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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!

vegan nacho cheese on wood board

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.

vegan nacho cheese sauce with a chip

 

 

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.

ingredients for vegan nacho cheese sauce

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.

vegan nachos on a baking tray

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:

4.56 from 9 votes

Vegan Nacho Cheese

Prep: 3 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 13 minutes
Servings: 3
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!
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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
  • 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

Recipe adapted from 500 Vegan Recipes

Nutrition

Calories: 261kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Sodium: 832mg, Potassium: 999mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1212IU, Vitamin C: 32mg, Calcium: 145mg, Iron: 7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @foodwithfeeling or tag #foodwithfeeling!

About Brita Britnell

Brita is the author of Food with Feeling which is a vegetarian based food blog. She creates easy and delicious recipes that encourage people to try more meat-free recipes!

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4.56 from 9 votes

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Recipe Rating




45 Comments

  1. Sarah says:

    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.

    1. Heather M. says:

      5 stars
      425.24 grams is about 15 ounces. They’re tinned beans with liquid. I hope this helps. :)

  2. Laura King says:

    1 star
    This recipe is Garbage and it tasted horrible will not make again 

  3. Thea says:

    5 stars
    What a great recipe! My nacho craving was satisfied, but without all the added fat that cheese would bring.

    Will definitely make again!

  4. Sandra says:

    5 stars
    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!

    1. Brita says:

      aww yay!! SO SO glad that you liked it!! This is one of my favorite recipes on the blog :D

  5. Sandy says:

    My sauce stayed pretty runny. Tips to thicken it?

    1. Brita says:

      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

  6. Dylan says:

    5 stars
    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.

  7. Letha says:

    It says yields 3.. is that 3 cups or three servings, I am looking for nutrition information mainly.

    1. Dylan says:

      3 servings for sure.

  8. Gayathri says:

    This dip looks delicious!!!

  9. Colleen says:

    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!

  10. Ali says:

    Can this awesome recipe be made in advance?

    1. brita says:

      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!!