Let’s talk vegan nacho cheese! Yes, it’s possible to mimic the flavor and texture of that plasticky, processed food nacho cheese without dairy. This plant-based queso sauce tastes so creamy and delicious, no one will believe it’s got no actual cheese. It will have you swearing off regular nacho cheese forever. Let me tell you: Alex and I are huge cheese fans. But lately more and more vegan recipes have been creeping into our kitchen repertoire. And we think you need to add this one to yours! (You’ll thank us later.)
How to make vegan nacho cheese
The magic of this vegan nacho cheese recipe is in one word: cashews. Cashews are essential in many vegan recipes to make a creamy dairy free cashew cheese sauce. Alex and I use cashew cream in this Vegan Pasta Marinara and No Mayo Potato Salad to make them creamy! After cashews are soaked, they blend into the perfect consistency that can carry any flavors you like. (A few more creamy cashew recipes…) How to make vegan nacho cheese? Here are the basic steps:
Soak: Soak cashews for 1 hour (30 minutes if you have a high speed blender). Add flavorings: To a blender, add the drained cashews with canned green chiles, yellow mustard, and spices (chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and turmeric). Blend: Blend until a creamy sauce forms!
Where to find green chiles
The special ingredient in this vegan nacho cheese is a can of green chiles, which add a tang and complexity. You should be able to find it near the Mexican ingredients in your local grocery. Make sure to buy mild green chiles: they’re mild but do have a subtle spiciness! Once it’s blended, you won’t notice too much heat.
Video: how to make vegan nacho cheese!
Ways to serve vegan nacho cheese
This vegan nacho cheese sauce we created especially for our Loaded Vegan Nachos! They feature our popular Smoky Lentils & Rice or Lentil Tacos filling, served atop tortilla chips and piled with toppings. This chip dip would be perfect as a gameday snack to nosh on while watching football! Here are all the ways we like to serve this vegan nacho cheese sauce:
Queso dip: Throw it in a bowl and dip chips! To dress it up as a fancy vegan appetizer, top with salsa fresca like in our Refried Bean Dip.Nachos: Duh. Go to Best Loaded Vegan Nachos. Or, Tater Tot Nachos. Need we say more? Grain Bowl: A big bowl meal is much more delicious with vegan nacho cheese! Try this Southwestern Bowl or Burrito Bowl with vegan nacho cheese.Chili: Our popular Vegetarian Chili turns into a vegan chili when topped with this cashew cheese sauce!
It’s kid friendly, too!
A few other notes: the recipe is totally kid friendly! Larson absolutely loved this cashew cheese sauce and loved dipping small pieces of tortilla chips! Important: this sauce is messy! Because it has turmeric, if it lands on clothes it makes a yellow mark. So, when Larson eats it we strip off his clothes and put on his silicone bib.
This recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten free, vegan, plant based, refined sugar free, and naturally sweet.
Looking for more vegan recipes?
Here are some of our favorite vegan recipes! 5 from 3 reviews
Vegan Sloppy JoesBest Vegan Lasagna Easy Sheet Pan DinnerMinestrone Soup (Instant Pot Version) Curry Lentil Soup Vegan Alfredo Sauce Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies Very Veggie Vegan PizzaChocolate Tahini Vegan No Bake CookiesVegan Banh Mi SandwichSimple Homemade Hummus
Last updated: January 2020
