Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce (Oil-Free and Soy-Free)

I love making vegan cheese alternatives, but I’ve gotten so many requests to make a nut-free vegan cheese sauce.

I personally love my cheese recipes that contain cashews, tofu, and/or miso paste. Two of my favorites are the Butternut Cheese Sauce in this Crispy Baked Mac and Cheese and the Creamy Tofu Ricotta in this Vegetable Lasagna.

But I also wanted to create an allergen-friendly recipe that was free of all nuts and soy, as well as made with nourishing, whole food plant-based ingredients. And I am so excited to share this nut-free vegan cheese sauce recipe with you all! Despite not containing any nuts or soy (or even oil), it is luxuriously creamy and silky smooth. And it’s so healthy that you’re basically just eating vegetables, so lather on as much cheese as you’d like.

Let’s talk about the main ingredients that make up this sauce!

Cauliflower: If you’ve been in the vegan food space for awhile, you’re already aware of cauliflower’s secret powers. Once cooked, it gets creamy and rich, and brings a luscious texture to this cheese sauce without requiring cashews.

Butternut Squash: This brings some heft and a velvety texture to this sauce. And, of course, that golden yellow-orange color reminiscent of cheese. I’ve tried making vegan cheese sauces with carrots and sweet potatoes instead, but they bring an unwanted sweetness (cheese should not be sweet)! To save time, I sometimes opt for pre-peeled, pre-cut butternut squash at the grocery store.

Garlic: This recipe calls for a copious amount of garlic (10 cloves). Since the ingredient list is minimal and there are no soy products involved (which add umami), adding a lot of garlic is essential to making this sauce flavor.

Nutritional Yeast: Since we’re using a lot of vegetables (8 cups), we need a generous amount of nutritional yeast to bring that cheezy flavor. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup, but you can add up to 3/4 cup for a more pronounced cheezy flavor.

Coconut Milk: While cauliflower does make this sauce quite creamy, we need a little helping hand from some full-fat coconut milk. Not a lot though. Just 3/4 cup for 8 cups of vegetables and 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth.

How to use Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce 

• For mac and cheese!
• Drizzle over roasted or steamed vegetables
• Make homemade nachos
• Add to a quesadilla
• Spread over homemade pizza and bake in the oven

And be sure to check out my Youtube video for three easy recipes using this Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce!

• Buffalo Jackfruit Grilled Cheese

• Simple Cheesy Pasta

• Tex-Mex Tempeh Quesadillas

Who should make this Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce?

• Anyone who has nut allergies
• Anyone with a soy intolerance
• Anyone eating a whole food plant-based diet
• Anyone watching their caloric intake
• Anyone who wants a nutrient-dense, plant-based alternative to cheese!

Watch! How to make Nut Free Vegan Cheese Sauce

NUT-FREE VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE | 1 sauce, 3 recipes

Is this Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce Healthy? 

I never calculate or include calories in my recipes, as I try to maintain a balanced space here. But, since this cheese sauce is so remarkably cream yet healthy, I do want to point something out.

There’s less than 125 calories in 1 CUP of this sauce, or about 30 calories per 1/4 cup serving! So yeah, really, lather on as much cheese as you’d like! Personally, I think 1 cup is a perfectly acceptable serving amount :) And of course, there’s a great deal of nutrients in this cheese sauce, thanks to the fiber- and vitamin-rich cauliflower and butternut squash

If you try out this recipe, please leave a comment below with your feedback – it always helps out the blog and I love hearing from you!

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Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce

Nisha Vora

5 from 33 votes

Print Pin

You’ll never believe this Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce is, well, nut-free! It’s also soy-free, oil-free, and Paleo and has just 30 calories per 1/4 cup! It’s creamy and luxurious but made with nourishing, wholesome ingredients. Say hello to mac’n cheese, quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and nachos!

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Course: Condiment, Sauce

Cuisine: American

Diet Vegan

Serving size: 12 (6 cups)

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 heaped cups of cauliflower florets (about 1 medium head of cauliflower, ~400g)
• ▢ 4 cups (about 18 ounces or ~500g) of butternut squash, chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
• ▢ 32 ounces (~945mL) water (stovetop method only)
• ▢ 32 ounces (~945mL) vegetable broth
• ▢ 1/4 cup (60mL) water (can substitute with 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil)
• ▢ 10 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (add more for a more pronounced cheesier flavor)
• ▢ 3/4 cup (~195ml) canned full-fat coconut milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon hot or sweet paprika
• ▢ A pinch of cayenne pepper, (optional for a lightly spicy version)
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ Black pepper to taste

Instructions

INSTANT POT METHOD

• Add the cauliflower florets, chopped butternut squash, and 4 cups vegetable broth to your Instant Pot. Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 4 minutes.
• Once the 4-minute timer has completed and beeps, perform a quick pressure release by carefully switching the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting.
• Open the pot and transfer the vegetables to a blender. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking broth. Add 1 1/4 cups to the blender, leaving 1/4 cup to the side.
• While the vegetables are cooking, heat the 1/4 cup water in a nonstick skillet over medium heat (alternatively, instead of the water, you can heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil). Once the water is simmering (or the oil is shimmering), add the minced garlic. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the water mostly evaporates and the mixture is fragrant.
• Transfer the garlic mixture to the blender with the cooked vegetables and reserved cooking liquid. Add the nutritional yeast, coconut milk paprika, salt, and black pepper to taste. Blend until the sauce is smooth, thick, and creamy, adding the reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid as needed to thin out the sauce. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed.
• If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or you can freeze them in smaller portions for a longer period of time.

STOVETOP METHOD

• Add the 4 cups of water and the 4 cups of vegetable broth in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Add the cauliflower florets and chopped butternut squash, cover the pan, and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
• Transfer the vegetables to a blender. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid. Add 1 1/4 cups to the blender, leaving 1/4 cup to the side.
• Follow remaining steps 4 and 5, as outlined above.
• If you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Or you can freeze them in smaller portions for a longer period of time.

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Nutrition Info

Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 181mg | Potassium: 346mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5043IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg