Vegan Oil-Free Nacho Cheese

This homemade vegan oil-free nacho cheese sauce combines cashews, potatoes, carrots, nutritional yeast, and pickled jalapeños for a delicious creamy dairy-free cheese dip.

The cashew cheese sauce has a smoky flavor from simple spices, and pickled jalapeños give it a touch of heat with a slightly tangy flavor.  The base of the oil-free cheese sauce is a combination of potatoes, carrots, and cashews, creating a creamy, dairy-free cheese dip.  The bulk of the dip comes from potatoes and carrots as the base to reduce the amount of cashews needed. Then, ½ cup of cashews is used for the fat to create a rich, creamy texture. 

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, cooked broccoli, or vegan Mexican-inspired Buddha bowls.  If you like spicy dips, I also have this recipe for oil-free buffalo chickpea dip.

Recipe features

• Vegan, dairy-free, plant-based, and oil-free!
• Easy and creamy!
• Customize the heat level!
• Great on nachos, potatoes, or broccoli!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

The oil-free cheese sauce uses simple ingredients. Please see the recipe card below for the full list and exact ingredients.

Raw cashews - Use raw, unsalted cashews in this plant-based nacho cheese sauce. They have a neutral flavor and become creamy when softened and pureed with a liquid. The cashews add fat to the dip, helping create a silky consistency that you can’t get from using only potatoes and carrots. I haven’t tested a nut-free version, so I can’t say for sure how well it would work.

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.  This reduces the fat in the cashew cheese sauce, and they’re cheaper.  I use a russet potato or Yukon Gold potato.

Unsweetened dairy-free milk - Use any unsweetened and 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 jalapeños, depending on how spicy I want the cheese sauce.  The heat level can easily be adjusted by adding more or less pickled jalapeños.

Turmeric - Adds more yellow color to the vegan nacho cheese.

Nutritional yeast flakes- Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that gives food a savory or umami flavor.  I don't have a substitution for this ingredient.

Tips

• Use a high-speed blender to get a smoother consistency.
• If you don’t have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews overnight or soak them longer with the boiling water method (outlined below) to soften them up to help your blender puree the nuts. 
• Be careful when blending hot ingredients. If necessary, remove the feeder cap (the small center cap of the blender lid) to release any pressure caused by blending hot foods. Place a clean towel over the lid to prevent splatters.
• Don't overcook the potatoes; cook them just until fork tender. Prick the potato with a fork, and it should give a slight resistance. However, the potato shouldn't break and should slip off the fork with no effort.

Serving suggestions

There are many ways to enjoy this oil-free vegan nacho cheese, but here are a few suggestions.

• Drizzle on vegan nachos, or make your nachos with oil-free refried beans, vegan pico de Gallo, spicy pickled onions 
• On roasted potatoes
• Add it to vegan breakfast potatoes with mushrooms and bell peppers
• Enjoy it on a Mexican-inspired Buddha bowl
• Vegan stuffed potatoes with cheese and broccoli
• Vegan hash brown casserole with broccoli
• Cheese fries (just top fries with a cheese sauce)
• On pasta for mac and cheese
• As a dip for chips
• Drizzled on steamed or roasted broccoli
• Top lentil walnut tacos with nacho cheese sauce
• Drizzle it on roasted potatoes and broccoli for an easy meal.

How to make oil-free cheese sauce

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 medium 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 the vegetables and let them cool for a few minutes before adding them to the blender.

Drain the cashews and add to the blender with the vegetables, along with all of the other ingredients.  Blend until smooth.

If the cheese sauce is still warm from the cooked potatoes and carrots, then there’s no need to warm it up. If it’s cooled down, you might want to warm it up in a saucepan for a couple of minutes.

Storage

Refrigerator: The vegan nacho cheese sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, but it will solidify after cooling.  Heat it in a pot and drizzle it on whatever your heart desires.  

Freeze: The oil-free cheese sauce can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container. If you use a jar for freezing, be sure to leave a couple of inches of space from the top to avoid cracking. When you're ready to use it, thaw the cashew cheese sauce in the refrigerator overnight. It may appear grainy once thawed, but it will come together when heated.

How to reheat

Reheat the cashew nacho cheese 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.

Related recipes

• Oil-free hummus
• Spicy peanut dressing
• Vegan honey mustard