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:
This is amazing! couldn’t be easier or quicker, also lends itself well to the tastes of the maker! I changed it up a bit for my tastes and was delighted with the flavor as well as the stretchy gooey yummy cheese-like texture. Thank you for sharing this – it’s changed my life too!!
That makes me so happy to read, thank you Coco! 😊 I love that you adjusted it to your own taste, that’s exactly how this recipe is meant to be used. Really glad it’s been such a game changer for you!
This cheese sauce is great! I made it with your stuffed zucchini recipe (which I’ve made a few times now) and it’s delicious! My cheese sauce cooked brown but was still good. I think the reason why was because I used the wrong tapioca starch. The one I used is hydrated and pre-gelatinized (not to be confused with gelatin), and I should have just used 100% tapioca flour which I have now ordered online. Can wait to make it again and see how it’s supposed to be, which I have no doubt will be even better!
So happy you enjoyed the cheese sauce and the stuffed zucchini too! The browning definitely makes sense if the tapioca was pre-gelatinized, since it behaves differently when heated. Using regular tapioca flour will give you that smooth, stretchy texture without the color change.
Can’t wait for you to try it again with the right starch, I’m sure you’ll love the result even more! 😊💛
Works everytime!
So good to hear that, love it! 😊💛
It was smooth but lacked depth of flavor. I added 1 tsp mustard, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp ground mushroom. I also added some ponzu lime soy sauce.to help balance the flavors.
Thanks so much for sharing your tweaks!
The base recipe is kept simple on purpose, but I love when people customize it to their taste — your version sounds super flavorful!
Hi Ella.
Sounds good 🙂
Could I sub Marmite for the dry nutritional flakes?
Hi! 🙂
Marmite has a strong, salty, umami flavor, but it’s not really a good 1:1 substitute for nutritional yeast in this recipe. Nutritional yeast adds a mild, cheesy flavor and some creaminess, while Marmite would make the sauce much saltier and more intense.
If you’d like to use Marmite, you could add a tiny bit (like ¼ teaspoon) in addition to the nutritional yeast — not instead of it. That way, you’ll get that savory depth without overpowering the cheesy taste. 💛
Ela
I’ve made this twice now. One time with arrowroot powder, which I reduced to one tablespoon and added a little more coconut milk due to it being extra thick. The flavor is wonderful! Thank you for this recipe!
So happy to hear that you loved it — and great call on adjusting the arrowroot and coconut milk! 😊 I’m glad the flavor worked so well for you. Thanks so much for sharing your feedback! 💛
I’ve made this many times, but I add dijon mustard to give it a tangy flavor. I usually don’t have cocnut milk around so I use unsweetened soy. It turns out great, a very flexible recipe. 🙂
So happy to hear you’ve made it so often! Dijon sounds like such a delicious twist. I’m glad the recipe has been flexible for you! 😊
I never leave comments but this was REALLY good!! I had it over cauliflower and quinoa. I added a bit of sriracha sauce for some extra zest. I couldn’t taste the coconut at all. I did not use tapioca as I didn’t have any and didn’t want that texture. I used cornstarch instead.
So happy you loved it, and thanks for taking the time to comment! Serving it over cauliflower and quinoa sounds perfect, and the sriracha twist is genius. Thanks again for the feedback!
This sauce was awesome! So much easier than the recipes using potatoes and carrrots!!
I’m so happy you liked it, Linda! Yes, it’s such a quick and easy version, right? Thanks so much for your lovely feedback! 💛
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I am wondering if you think it could be kept in the fridge for a day or two. I know it will be my discussion but do you have experience of keeping it? Or maybe just make portions that are needed at the time?
Hi Emily, you can keep it in the fridge for a day or two. The texture does thicken and become a bit less stretchy after cooling, but it’s still good. Just reheat it gently with a splash of plant-based milk to bring back the creaminess. Personally, I prefer it freshly made, but leftovers work fine too.
Been looking for almost 5 years for a really good HOMEMADE Paleo cheese sauce recipe. I have tried a bunch but pretty much gave up – then I stumbled onto this one. Mind blown!! Awesome stuff…Rocked the dinner…
Wow, thank you so much! I’m thrilled you finally found a winner after such a long search, that means a lot! So happy it rocked your dinner! 🙂
the whole family loved it!
