You will absolutely love this vegan nacho cheese! It’s super creamy, rich, and slightly spicy. And it’s just bursting with flavor! We simply can’t get enough of it around here!
Before I became vegan, I loved nacho cheese! Especially at the movie theater it was one of my favorites. It took me some time to come up with a vegan nacho cheese sauce that I was 100 % satisfied with, but I made it! This vegan nacho cheese sauce seriously is the bomb!
It’s a real crowd-pleaser and it’s pretty easy to make at the same time! It’s definitely one of my favorite vegan dips by far!
What You Need For This Vegan Nacho Cheese
- potatoes
- carrots
- pickled jalapeños
- tomato paste
- nutritional yeast
- yellow miso paste
- unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond or soy milk)
- cashews
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- canola oil or olive oil
- hot sauce
- salt
- lemon juice
- smoked paprika powder
As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate recipe box at the end of this post.
How To Make Vegan Nacho Cheese
The recipe for this vegan nacho cheese is super easy. All you need is a very good high speed blender to make this easy vegan cheese sauce extra creamy and smooth! Welcome to vegan cheese heaven!
STEP 1: Peel the potatoes and the carrots. Cut them into small cubes. Cook until soft. I usually use my Instant Pot to cook them.
STEP 2: Once the potatoes and the carrots are soft, transfer them to a high speed blender together with the remaining ingredients.
STEP 3: Process until smooth. This will take about a minute.
STEP 4: Transfer to a small pot and cook for a minute. The vegan nacho sauce will thicken up when being heated.
STEP 5: Serve with nachos and sprinkle with chopped jalapeños. I also added a bit of salsa in the middle of the bowl. Enjoy!
Vegan Nacho Cheese Recipe Notes
- It’s very important that you use a high speed blender for this recipe. Otherwise the vegan nacho cheese won’t become as creamy. I used a Vitamix, which I absolutely love.
- If you want to make it a bit easier for your blender, you can soak the cashews overnight in cold water or 30 minutes in boiling water. This step is, however, not necessary if you use a Vitamix like I did.
- Please don’t leave out any of the ingredients. I often list ingredients as optional, but in this recipe you need all of them for the right consistency and the right taste. It took me a while to perfect my vegan nacho cheese recipe.
- I like to serve my vegan nacho cheese with a bit of salsa on top. I think it’s a great combination, but of course that’s totally optional.
- You could also use the nacho cheese sauce for burritos, vegan quesadillas, or even baked potatoes.
- If you want to make the vegan cheese dip less spicy, reduce the amount of jalapeños and leave out the hot sauce.
More Vegan Mexican Recipes You Might Like:
- Crispy Cauliflower Tacos
- Chipotle Mayo
- Vegan Taquitos with Chipotle Sauce
- Easy Vegan Quesadillas
- Vegan Taco Salad with Lentil Walnut Meat
- Southwestern Pasta Salad with Black Beans, Avocado, and Cilantro Lime Dressing
I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!
I hope you like this vegan nacho cheese as much as we do around here.
If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!
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Sina
Vegan Nacho Cheese
Equipment
- 1 high speed blender
- 1 chopping board
- 1 knife
- 1 pot
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups uncooked cubed potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked cubed carrots
- 5 pickled jalapeños
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon yellow miso paste
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond or soy milk)
- 1/4 cup cashews (unsalted and not roasted)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup canola oil or olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and the carrots. Cut them into small cubes. Cook until soft. I usually use my Instant Pot to cook them.
- Once the potatoes and the carrots are soft, transfer them to a high speed blender together with the remaining ingredients.
- Process until smooth. This will take about a minute.
- Transfer to a small pot and cook for a minute. The vegan nacho sauce will thicken up when being heated.
- Serve with nachos and sprinkle with chopped jalapeños. I also added a bit of salsa in the middle of the bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
- It's very important to use a high speed blender for this recipe. Otherwise the vegan nacho cheese won't become as creamy. I used my Vitamix, which I absolutely love.
- If you want to make it a bit easier for your blender, you can soak the cashews overnight in cold water or 30 minutes in boiling water. This step is, however, not necessary if you use a Vitamix like I did.
- Please don't leave out any of the ingredients. I often list ingredients as optional, but in this recipe you need all of them for the right consistency and the right taste. It took me a while to perfect my vegan nacho cheese recipe.
Susan
I accidentally added sliced pepperocini instead of jalapeños, then added the jalapeños but a few less, left out the oil $ salt, but added an extra 1/4 c soy milk. Very spicy but delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s a keeper
Anna
When I tried this out of the blender, my jaw dropped. This is by far, the best nacho cheese recipes. Both my sister and I had multiple helpings and zero regrets ;) I did happen to have lactic acid on hand and added 1/2 tsp, but I feel like more lemon juice or even fresh tomatoes would work. The ratios and spice combinations are IT. This is my new go-to cheese sauce. 10000/10 delish
Melodee Kielich
Use humnus ..I did when out of nuts! Nutritional yeast is good too..you can just heat up the other ingredients and thicken with cornstarch + water if needed..
Patty Jenks
Wow, somebody finally did it! The flavor and texture of nacho cheese sauce. Sooooo good!
Autumn
I am so excited to try this! Been searching for a more complex vegan nacho cheese because the ones with only like 4 ingredients seem to only be good for pasta sauce, not nachos!
But, HELP! I am allergic to cashews and pistachios! What can I substitute? Please and thank you!!
Jassica
Hey, Sina
I’ve been a vegan for about nine years and am always looking for new and tasty recipes, which drew me first to your grillable burgers, which mentioned the Nacho Cheese. Unfortunately, I can’t have nuts — or fat. So I wondered if you might have an idea for a substitute for the raw cashews, which seems to be a major ingredient in the recipe.
Meanwhile, I plan to try your burger recipe.
Many thanks for any suggestions you might have for the Nacho Cheese.