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Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce– this easy vegan sauce is simple to make, nut free, and SO SO creamy! I know you’re going to love this nacho cheese and you’ll want to put this on everything!
Oh hello dear nacho cheese sauce of my DREAMS!
If you’ve been a reader for some time now then this recipe might look very familiar to you and that’s because it’s an oldie of mine. But since it has been many years since I first published this recipe, I figured that it could use a full revamp. So, that’s what we’re doing today.
Also, if I’m being 100% honest, I really just wanted a good excuse to give this recipe another try. GUILTY.
It’s just SO GOOD and I love it for that. I also love that it’s not a nut based cheese sauce. While I do genuinely love a good cashew cream sauce, I often get requests for recipes without nuts in them and this vegan nacho cheese sauce totally delivers.
So, what’s in this nacho cheese sauce anyways?
- cannellini beans
- red bell pepper
- jalapeno
- nutritional yeast
- veggie broth
- dijon mustard
- spices
- and a bit of flour (you could use oat flour for a gluten free sauce!)
How to make Vegan Nacho Cheese:
THIS Vegan Nacho Cheese recipe actually uses white beans as the base. The beans are cooked (with some spices, broth, and a bit of jalapeno for a kick) and eventually pureed which results in a DELICIOUSLY creamy cheese sauce.
After it’s all simmered for a bit and the nutritional yeast and red pepper is added in, you’ll have something that looks a bit like this:
I simply used my blender (although an immersion blender or food processor would work just fine) and blended it all up until I got a nice, smooth, and creamy cheesy consistency.
If you’re looking for a plant based, dairy-free alternative for nacho cheese, this recipe is PERFECT! And even if you’re not looking for either of those things, I think you should still try it! :)
See How to Make the Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce:
Vegan Nacho Cheese
Ingredients
- 15 ounces white beans, canned, I used cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 jalapeno, large, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons flour, I used all purpose flour but oat flour would be a great GF alternative!
- ½ cup of red bell pepper, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste, but it doesn't need much!
Instructions
- In a medium pot, stir together the beans, broth, jalapeno, and spices. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in the nutritional yeast, dijon. Whisk in the flour and continue to whisk until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
- Add in the bell pepper.
- Blend the mixture using an immersion blender OR in a blender/ food processor.
- Season to taste with S&P.
- ENJOY!!!!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I wanted to try this to have with tortilla chips and salsa but only had a can of pinto beans and it turned out awesome! My first time making a “cheese” sauce and I’m so happy, thank you! Another sub I made was 1/2 cup roasted red peppers I had in a jar. Looking forward to making this again with the white beans!
I used 1 cup of carrots, 1/2 cup of white bean and 1/4 a teaspoon of salt. It turned out delicious.
This recipe was so good!! I added salsa instead of red onions and jalapeños, and it turned out amazing!! I didn’t have any vegetable broth, so I used water! Still turned out great!!
I LOVED this recipe. I’ve tried so many before and this takes the win for sure! Had it with the loaded nachos and wow, amazing! Will definitely be making it a lot.