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
- 3/4 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)
- 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
Video Of The Recipe
- 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
Jamie
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!
Ela
You are welcome, Jamie! I am glad you love this vegan cheese sauce! 🙂
lesley milstead
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!
Ela
Hi Lesley, it’s best to shake the can. Hope this helps. 🙂
Randi
I always shake the can, but can never get it well mixed. As a result, I skip recipes that don’t call for the full can. I’m never sure if the boxed variety or another substitute milk will taste as good.
Dana
Randi ~
I for sure get where you’re coming from. Depending on the season/temperature, canned coconut milk can remain too solid in cooler temps and doesn’t mix thoroughly when shaken.
What I end up doing is dumping the entire can into a small saucepan and heating on low until all melted and combined. I then measure out the amount needed for the recipe and put remaining coconut milk in a small glass covered with Saran Wrap and use up in a smoothie within 3-4 days. Hope this helps. 🙂
Ela
Great information, Dana, thanks for sharing. 🙂
Annamaria
Hi Ella, this looks delightful! Can I use corn starch instead of tapioka flour?
Ela
Hello Annamaria, your question has been already answered in the recipe notes. I will copy and paste it for you:
Regards, Ela
Ivana
Dobrý den Elo,recept je úžasný. Mohu tapiokovou mouku nahradit a dát Kuzu?Děkuji:-)
Ela
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. 🙂
Regina M Ippolito
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!!
Ela
It sounds like a fun experiment! Thanks so much for sharing, Regina. 🙂
Jenny
This was THE BEST vegan cheeze sauce out of the ones I’ve made!! It’s a keeper!!
Ela
Awesome! I am glad you love it, Jenny. 🙂
Mac
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.
Ela
Incredible! So glad you like the recipe. 🙂
G
Would using regular 1-% milk be OK?
Ela
It will probably taste a bit watery. But you can definitely give it a try. 🙂
Sarah
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.
Ela
Yay, that’s wonderful, Sarah! Thanks for your great feedback! 🙂
Courtney
So good, thank you!!
Ela
You are very welcome, Courtney! 🙂
Nikki
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!
Ela
Fantastic! I also make it at least once a week. I am so glad you love it as well. 🙂
Carolina
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 🙂
Ela
Hey! No, I wouldn’t recommend it because boxed coconut milk contains mainly water. 🙂
Carolina
Thank you 🙂
Edie
You could use a little turmeric to intensify the yellow color.
Andreyna
Complete success. I love it. I used coconut cream instead of milk and it end in a delicious super creamy cheese! Thank you
Ela
Fantastic! I am glad it turned out so good! 🙂
Marie
Can I freeze your enchiladas ready made with the cheese sauce? And if I can for how long?
Marie
Ela
Hello Marie, yes, that should be fine. I would say freezing for up to 2 months is ok. 🙂
Danelle
My new go to cheese sause! Thank you
Ela
You are very welcome, Danelle! 🙂
Angelica Roncancio
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 MaltĂ©e, 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 MaltĂ©e as you are more knowledgeable on the subject.
Ela
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! 🙂
Susan
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?
Ela
You could make your own cashew milk or use store-bought cashew milk. Many readers also use store-bought almond milk or soy milk. 🙂
Danielle
Can you make it spicy as well?
Ela
Sure! You can add hot sauce or cayenne pepper! Feel free to experiment. 🙂
Melanie
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.
Ela
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.
Leann.M
Can you make this and put it in a crockpot to keep warm?
Ela
I never tried it but I think it could work! 🙂
Avee
Thank you so much! You satisfy all my cravings to this recipe!
Ela
Glad to hear you loved the recipe, Avee! 🙂