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:
Hi there! I was just curious, does this have a coconut after taste or can you still taste the coconut flavor is the cheese? Thank for your help!
Maybe a little bit! If you don’t like the coconut taste, then use a different plant-based milk with a higher fat content such as cashew milk.
Can I use almond flour?
No, definitely not. 🙂
Very happy with this recipe. I always just use a full cup of nutmilk, or I find it too rubbery.
Glad you love the recipe, Joe! 🙂
I just made this recipe and it turned out way better than I expected.. I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I changed it up a bit. I used coconut cream instead of milk and i used cornstarch instead of the flour. It thickened up perfectly and it seriously reminds me of the nacho cheese I used to eat before i went dairy free.. I ate mine with chips, but next time I think I’ll use it for macaroni ❤❤❤??
Amazing! I am so happy you loved the recipe, Hope. 🙂
Like you (used to be) I’m a cheese addict so I obviously had to try this. I’m not a vegan but very curious about vegan cooking and your recipes all look amazing! Used it with quesadillas (own variation with courgettes, sweet peppers and refried beans)
Seriously, topped with your sauce it was so good!
Can’t wait to try another of your recipes!
Fantastic! Thanks for your amazing feedback, Margareta! 🙂
Hi! how much water are you supposed to add? At the beginning of the recipe it says it needs water but you didn’t add it in the ingredients list! Thank you 🙂
Where does it say it needs water? This recipe doesn’t need any water. You probably mean a different recipe. 🙂
Hi Ela, Danke für die tollen Rezepte.
Welche Hefeflocken nimmst Du ? Bei mir ist die Farbe der Sauce eher… grau …
Ich dacht, Du hattest mal gepostet wo Du die kaufst ?
Danke und liebe Grüße
Petra
Ich kaufe sie in USA und verlinke sie in meinem englischen Blogpost im Rezept. 🙂
I usually make this a couple times a week with almond milk and crush the entire serving. Love it with broccoli and tortilla chips equally but don’t feel bad about the calories or ort or harm to animals that real queso hides. Amazing and easy recipe! Love it!!
Terrific! I am so happy you love the recipe as much as I do. Thank you, Courtney! 🙂
I’m not sure exactly what I’ve done wrong but I just tried making this recipe twice (first with coconut milk and then with oat milk) and neither time turned out. I’ve made vegan cheese with corn starch before but this recipe has a funny taste and the texture wasn’t there for me. I’m not sure if I’ve done something wrong or if it’s just so different than what I expected? I wish it had worked for me like so many of the other reviewers!
Hm, not sure what you mean with “funny taste”. 🙂 I have made this recipe at least 250 times and it never disappointed (neither the taste nor the texture). So many reviewers are raving about this vegan cheese sauce, especially on Instagram, so I am afraid something must have gone wrong at your end. If the sauce turned out too thick, you simply need to use less tapioca flour or more milk. But since you didn’t really say what went wrong, I cannot give you any helpful tips. 🙂
Yeah it did same for me too ?
I answered your other comment. Don’t use boxed milk. It tastes like water.
I made this and it was amazing! I can’t wait to experiment with other types of “milk.” Can you provide the recipe for the waffle sandwich you have pictured on this page?
So happy you liked the vegan cheese sauce, Elizabeth! Do you mean the recipe for the waffles? I used this one without sweetener: https://elavegan.com/vegan-gluten-free-waffles-healthy-recipe/. The filling was grilled carrot, pepper, spinach, and the vegan cheese sauce plus some spices (onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika). Hope this helps. 🙂
Very stretchy indeed! Perfectly satisfied my need for a bowl of vegan “cheesy” mac without going for the super processed Daiya products! Worked swell with the low fat version of canned coconut milk
Wonderful! I am glad you love the recipe, Kyly! 🙂
Hi Ela, do you know the keeping time of this recipe and whether it must be warm to stay stringy? Is it still liquid in its cold state? Also can i add more spices to this recipe? Thank you so much
The texture will definitely change once you store it in the fridge (it will turn into a cream cheese after a while). I prefer making it fresh each time since it takes only 3 minutes! 🙂
The texture will definitely change once you store it in the fridge (it will turn into a cream cheese after a while). I prefer making it fresh each time since it takes only 3 minutes! 🙂
This cheese sauce is absolutely life changing for a vegan! The one thing I really miss is CHEESE and this does it for me. Thanks so much for the recipe! I am making the Chilli cheese fries tonight for the whole family(not vegan) so we will see how we go! 🙂 Your recipes have definitely been my favourite. Thanks so much for sharing your skills with the world.
I am so happy you love my vegan cheese sauce! 🙂
Is corn starch frowned upon as a sub for tapioca/arrowroot?
If so, why? (Note: the arrowroot jar says right on it you can sub 1 for 1 with corn starch…)
I tried cornstarch and it just doesn’t work as good as tapioca or arrowroot.
It will make the sauce thick but NOT stretchy.
What can i substitute the nutritional yeast with? Any suggestions
There is not really a substitute for nutritional yeast! You can leave it out but it will taste less cheesy!
Hi! I recently discovered your blog and I can’t wait to try more recipes here. I made this cheese sauce as a double batch. It was delicious! We did have leftovers and are wanting to know how long this keeps in the fridge? Thanks!
Oh my god! You seriously changed my life right now. I made the best enchiladas in the world with this queso…and honestly if I didn’t tell my husband they were Vegan, he would of never noticed. I can’t wait to put this on everything! Haha ….and also try ALL of your recipes. Thank you so much! ?
Thanks so much for your sweet feedback, Shay! 🙂
I absolutely love this sauce. I made it with homemade almond milk, so delicious! Thanks for that recipe!:-)
Terrific! Thanks for your feedback, Chris. 🙂
Ela, this was delicious! I successfully substituted Almond milk and added a sprinkle of turmeric for color. It was great!
Amazing! Thanks for your feedback, Mandy. 🙂
Hey Ella, this looks really easy and delicious,
i know you answerd loads of this questions, but I would like to know can I use gram flour instead of tapioca,as i have everything home except this.
If not, i’llhave to try another day 🙂
Thank you!
Hey Jelena, I really would not recommend it because it won’t have the same texture. 🙂
Hello 🙂
I am trying to make the cheese but its been hard finding the yeast flakes, is there anything else I could replace this with?
You could order them online! Unfortunately, there isn’t really anything else which tastes similar!
Aww well thank you so much 🙂 I am so excited to make it! I love your page <3
You are very welcome! 🙂