Vegan Nacho Cheese

This oil-free vegan nacho cheese uses soaked raw cashews, carrots, potatoes, nutritional yeast, spices, and pickled jalapeños for added flavor.  This has become my family’s favorite cheese recipe.  I am so excited about how it turned out!  

I've lost count on how many vegan cheese concoctions I have tested and wasn’t happy with.  I use a combination of potatoes and carrots as the base and the fat from the cashews to create a rich creamy oil-free cheese sauce. 

This nacho cheese is kid-friendly and the number of jalapeños can be adjusted for heat.  It’s rich, creamy, and great on potatoes, nachos, and roasted or steamed broccoli. If you like spicy dips, I also have this recipe for oil-free buffalo chickpea dip.

Ingredients for Plant-Based Nacho Cheese Sauce

Raw cashews - Use raw unsalted cashews, they add some fat to the dip which helps create a nice silky consistency.

Carrots - The carrots add a little color and a slight sweetness.  

Potatoes -The potatoes add bulk to the sauce and reduce the need for so many cashews.  Less fat and they’re cheaper.  I use a russet potato or Yukon Gold.

Unsweetened dairy-free milk - Use any unsweetened unflavored dairy-free milk (avoid vanilla). 

Lemon juice - Adds a little tang from the acidity.

Pickled jalapeños - Adds acidity, flavor, and some heat.  I wouldn’t substitute with raw jalapeños, the pickled variety is milder and adds a tangy flavor. I use 6-8 pickled jalapenos, depending on how spicy I want the cheese sauce.

Turmeric - Adds more yellow color.

Nutritional yeast - Adds cheesiness.

How to Make Vegan Nacho Cheese Without Oil

There are a lot of ingredients, but it is very simple to put together.  Soak the cashews overnight or boil water and pour it over the cashews and soak them for 10-15 minutes.  

Next, place the potato and carrot in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 10 minutes or until the carrot/potato is fork-tender. Drain, then add to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients (after draining I do let the potato carrot mixture cool for just a few minutes before adding them to the blender).  I use a high-speed blender to get a smooth consistency. 

If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews overnight or soak them longer with the boiling water method to soften up to help your blender puree the nuts.

How to Store the Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese

The cheese sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, but it will solidify after cooling.  Just heat it back up in a pot and drizzle it on whatever your heart desires.  

You can freeze vegan nacho cheese for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.  Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  It will look a bit grainy when thawed, but once heated the cheese comes back together.

How to Reheat Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce

Reheat in a microwave-safe container until warm, stopping to stir so it warms evenly.  It can also be reheated on the stovetop, stirring occasionally until it’s warmed through.

More Ways to Use Oil-Free Vegan Nacho Cheese

• Vegan nachos
• On roasted potatoes
• Vegan baked potatoes with cheese and broccoli
• Vegan cheesy broccoli hash brown casserole
• Cheese fries (just top fries with a cheese sauce)
• Stuffed into jalapeños then baked in the oven (homemade poppers)
• On pasta for mac and cheese
• Chips
• Steamed or roasted broccoli

More Oil-Free Vegan Dips

• Oil-free hummus
• Vegan Guacamole
• Pico de Gallo
• Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
• Curry Chickpea Salad
• Vegan Honey Mustard
• Buffalo Chickpea Dip (Vegan)

As always, I hope you enjoy the vegan nacho cheese with potatoes and carrots!

This was originally published on February 12, 2019, and updated on March 1, 2022.

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