Yay, so happy to hear! 🙂
Delicious!
This looks good and I wanted to know if you could use real milk and if so what kind?
This is a vegan recipe why not look at non vegan cheese sauces if you’re using cows milk?
I was actually wondering the same thing about the milk. I’m looking for a cheese sauce with a lower calorie more nutritional option then traditional cheese sauce. I do eat vegetarian sometimes and tried vegan. for about 3 months but vegan is too hard for me.
Tastes really good, but comes out a little bit like snot. How do you improve the texture? I used oat milk.
Hi, the tapioca starch gives that signature stretchy texture, but depending on the plant milk used, it can tip over into gooey/slimy territory.
Here are a few tips to tweak the texture and make it smoother, less goopy:
1. Reduce the tapioca flour slightly:
Try using 1.5 tablespoons instead of 2. Tapioca is super elastic, and less of it will tone down the stretchiness without losing the creamy vibe.
2. Mix tapioca with another starch:
You can do half tapioca, half cornstarch or potato starch. Cornstarch thickens without that stretchy, glossy finish, so it balances it out nicely.
3. Use creamier plant milk:
Oat milk is mostly water and doesn’t add much richness, so I don’t recommend it for this recipe. For a richer texture, try oat cream or stick with the full-fat coconut milk if you don’t mind the taste.
4. Don’t overcook it:
Overheating can make tapioca go full slime-mode. Once it thickens and stretches, take it off the heat.
If you’re aiming for a super smooth, pourable cheese sauce (instead of stretchy), you could even skip the tapioca altogether and use just cornstarch depending on how thick you want it.
How do you use this recipe for pizza? I’m used to using a cold shredded vegan cheese to put it on pizza and then putting it in the oven. My current predicament is that the only safe vegan cheese I have for my kid has been discontinued so I’m looking for something like this, I just need to understand how to make pizza with it. Thank you!
Hi Darla, you can use this vegan cheese sauce for pizza in a few different ways:
1) Pre-bake Method: Spread the sauce over the pizza crust before baking, like you would with traditional shredded cheese. It will thicken and develop a slight crust in the oven.
2) Drizzle before the end of baking: Bake your pizza as usual, then add the cheese sauce about 5-10 minutes before taking it out. This helps it thicken slightly and blend with the toppings while keeping its creamy texture.
3) Broil for extra texture: If you want it to set a bit more like melted cheese, bake the pizza as usual, then broil for 2-3 minutes to help it firm up and get golden spots.
I hope this helps. 🙂
Coconut is a nut (Tree Nut) so my allergy kid cannot do the coconut milk. Can you substitute this out for oat milk?
Hey, you can substitute it with another high-fat plant-based milk, like (homemade) almond or cashew milk. Oat cream might work too. The higher the fat content, the richer and tastier the vegan cheese sauce will be.
Coconut is not actually a nut. It’s a fruit.
Hi, Ela!
Can miso be substituted for the nutritional yeast in the recipe? If so, how much should be used?
Hi Michelle! Miso can add umami and depth of flavor, but it won’t provide the same cheesy taste as nutritional yeast. You can try using about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of white or yellow miso paste for every tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Start with a smaller amount and adjust to taste. 😊
Hey Ella,
Firstly I have tried a couple of your recipes and you are truly one of the best vegan bloggers!!
After making this dish can I put it in the oven.. for example with nachos or you would not recommend it?
Much love, thank you.
Hey Ruthy! Wow, that means so much—thank you!! 💛😊
Yes, you can absolutely put it in the oven! It would be amazing with nachos—just spread the mixture over tortilla chips and bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 10–15 minutes until warm and crispy. You could also broil for a couple of minutes for extra crunch!
Sounds like a delicious idea—enjoy! 😍🔥
The best cheese sauce I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried many! 5 minutes from start to finish!
Wow, that makes me so happy to hear! 🤩 So glad you loved it, and yay for a quick and easy recipe! 🧀✨
Followed the recipe and it turned out perfectly. Tasted amazing and soooo easy! Thanks
Yay! So happy to hear that, Cathy! Glad you found it easy and delicious—thanks for your feedback! 🙂