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 SauceÂ
- 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!
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Simple Cheesy Pasta
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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?Â
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!
Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce
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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I’m highly allergic to tree nuts and am trying to eat more plant based meals, but I’ve missed cheese. I found this recipe and it was so easy to make! Plus, it is super delicious! My best friend who is vegan was skeptical and she LOVES it!
Woohoo, we’re thrilled to hear it, Tara! :) Thanks for the awesome review, it makes us very happy to know you enjoyed it!
I’m allergic to coconut,can I sub it with rice milk or soy milk?
Hi Dawn, you can try using creamy oat milk or thinned out cashew cream instead if you’d like, rice milk is too thin and we don’t prefer using soy milk in savory recipes here at RPL.
OMG!!! I have tried so many cheese sauces but none have satisfied me. I also have been wanting one made without cashews! This is absolutely delicious! I will put it on everything. I always know your recipes will be perfect. Thank you for putting weight measurements. That helps so much. Thank you for this a recipe!!!!
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. Thank you, Linda! :)
Amazing…thank you!
And, it’s even better after a day!
Lovely to hear you’re a fan of the cheese sauce, Susan!
I keep coming back to this recipe because it’s so freaking good. I’ve made it for mac ‘n’ cheese, wraps, I use it in salad dressings, in pita pockets, anything really! It’s so versatile, rich and delicious, I always forget it’s made of vegetables and sooo nutritious. It’s difficult to find cheesy vegan recipes that don’t use cashews, so thanks for thinking about us nut-free folks!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Tina! It makes us so happy to know that you thoroughly enjoy the recipe. :)
I absolutely Love this!!! I only made 1/2 the recipe as it’s only me, and I was eating it by the spoonful (tasting) and licking the vitamix container! No quilt! as I have a weight issue. Thank you
Hi Sarah, we’re thrilled to hear you loved the cheese sauce! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Thank you for this💕
You’re welcome, Ana!
I made this but it doesn’t seem to get super creamy. I have a high powered blender but don’t know what I’m doing wrong… it tastes great but I can’t get it as creamy as yours looks…
Hi Tanya, maybe the cauliflower and squash needed to cook for just a little longer than you cooked them for? So they can soften up. We hope you have better luck next time!
I used the stovetop method with the 4 cups of water and 4 cups of broth but it came out suuuuper liquidy. It tastes great but is pretty much soup. Just add more squash and cauliflower maybe?
Hi Gianna, did you transfer just the vegetables to a blender and reserve only 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid?
WOW so impressed by this. I have made other vegan cheese sauces but nothing like this.
Hi I was wondering if this freezes well or how long will it last in the refrigerator?
Hi Lori, 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 (maybe 2-3 months). Enjoy!
This sauce is amazing!, My kids and husband love it. We’ve been eating it over baked potatoes and with beans and rice. I can’t wait to try it over pasta or as a soup base with broccoli. My husband and I also love it mixed with green chili’s and some salsa as a dip for tortilla chips.
Yummy, Ashleigh! We’re delighted to hear the recipe is a favorite :)
Does this have a coconutty flavor? I really don’t care for coconut and wondered if an extra creamy oat milk in its place would work. Thanks for creating this and I can’t wait to try. My son is allergic to cashews so I’ve never been comfortable in making those typical cashew cheeses.
No it doesn’t! You can try using lite coconut milk, creamy oat milk or thinned out cashew cream instead if you’d like though.
This looks amazing. Could I swap out cauliflower for carrots? I can’t eat cauliflower. If not any other swap?
Hi there Pamela, you can use some carrots but not too many because they’re quite sweet. We recommend using either more potatoes or adding soaked cashews to the blender if you’re not allergic to nuts. Cheers!
I just made this again and it’s just as amazing as the last time! An incredible cheese sauce and you are getting all the nutrients of a whole cauliflower and a butternut . It’s on a weekly rotation for me as the instant pot makes it super fast as well! Thank you Nisha!
Shelley, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
This is SO DELICIOUS! I’ve made it 3 times already. 10/10 thank you!
Hi Morgan, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
I can’t do nooch but usually sub a combo of garlic/onion powder , would that work here!
Hi there Anj, that could work but will take away a lot of the cheesy flavor it brings to the sauce. You could try substituting store bought vegan cheese? Good luck!
O M G this is unbelievably good! You did it Nisha! Thank you!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Eileen!
This is so delicious! I had it over a baked potato and steamed broccoli tonight. Tomorrow will be mac and cheese. Thank you so much!
Delicious! We love how many uses you’re getting out of the cheese sauce, Shelley!