t made it in a while so I don’t remember the exact measurements, however, I believe I simply added 2 tsp of agar agar powder to the recipe and then filled the mixture into ramekins. It will firm up in the fridge. Let me know how it turned out if you give it a try. 🙂
Thanks, Ella, I was also thinking of agar agar, although so far I’ve never had much luck using it and things tended to go wrong. I think I’ll try your original version first and see what the taste is like and then maybe try adding agar agar …. I’ll let you know if I succeed. 🙂
Thanks again four your reply!
Maya make sure you use Agar Agar Powder not the Agar Agar Flakes!! If you use Agar Agar Flakes you must double the measurement otherwise the cheese will not set, I suggest you buy the Agar, Agar Powder because the Powder and Flakes are different!!
Das ist ja echt ein super Rezept!!! Ich freue mich schon das aus zu probieren:)
Thank you so much for sharing
Danke liebe Evi! 🙂
Hey, I really want to try this sauce! I am living in a very rural area at the minute and I can’t find any tapioca flour or arrowroot. I googled substitutes and it recommended Cornstarch, what do you think?
Hey, cornstarch will just make the sauce thick but won’t make it stretchy. You should be able to buy it online almost everywhere. 🙂
Hi, I tried this recipe exactly as indicated with the precise measurements and it did taste delicious but it looked nothing like the one you made. Yours looks picture perfect. I did read your comments on the nutritional yeast potentially being the issue. Why do you think that might make a difference in terms of brands? I used Braggs nutritional yeast. Once again the taste was delicious, however texture and color were not the same as yours.
Hi Erica, I am glad you liked the taste of this vegan cheese sauce. As regards the color, I believe there are nutritional yeast brands that enrich their products with lots of B-vitamins. The one I order from Amazon (it’s linked in the recipe) contains B-vitamins and the flaked have a yellow color. When I use 3 tbsp the cheese sauce turns out pretty yellow like in the pics. When I use less (e.g. just 1 tbsp) the color is just light yellowish. So I am pretty sure it’s the brand I am using. Maybe you can try out a different brand and make the recipe again? 🙂
Many Vegans use a little bit of Turmeric to colour their cheese sauces, but just enough to colour, don’t add a lot, that will ruin the cheese sauce tates…
Hello Ela,
I was so inspired to try this…but it turned out so bad. It tasted way to much like coconut and nothing like cheese…had to trow it away unfortunately. I used canned coconut cream as I had no milk left. That is also very thick but I watered it down… do you think that is the problem? Any other nut milks I could try instead?
Regards,
Evelien
Hi Evelien, sorry to hear it didn’t turn out good. I never made the recipe with coconut cream, I suppose it has a stronger coconut taste than coconut milk. You could try any other plant-based milk, however, I would suggest adding a little bit of oil since plant-based boxed milk is always watered down a lot. Homemade cashew milk or almond milk might work well. 🙂
Hello Ela,
Your cheese looks fabulous and so yummy!!! I’ve been looking for recipe for white vegan cheese. Can I make this same cheese of yours a “white cheese?”
If you leave out the nutritional yeast it won’t be yellow. But it also depends on the brand of nutritional yeast. The brand I used (linked in the recipe) has a yellow color. 🙂 I prefer the cheese sauce WITH nutritional yeast though.
I just made it, as with all your recipes, fell in love with it, I used my homemade coconut milk and it worked perfectly fine, and also put extra milk for a runny consistency, ate them with coconut flat bread filled with potatoes, cabbage, onions, and Serrano peppers , really yummy ????
Awesome! Thanks for your feedback, Nelly. 🙂
Wondering if this vegan cheese sauce could become a Queso by adding a little drained salsa?
Or perhaps you have a better suggestion for Queso.
Thank You
I never made it but I think it should be very delicious! Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
Probably should have said ‘Chili Con Queso’. In Texas we just say Queso.
I will let you know when I try it.
Thank You
made cheese sauce tastey but disappeared when used over your bean casserole what happened?
