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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.












Would like to know how much in grams for the white beans…?? As it shows “1 15 ounce can”, little confusing for me as I’m living in Australia. Thanks heaps.
425.24 grams is about 15 ounces. They’re tinned beans with liquid. I hope this helps. :)
This recipe is Garbage and it tasted horrible will not make again
What a great recipe! My nacho craving was satisfied, but without all the added fat that cheese would bring.
Will definitely make again!
I made this at a friends house-giving her a hand in the kitchen for a party she was hosting, and I couldn’t stop eating it! Luckily she had pulled it up on the computer. Now I can quit bugging her to share a copy. I’m off to explore what else you have!
aww yay!! SO SO glad that you liked it!! This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog :D
My sauce stayed pretty runny. Tips to thicken it?
I like using a little cornstarch of arrowroot powder to thicken it a little. Just be careful bc a little goes a long way. I usuall do 1 teaspoon mixed with a couple tablespoons of water and then mix that into the sauce
Incredible. I used five habanero peppers instead of jalapeno. Mixed in half at boil, half during simmer. Insanely spicy. And that better than bouillon stock base is amazing too. My mouth is currently on fire, great recipe.
It says yields 3.. is that 3 cups or three servings, I am looking for nutrition information mainly.
3 servings for sure.
This dip looks delicious!!!
Omg! Thank you so much. This was amazing! I used tapioca starch to make it stretchy, and served it with salsa, cilantro and baked corn chips. This is the best substitute cheese sauce ever!
Can this awesome recipe be made in advance?
I’ve made it the day before serving it. Stored it in the fridge and then heated it up on the stove before eating. Hope that helps!!