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a bowl with vegan nacho cheese on a wooden board with nachos, two lime halves, and jalapeños in the background and a hand dipping a nacho into the cheese sauce
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Vegan Nacho Cheese

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! 
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine American, Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 201kcal
Author Sina

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 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 it less spicy, reduce the amount of jalapeños and leave out the hot sauce. 

Nutrition

Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 291mg | Potassium: 611mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5385IU | Vitamin C: 13.7mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3.7mg