Hi! Not sure what you mean with disappeared?
Thank you for this wonderful easy recipe. I used it to make a cheese sauce for my first time ever vegan mac n cheese Most of the recipes I saw were complicated but this one was perfect for me. Thank you. Thank you.
I am so glad you liked my recipe, Simone! 🙂
I had to add extra coconut milk as i found mine was too thick. also i will add less salt next time. other that this i loved this recipe and that fact that it does not have the extra fat of almonds.
Delicious recipe thank you for sharing.
Thank you very much for your helpful feedback, Marylouise. 🙂
I made this to use in my vegan lasagne and it was delicious! Can’t wait to use it in LOTS of other dishes. Thank you!!
So glad you liked my recipe, Karen! Vegan lasagne sounds soo yummy ????
I was wondering if it would still taste good if I used soymilk instead of coconut milk as I am allergic go coconut??
I would recommend soy CREAM instead since soy milk is watered down a lot and canned coconut milk is much higher in fat.
Hi,
3 tbsp is really 20 grams?
Thanks
Yes 🙂
Dear ela thanks for your delicious recipes. Could you kindly an alternative for the topica flour as this product is not shipped to my country
Hello Claire! Arrowroot flour is the only alternative that will also make the sauce stretchy and elastic.
Best wishes, Ela
Wow. I don’t normally leave comments on recipes, but I feel like I need to for this one. I was expecting the sauce to be decent, but it is so frickin good. It really reminds me of hollandaise sauce. Almost identical to it. So I’ve decided I’m whipping up some cloud bread and making this again tomorrow morning for some eggs Benedict. Yum! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
So glad you liked my recipe, Emm! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
This was fantastic! I just discovered you today, and made your tortillas (which are life changing, by the way). Then I made this cheese sauce, for tacos, and it was phenomenal! The whole family loved it. I added in turmeric powder for color and it didn’t affect the flavor at all.
Thank you!!! I love how easy and simple these two recipes were. You’ve got a gift, and a new fan!
Yay, thank you so much for your amazing feedback, Meli. Makes me so happy that you loved both recipes. 🙂
Wow Liebe Ela, das Rezept klingt wunderbar. Gab es bei mir auch schon lange nicht mehr und wird es wohl bald wieder geben :).
Daanke
Freut mich sehr zu hören, liebe Anni 🙂
Can you substitute corn starch for the arrowroot or tapioca flour? I look forward to trying this!
Hi Alice, it will just be a thick sauce but not cheesy/stretchy if you use cornstarch. 🙂
I’m making your vegan enchiladas and decided to do the prep work ahead of time. I’m actually cooking the lentils and veggies in the crock pot, since they’re going to end up together anyway – hoping it works well! Anyhoo, I’m a big fan of nutritional yeast and I make a similar sauce for mac and cheese… but this one is much better with the coconut milk! I used my own gluten-free flour blend, used a dash of chipotle chili powder instead of paprika, and a drizzle of olive oil. I also use 1/4c nooch, instead of 3T. Thanks, definitely a keeper!
Thanks for your great feedback, Karla! Unfortunately, your comment landed in my spam folder and I saw it only now! Very happy you liked my recipe. 🙂
Can i use cassava flour instead?
I am pretty sure that it won’t work.
Every time I make this it gets gummy. Tonight I added an extra 1/4 c coconut milk and it was a little better…any idea why it’s always like glue? Tastes great but really sticky. Also, I never get that orange color…I do love the way it tastes!
Hi Dana, did you measure the tapioca starch in grams? Maybe you just added too much? It never turned out like glue when I made it. But yes, when it’s too thick, then definitely add more liquid. As regards the color, this depends on the brand of nutritional yeast flakes. My brand (which I linked in the recipe) has a yellowish color but I have seen brands which are less yellowish. 🙂
I tried making the cheese sauce although my nutritional intake al yeast has a yellowish color it ddint come out looking like that , it had like dark yellow/grayish color …any suggestions on the color?
