Vegan nacho cheese, cheesy, creamy, and extremely flavorful. Super easy to make, it is ready in just 10 minutes with only 9 ingredients.
This vegan nacho cheese is absolutely out of this world. I can't believe how cheesy and creamy it is! I love that it is extremely easy to make and it only requires 10 affordable ingredients.
What I like the most about making my own recipes at home is that I know exactly what they are made out of - and I try to avoid any artificial additives or preservatives. Besides, this vegan cheese is ready in just 10 minutes!
How to make vegan nacho cheese
- Soak the cashews overnight.
- Drain the cashews and add them to a powerful blender, along with all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then simmer until thickens, whisking constantly.
- Serve your vegan nacho cheese immediately.
Ingredients and tips
- Raw cashews: to make this vegan nacho cheese sauce I prefer to use unsalted, raw cashews. If you’re going to use salted cashews, reduce the amount of salt you're going to be using for this recipe.
- Water.
- Nutritional yeast: it gives this vegan cheese its cheesy flavor, so it’s an important ingredient. If you can’t find it, you could also use brewer’s yeast or even beer instead of water. However, nutritional yeast is the best choice.
- Lemon juice.
- Garlic powder.
- Onion powder.
- Salt: I used ionized salt, but any type of salt will do.
- Paprika: I used sweet paprika, but any other type will work.
- Turmeric powder: this ingredient is completely optional, so you don't have to add it to this recipe.
- Serve it over some baked tortilla chips or to make any recipe that calls for this ingredient.
What is vegan cheese?
Vegan cheese is a vegan alternative to regular cheese, which is made of milk. This specific recipe is super creamy and flavorful, and there are so many other vegan cheese recipes that I'm sure you'll find one that works best for you!
What is vegan cheese made of?
This vegan nacho cheese sauce is made of raw cashews, nutritional yeast, water, and some spices, but some other vegan cheeses contain other ingredients, such as potatoes and carrots.
Looking for more vegan cheese recipes?
Did you make this vegan nacho cheese recipe?
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Vegan Nacho Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 2 cups water
- ¼-½ cup nutritional yeast, I added ½ cup (36 g) because I like my nacho cheese super cheesy
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder, optional
Instructions
- Soak the cashews overnight the night before. You can also soak them in hot water for at least 10 minutes (ideally 30 minutes), but it’ll have a better texture if you soak them all night long.
- Drain the cashews and add them to a powerful blender, along with all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Try the vegan nacho cheese sauce and add more nutritional yeast, salt, or spices if needed.
- Pour the sauce into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then simmer until thickens, whisking constantly.
- Serve your vegan nacho cheese over tortilla chips or use it to make any recipe that calls for nacho cheese.
- Keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will thicken when cooled, so when you reheat, add in more water to reach the desired consistency.
Notes
- Nutritional yeast gives this vegan cheese its cheesy flavor, so it’s an important ingredient. If you can’t find it, you could also use brewer’s yeast or even beer instead of water. However, nutritional yeast is the best choice.
- Not all brands of nutritional or brewer’s yeast weigh the same, so I prefer to use a measuring cup. If you don’t have one, add 4-8 tablespoons.
- Any type of paprika is okay, although I used sweet paprika to make this vegan nacho cheese sauce.
- If you want your vegan nacho cheese to be spicy, incorporate a dash of cayenne or chili powder.
Agnes Chrismer says
Hi Iosune, this recipe looks amazing, I haven't had nacho cheese in many years. I do have a silly question, is the 2 cups of water for soaking the cashews or for adding into the blender. I know it takes at least 2 cups to soak the 1 cup of cashews. I would hate to add it in the blender and it come to watery. Please let me know, I really want to try this one out.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Agnes! The 2 cups of water are for adding into the blender 🙂