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 (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
Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
I used Almond milk which is a lot lower in fat then full fat cocunut milk and it turned out great.
Hi Deb! Happy to hear it still turned out delicious. I don’t use full-fat coconut milk, though, mine contains 17% fat. 🙂
Hi has anyone tried using xanthan gum as the thickener? I don’t have the other thickener options as per the recipe right now.
Hi Amy, I never tried xanthan gum in this recipe and I don’t think the sauce would turn out so well with it. Is it not possible to buy tapioca flour/starch or arrowroot flour where you live?
Pretty much any starch will do but you can even use regular all-purpose flour! Substitutions will affect the consistency and stretchiness however.
Absolutely, Joe. But the consistency and stretchiness is quite important for this particular recipe, therefore, I recommend tapioca starch. 🙂
I enjoyed this, but must have my quantities off a bit. It came out like one big sticky blob of “cheese”. Would adding more coconut milk thin it out? Or maybe I cooked it too long? Will definitely try this again!
Yes, definitely add more milk or even water to thin it out. Maybe your coconut milk was too thick, so just add more liquid. 🙂
This is our favorite cheese sauce. We make it all the time. I pushed x2 on the ingreduents which gives you about 1 can coconut milk with all the dry ingredients. No half cans in the fridge. We eat it as written or add a can of Rotel. Delicious.
That’s awesome! I am so glad you like it, Tiffany. 🙂
Tastes great. FYI, your link for nutritional yeast flakes leads to the wrong web page !
Hi RC, glad you like the recipe. The link works for me, it shows the KAL nutritional yeast flakes on Amazon. 🙂
Works for me too.
Omg this is AMAZING! I’ve been meaning to try this recipe but only just got my hands on some tapioca flour! I’ve tried a couple of other vegan cheese recipes which were good but definitely not quick and easy. This is DEFO going to be my go to from now on, I can’t believe how quickly it came together and how great it tastes! Thanks so much Ela!
Meant to put 5 stars!! Sorry not sure what happened!
No worries, thanks for the good rating! 🙂
You are very welcome, Natalie. 🙂
I’ve been making vegan cheese sauce for a while but recipes involving braising veggies and using the food processor and yes it’s a good recipe but so labor intensive. IM OBSESSED WITH THIS RECIPE. LOL. Making it for the 4th time. Have made Mac and cheese with it. Making it now for tacos and adding some rotel and jalepeno juice! This is the greatest recipe! Thanks so much!!!
That is amazing, Christina! Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
Truly amazing recipe! It is fast, it’s inexpensive, and it tastes amazing! What else can I say? I did add a few other spices to the recipe, but this honestly didn’t need much! Great job!
I am happy you like it. 🙂
Delicious, decidedly cheesy, and really easy! Thinned mine with a little chardonnay and dipped roasted potatoes in it. YUM!!!
Sounds amazing, Julie. Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
wow I made this tonight with my mexican tortilla and it taste amazing thanks for sharing the recipe
You are very welcome, Lintje. I am glad you liked it. 🙂
Hi Ela, can I make cheese sauce without Nutritional Yeast Flakes, because I try to avoid it, What I can put instead it. Thank you
Hi Vida! You can leave it out, but it will be less flavorful. You could use a little miso paste for the umami taste. 🙂
I was making a cauliflower bake yesterday that called for cheddar cheese sauce and I decided to try it with this sauce recipe instead as it was a healthier option. Disclaimer: my fiancé and I are meat eaters, and nearly never eat or cook vegan food. Holy moly, this is my new go-to “cheese” sauce recipe! It took less than 5 minutes, I made a triple batch, and we were both amazed at how yummy this tastes!!! I’m consciously trying to incorporate more plant-based recipes in my diet and personally think this is pretty high praise strictly because we’re not vegan. We didn’t miss the dairy one bit and I’ll frequently be returning to this recipe. THANK YOU, Ela!!
Wow, that’s such a great compliment, Molly! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. And I am thrilled to hear that you are going to incorporate more plant-based recipes! 🙂
I’d love to know what I did wrong. I used nutritional yeast that isn’t fortified and the color was not at all like it is in your photos. And it was very goopy. I was looking for something to pour over asparagus. This pretty much stuck together. The flavor was good though. Just the texture and color left something to be desired.
Elaine, if you use nutritional yeast that isn’t fortified, the color, of course, won’t be yellow. Only fortified nutritional yeast is yellow.
Also, if you want the sauce to be thinner, just add more milk or use slightly less tapioca flour. Hope this helps.
Good recipe! Tired of soaking cashews. Fortified is yellow because of the ribolflavin B2.
Glad you like the sauce! 🙂
Really good! I was a vegan many years ago but for health reasons couldn’t do it anymore. However, I still LOVE many vegan things. Cheez sauces can be hit or miss so I didn’t go into this recipe with the highest of expectations but was pleasantly surprised! I love nutritional yeast but it can easily overpower but this was a perfect balance
I happy you liked it! 🙂
I JUST made a double batch of this and it was perfect !! I did have to thin it out with some plant milk, but I am def saving this recipe forever
Yay, I am so glad you love it as well. 🙂
i found you in my search for a decent vegan cheese sauce. The one I did last night was so awful I threw the whole casserole away (WAY too much nut’l yeast). Then I discovered your meal plan program – and signed myself up. I’ve already got my grocery list and menus for the next couple days. I am SO GRATEFUL. My cupboards already have all the items – it’s how I eat. But when it comes to recipe selection from my vast store of options, the menu planning, etc – it takes more time than I have so I often end up buying then eating the same couple things like non-traditional tacos and smashed chickpea salad sandwiches, salads and two or three other thing – same veggies, same dishes, same everything .You made it so easy, fast, and efficient, which is just what I need. Thank you
You are so welcome, Judi! I am glad you like my recipes and my meal planner! Thanks for your sweet feedback. 🙂
This is the BEST vegan cheese recipe! I’ve tried it on enchiladas, pasta and now scalloped potatoes. It’s so like real cheese. I’ll be making it often!
Would this cheese be good for lasagna or is the white sauce better. Maybe too rich ????
Hi Jay, I use it for almost everything, even for these lasagna roll-ups. 🙂
Quick, easy and delicious! I have made this sauce many times since discovering the recipe 🙂
So glad you like it, Stef! 🙂
Just found you and your recipes, this was the first one I tried because finding a good “cheese” recipe is hard. And WOWZAS!! Is that tasty! I added some basil and extra garlic but the base recipe is delicious! Thank you for sharing!
You are very welcome, Rachel. I hope you will try out more of my recipes. 🙂