Hi Ria, not sure about the brand you used. Maybe you can try the brand which I used (linked in the recipe). Or was it the same brand? To me the color isn’t important at all, it’s the taste that matters. 🙂
Ela this is awesome. I love making my own vegan cheezes.
Thank you, Jasmin! 🙂
Thank You. We have no Asian stores and no ability to order something like that. Next time I know i’m headed back to the US for a visit, I will get some ordered Thank You!
I too cannot find tapioca flour or arrowroot powder/flour/starch. I do find cassava flour. Would that work? Same amount? Would regular cornstarch work?
Hi Terry, regular cornstarch won’t work, it will make the sauce just thick, but not stretchy at all. I never tried cassava flour, so I can’t tell you if it will work. I would really recommend to order tapioca flour or check the Asian stores in your town.
Oh, how I wish I had read this before attempting to make this! I had googled tapioca flour substitutes, and cornstarch came up as one. The finished product is clumpy and thick, and the oil is separating out of it. Not sure if I can salvage it for some use, but will definitely try again with the proper ingredients!
Hey Karen! Some people actually wrote that they had decent results with cornstarch, however, I didn’t. That’s why I pointed out (multiple times) in the blog post how important it is to use tapioca flour OR arrowroot flour but not any other flours or starches. Hope you will give it another try with the right ingredients. 🙂
Hi ???? Just double checked the back of my bag of tapioca flour and it states that the flour is derived from cassava roots so I’m guessing cassava flour will have the same effect. ????
This looks great! I would like to try it but was wondering whether the sauce has a coconut flavour or aftertaste? Thanks for sharing.
I don’t taste the coconut in the final cheese, however, if you don’t like coconut you could also use cashew milk or almond milk (preferably homemade full-fat). Hope this helps ????
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try. Is this the same sauce you used for your Bianca pizza, minus the smoked paprika?
It’s the same recipe minus the nutritional yeast flakes (which color the sauce yellow-ish). I think it really depends on the brand of nutritional yeast flakes. Mine have a yellow-ish color. ????
Wonderful, thank you!!
I’m making Vegan mac-n-cheese for dinner tomorrow and I will be using this recipe! So simple to make and looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Awesome, Jesse! I hope you liked my recipe ????
This looks amazing!! Do you think it would be good without the nutritional yeast? I can’t have it. Gives me migraines and rashes .
Hi Amy, I don’t think it would be tasty without the nutritional yeast because that is what tastes a bit cheesy. Maybe it’s better if you look online for a recipe with cashew nuts instead. 🙂
They say using Sauerkraut Juice is good to use for flavour…I just bought some to try….
Yes, I tried that once and loved it! Thanks for the reminder, Nuffy! 🙂
Wie lange kann man die Sauce denn aufheben? Also z.B. luftdicht verschlossen im Kühlschrank.
Hi Liisbet, du kannst die Sauce ca. 3-4 Tage lang im Kühlschrank aufbewahren 🙂
Hallo liebe Ela,
All deine Rezepte sind super und so wunderschön angerichtet. Du bist eine Inspiration. Aber diese „Cheese Sauce „ OMG, das ist richtig gut! Ich habe noch 2 TL. Hefeflocken dazu gefügt. Sehr, sehr lecker! Vielen Dank für das tolle und einfache Rezept.
Glg. Selma
Das freut mich sehr, liebe Selma. Vielen Dank für dein wundervolles Feedback 🙂
What is the serving size for the calories you posted?
The Nutrition Facts are for one serving and the recipe makes 3 servings (like mentioned in the recipe). I will include the serving size in grams 🙂
Hi Ela! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m so excited to try it! Do I just use regular, full-fat, canned coconut milk? You can’t taste the coconut in the final cheese product??
