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
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (180 ml) coconut milk canned (*see notes )
- 3 tbsp (20 g) nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tbsp (15 g) tapioca flour OR arrowroot flour/starch (*see notes)
- ½ tsp sea salt (or to taste)
- ½ tsp onion powder (optional)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder (optional)
- Pinch of smoked paprika (optional)
Instructions
- You can check out the video for visual 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: I use coconut milk that contains 17% fat. In case you don't like the taste of coconut milk, you can use a different plant-based milk instead, e.g. almond milk, cashew milk, etc. The higher the fat content of the milk, the better will be the taste of the vegan cheese sauce.
- Tapioca flour: Tapioca flour/starch can be bought in every Asia store or larger grocery stores or simply ordered online.
- Tapioca substitute: Two readers (thanks, Brooklyn and Nichola) commented that arrowroot flour (also known as arrowroot powder or arrowroot starch) is a great substitute for tapioca flour/starch.
- Cornstarch: You could use cornstarch instead of tapioca flour, but the result won’t be as good (stretchy) as with tapioca flour. It will still taste ok!
- How to store: You can store the sauce in the fridge for up to 2 days, but it will change the texture. Reheat with a splash of dairy-free milk. It tastes best freshly made.
- FAQ: "My cheese sauce didn't turn out yellow. What did I do wrong...?" Answer: Some nutritional yeast brands enrich their products with lots of B-vitamins. The nutritional yeast 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 of turmeric powder.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
„Simple and Delicious Vegan“ Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
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. 🙂