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:
This was fantastic!! We have nut and dairy allergies in our home and my 3 year old couldn’t believe he could safely eat it! My 5 year old said we needed to share the recipe with restaurants. I just put it on top of a tostada and they were thrilled. When I made it, I didn’t shake the can well enough, so it was mostly coconut fat. That’s probably what helped make it so good. I also put in 1/4 tsp of onion powder instead of 1/2 tsp. We will be making this many times! Thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome, Emily. 🙂
Delicious, will be making again!
So glad you liked it, Lily. 🙂
First of all, I’m not really a vegan, so I’m automatically comparing this to cheese and not to other vegan cheese recipes. I found the consistency really gloppy and the flavor more nutty than cheesy. I probably wouldn’t use it in a cheese forward dish like mac and cheese. That said, it was fine on my mushroom “cheesesteak” hoagie, where it blended nicely with the mushrooms and peppers. I like the idea of mixing it with ro-tel to make a queso type dip. I think the sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes would bring the flavor to life and the juice would improve the texture.
I was hesitant about using coconut milk because of the flavor but decided to try it that way the first time. Glad I did, it is really good. I used Goya brand, unfortunately not organic but lower in fat. Total fat is 11%. I must have cooked it a little to long because I had to add a little ND milk to thin it enough for the stuffed zucchini recipe. Or perhaps it was the potato starch I subbed for tapioca starch.
Anyway, my new go to cheese recipe and the stuffed zucchini is really good too. Though next time I’m going to cook the entire dish in the saute pan (chop all the squash) to save a step and a hot kitchen. Add the cheese sauce after serving the zuke dish.
thanks for another great recipe(s)!
So glad you liked both recipes, Kayte! 🙂
WE LIKED IT! Super easy. Great for a vegan faux replacement for cheese. Used unsweetened almond milk and it worked flawlessly in every way, including taste. Thank you!
Hi Cynthia, I am glad you liked it! 🙂
OMG! I followed the recipe and this is the best vegan cheese I’ve ever made. I really like the fact that there is few ingredients to make this, not complicated at all. It is way better than the potatoes and carrots cheese. I made this last night and my non-vegan 19-year-old son was very impressed. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Wonderful! So glad you liked it. 🙂
This sauce looks delicious! Would there be a substitute for nutritional yeast? I don’t have yeast in my diet
You could add a little miso paste.
I topped a plate of steamed potatoes and broccoli with this sauce last night and it was so very delicious. It took my steamed vegetables to another level. I am glad I didn’t fix more as I could have easily over done it. lol
I followed your recipe exactly as is for my first go and it was a success. I imagine I will tinker with it a little as I go, but that is to see how well it will adapt to other situations. I believe it could make a good queso dip if thinned down and add some Rotel to it.
Thank you for the recipe. This one is going into the family cookbook so the kids will have it for later. 🙂
I am so glad it turned out delicious! Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
I am a backcountry canoe guide and I have been looking for so long for a vegan cheese to take on trail and I finally found it!! This is the perfect thing! Non perishable ingredients, can use it on all my different meals, and kid approved!! You saved my vegan trips!!
I was doubtful about this when reading the ingredients. But I was pleasantly surprised. I added some leftover Ro-tel I had into it to spice it up just a bit and wham! Just what it needed, for me.
Was looking for a quick and simpler vegan cheese recipe and found yours!!! I love how simple it is to make with the least amount of ingredients…But ohhhh!! A+ for Taste and texture!!!! Ahhmazing!!! My new go to homemade cheese recipe… I’m going to try adding jalapeno pepper when making next for tacos!! Thank You for sharing!!
Sounds awesome, Yolande. 🙂
Hi! I just found your recipe. I am looking forward to trying it, but I’m wanting to primarily use it in making frozen breakfast burritos. Do you have any idea how well it would work being frozen and then reheated while inside a burrito? Thanks!
Never tried it in a frozen burrito, but I would imagine it should work fine! Please report back if you try it. 🙂
I’m not sure if I had left another comment when I first tried your recipe. This cheese is so good and yes it tastes like cheese!.. I use it for so many different dishes: mac and cheese, nachos and today I made it to pour over stuffed zucchinis and may sprinkle a little bit more of nutritional yeast, it is so delicious and so easy to make I made it so many times it’s funny how you advice how to store it🙂, is appreciated, but honestly it doesn’t even last one day in my house is delicious….. I have made it with both tapioca flour or arrowroot they both came out perfect… thank you! Love being Vegan…18 years and counting ❤️
Your comment made my day! So glad you love this vegan cheese sauce. Thanks for your feedback. 🙂
5 star rating! I didn’t have tapioca for so I used arrowroot powder for this and I have to say I can’t believe how delicious, quick and easy this was to make. We used it for nachos and also on our veggie burgers, needless to say there’s no leftovers! I LOVED this recipe, will be making it very often! Way better than the vegan cheese I’ve tried buying.
Yay, I am so happy to read this, Tammy. Thanks for your great feedback. 🙂
When using canned coconut milk , do you heat the whole can to melt the fat, stir, then measure 3/4 cup?
Thank.you. Can’t wait to make this.
Hi Tisa, my coconut milk brand has only 17% fat, so there is no separation (no thick part). If yours is thick (high fat percentage), then you should definitely melt it and a little water.
The recipe works perfectly. It hardly takes any time and I’m so happy that it hardly takes any time to prepare. Thanks for this. your recipes are great.
Yes, that’s why I love it so much and make it so often. Super easy and quick. Glad you like it as well. 🙂
This cheese sauce was so easy and quick to make and was very flavorful! I was so happy to not have to pull out my blender to make it. I substituted hemp milk for the coconut milk and I didn’t have any tapioca starch on hand so I used potato starch and it came out just fine. I will definitely be making this again!
Hi Christina, yes, potato starch works great too, I tried it a few times. Great idea to use hemp milk. 🙂
hi Ela!
do you do / use the measurements in grams or the sponsor? I found that they are quite different and am curious what the real proportions should be.
I used a measurering tablespoon of 15 ml while my saucepan was on the kotchenscale and found that 3 tbsp is only 13 grams and not 20 so I diceded to go for the bigger amount and used the grams instead.
sauce is a succes here!
Hi Maaike, I always use metric measurements (grams) but also check the cup/spoon measurements. However, I use a 20 ml measuring spoon, so that should explain the difference. 🙂
Hi Ela, I made the recipe using almond milk and my pizza turned out to be very tasty! This is my new favorite cheese to add on pizzas due to how quickly it’s made. Very delicious! Thank you so much 🙂
I am so glad you like it, Luciane! 🙂
Just not good. A waste of ingredients