Hi Sam, yes regular, full-fat, canned coconut milk. I don’t taste the coconut in the final cheese, however, if you don’t like coconut you could also use cashew milk or almond milk (preferably homemade full-fat). Hope this helps 🙂
Holy moly this is awesome!! I followed the recipe to a T, and it turned out perfectly. Couldn’t taste the coconut at all. I put it over steamed broccoli, chickpeas and brown rice. Delicious and super easy! You knocked it out of the park with this recipe. 🙂
Yay, this is awesome, Sam. I am really glad you liked my vegan cheese sauce! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hi, love your website and all your recipes!
However nutritional yeast is MSG and is a neurotoxic. :/
Hi, Julie. I just made a quick research and this is what I found on the Website of Dr. Mercola:
“Yeast is a natural source of umami flavor, or natural glutamic acid (glutamate). This is what gives it its rich, satisfying, almost meat-like flavor. It’s also what triggers the MSG fears, but they are unfounded.
The glutamic acid found in nutritional yeast is “bound” to other amino acids or proteins. The glutamic acid that is MSG is not. When you eat glutamic acid in real foods, your body controls how much is absorbed. Excess glutamic acid is passed off as waste, not stored in your body. As reported by Smithsonian magazine”
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/04/04/nutritional-yeast.aspx
is there a substitute for tapioca flour/arrowroot flour? – can these be ignored?
Tapioca flour is actually the most important ingredient of this recipe, so, unfortunately, it cannot be ignored.
Omg!! This recipe just changed my life like you said it would! I made it last night and Dear Lord!! ???????? I couldn’t stop eating it with tortilla chips… so delicious!
Definitly my new go to recipe for vegan cheese! I was wondering, where can find the nutrional information? I’m watching my calories ???? thank you so much!
Wow! That’s awesome, Michelle. I am so happy you like my recipe. I have just updated the blog post and included the nutrition facts. Please check the recipe again. 🙂
Thank you so much! I’m happier now that I know the calories are not crazy high!
You are welcome 🙂
Wow Ela, your cheese recipe is the easiest I have ever seen! Love that it only takes 3 minutes. well done, you are so creative at helping us all eat vegan and super healthy! Dee xx
Thank you very much, Dee! Such a sweet compliment coming from you. I really appreciate it 🙂
Well Ela, you’ve done it again! Another wonderful creation, and all vegan! This cheese looks incredible, even better than a ‘real deal’ if you know what I mean 🙂 Must try soon!
Aww, thank you so much, Anna. Your comment makes me so happy. I hope you will like my recipe 🙂
It looks so stringy and gooey! Can’t believe that this only takes 3 minutes to make too!
Thanks so much, Jess. I hope you will try it out 🙂
BEST vegan cheese sauce ever! Do you have any idea how much my boys loved this!? I served it over pasta and my 3 and a 1/2 year old had four kid size bowls of it. That’s still a lot, hehe. Thank you so much for this recipe! He is picky.
Awww, yay!!! That’s really awesome, Lindsay. Makes me seriously so happy. Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback 🙂
I was wondering if you know the exact measurement in grams? I tried to make the cheese sauce but it failed (not yellow like in the picture and it didn’t taste like cheese). I really want to make it because I love nacho’s!
Hi Steffy, the 3/4 cup coconut milk weighs 180 grams (like mentioned in the recipe), the 3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes weigh 20 grams and the 2 tbsp tapioca flour weigh 16 grams. I hope this helps 🙂
Thank you so much! Gonna try it again soon!
You are welcome 🙂
I cannot wait to try this! Unfortunately I couldn’t find canned coconut milk, so I bought a carton of it. Will that give the same result?? Thanks in advance!
The coconut milk in a carton is watered down a lot, so the taste will be different. But you could simply add 1-2 tbsp of oil to the mixture, then it will probably taste the same 🙂
Thank you! I think I’ll try to find a can elsewhere. If not I’ll try adding the oil! Thank you for responding 🙂
Can you freeze this sauce?
Looks delish! Have you done it with rice milk and/or potato starch?
Potato starch won’t work because the cheese sauce won’t be stretchy, just thick. You can use rice milk instead of coconut milk, however, I would recommend adding 1-2 tbs of oil, since canned coconut contains more fat than rice milk.
Looks great and smells great, but no stretch for me. Maybe it’s the high altitude I am at ??♀️
Thank you, Mariah! That’s interesting, I live close to the sea. 🙂
Wow, what an easy recipe! Can’t believe it’s so simple and so quick. Thanks for sharing this, Ela!
Thanks so much, Nisha. I hope you will give it a try eventually 🙂
Wow…. this was SUPER DUPER EASY and so delicious. Unfortunately my kids didn’t like it but I certainly did. I am in Australia and used “Arrowroot flour” which says on container Tapioca starch. I used my thermomix to cook it and was so stretchy just like you described. AMAZING !!! Thank you
Thank you, Nichola! Your comment is very helpful. I had no idea that Arrowroot flour and Tapioca starch/flour are so similar but now I know that it’s possible to substitute one for the other. So glad you liked my recipe 🙂
I loved this recipe. So simple and easy, and delicious!! Can’t wait to make more!!
I am so glad you love the recipe, Julia! 🙂
Made this with everything except the arrowroot. Subbed for 1.5 tbsp of corn starch. It had no flavor and an incredible dull, bitter flavor. Not sure if it is due to the substitution but it was inedible. Your better off melting daiya.
Well, if you change the recipe it will change the consistency and everything. I get a couple of messages on Instagram every single day from people who made this vegan cheese sauce with the correct ingredients and everyone raves about it. Also here you can read over a hundred positive comments… But sure, if you prefer Daiya, go for it. 😀
This is making my mouth water! and what beautiful photos! Hugs and love xox
Thank you very much, Caralyn 🙂
Just made it on top of home made pasta and veggies. It’s delicious! I did use coconut cream instead of milk, so it was a little more rich and chunky instead of stretchy. Still tasted great! Thank you!!
This is amazing, Allison! I am glad you liked my recipe 🙂
OMG!! So yumy and healthy 🙂 xoxo
Thank you very much 🙂
Hi 🙂
Could I substitute the flour for ground arrowroot and if so would I keep the measurements the same? Thank you.
Hi Jo! Unfortunately not. Like mentioned in the blog post there is no real substitute for the tapioca flour. You can try it out with arrowroot but the cheese sauce just won’t be as good (not stretchy etc). 🙂
I will get some ordered then! Have a lovely day. Jo
Thanks, you too! 🙂
I had used the silk coconut milk and arrowhead flour because I could not find tapioca…but it didn’t taste too great. ?
Silk coconut milk is too watery! That’s why I pointed out many times that it has to be canned coconut milk otherwise it will taste like water!
I only found nutritional yeast powder will that do? Ill see if I can pick up some coconut cans today…and your right that was my mistake missed that print where it stated canned …will give it another try and give you feedback.
I am pretty sure nutritional yeast powder will work, even though I always use the flakes. Awesome that you give it another try, Nicole! 🙂
I tried with arrowroot powder, because i don’t own any tapioca flour, and it is super stretchy and delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, this is amazing, Brooklyn!! Thanks so much for letting me know. I will add this information to the Recipe Notes. Thank you once again for your positive feedback 🙂
Ela… I’m new to vegan eating and love you as a resource! Yum!
Can you tell me whether you can reheat this cheese sauce the next day or is it best used all in one sitting?
Thx!
Thanks, Kelly! Yes, you can reheat the sauce but I prefer to use it all in one sitting. 🙂
I tried this recipe with coconut flour and it worked just as well, just don’t use too much of it tho as coconut flour is very absorbent. I also used coconut milk and it tasted just as good plus it still came out like a cheese sauce!
Hey, I am glad it still came out great but try it with tapioca flour next time and you will love it even more. 🙂
Thank you Ela!
Delicious…easy and cashew for my friend who’s allergic to them. Many thanks for sharing this love 🙂
My pleasure! I am glad you like it 🙂
wie cool! die Zutaten hab ich sowieso immer im Haus, und kann mir in Nullkommanix die Soße für meine Nachos machen. Ohne vorher schon stundenlang Cashews einzuweichen, wie ich das bisher gemacht hab. Super, probier ich aus!
Das freut mich riesig, liebe Pat! Ich bin gespannt was du sagst 🙂
Könntest du mir die Zutaten für Deutschland sagen? Zb diese flakes ? Wo bekommt man die hier Lg
Hallo Sabine! Nutritional yeast flakes sind Hefeflocken. Die bekommst du bei euch in Deutschland überall, sogar im Rewe.
LG, Ela
The cheesleeping souce sounds abselutly great can’not waite to try it. And so easy !!! Thank you so much.
I hope you will like my recipe. 🙂
What does the cheese taste like ?is it similar to nacho cheese sauce ? I like both nacho cheese sauce and sharp cheddar if you can give a recipe to that one. Thank you !
I would say it’s similar to nacho cheese sauce. But it would be best if you give it a try. 🙂
Tasty. I added black pepper and used almond milk.
I am glad you liked the recipe, Sue! 🙂
Hi Ela. Why they should be flakes and not powder? I’m struggling to find Nutrition Yeast Flakes in Colombia!! Danke! Daniel
Hi Daniel, the brand I use calls their product “nutritional yeast flakes”, but I am sure powder is fine as well! 🙂
Wow, looks amazing!
Thanks for the compliment 🙂
Do you use a can milk coconut cream!? Or normal coconut milk in the normal pack!!!
Hey Sheryl, I am using canned coconut milk like mentioned in the recipe. 🙂
Ok, thank you. Just I didn’t understand when you said that I can use soy milk as well!!! Sound s good ???? and I ll try definitely. Thabk you!!!!!
You are most welcome, Sheryl! 🙂
Do you shake the can and use both the cream and the water?
Yes, I shake it. 🙂
Do you think you could use cream or no? I just have a few canned creams I’d like to use before buying milk
Hi Melissa, you could mix the cream with some water to make it runnier as the cream would be too thick. Hope this helps! 🙂
Ela, will this taste coconutty?
It really depends on the brand of coconut milk (and the fat content). To me it does not taste very coconutty but I also don’t mind because I love coconut. However, if you hate coconut then use any other plant-based milk, e.g. almond milk, cashew milk, etc. The higher the fat content of the milk is, the better it will taste.
Your sauce looks so delicious Ela!
And this is so amazing that the recipe is so quick and easy to make! ????????????
Much love,
Bianca ❤️
Thank you very much, Bianca. I hope you will try out my recipe 🙂
Sauce looks great. Good. Combination of ingredients. I also can’t wait to try.
Thank you very much! Hope you’ll like it. 🙂
I am always struggling because I am allergic to… coconut and most nuts . I am also allergic to milk,yeast and almonds, so do you have good substitutes for these items?
Please.
Hey, you can use any plant-based milk or cream (for a richer taste), for example oat milk/cream, soy milk etc.
Can I use this on burgers and tofu?
Absolutely! 🙂
Where does the high amount of sodium come from.?
From the sea salt.
Hi Ella! This looks great. I often like to make dishes and freeze a couple for a later date. Would this sauce be suitable to freeze for reheating in a a recipe for lasagne, or something similar.?
Yes, that should work just fine, Moya! 🙂
Would it work without the nutritional yeast? I can not have it unfortunately!
Sure, it works. However, it’s not as tasty. 🙂
I know this may sound crazy. Not having found a vegan cheese that I like the flavor of…this one sounds great! Fixing to try it. But I am trying to lose weight so how does the fat content compare to adding cashews? I have often wondered about the fat content in the cashews. Even if the fat is higher in this recipe , if it taste great…I will eat it. Lol lol lol
You can use lite coconut milk for a low-fat cheese sauce. Cashews definitely have more fat. 🙂