No-cheese sauce. Vegan cheese sauce. Cheesy sauce. Non-dairy cheese sauce. I'm not sure what to call this except delicious. There is no cheese in it, plus it is easy to make, versatile, vegan and gluten-free. Just make some!
If you are dairy sensitive or choose not to consume dairy (whether vegan or not), I hope this sauce helps you miss dairy cheese sauce less. It really is tasty. It has a cheesy taste but without cheese. But how you ask? With nutritional yeast.
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Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card for details and measurements.
- Cashews: buy raw and unsalted, check the label.
- Coconut milk: use canned, whole coconut milk for the rich and creamy texture and taste
- Nutritional yeast flakes
- Dijon mustard: give it a golden color similar to a real cheese sauce and a little flavor boost.
- Turmeric: adds that golden color, buy the powdered spice form.
Chef's Tip: Nutritional yeast is an inactive or deactivated yeast similar to yeast used in bread baking and brewing, so if you have yeast concerns, not to worry. For more information on what is nutritional yeast, read this post.
Start by Soaking Cashews
Start this recipe by soaking your nuts. Cover cashews with clean filtered water with a little sea salt and soak until they are soft. I soak mine for 8 hours. This makes them easier to blend into a creamy sauce.
It also makes nuts more digestible and makes nutrients more bioavailable as they contain something called enzyme inhibitors that inhibit digestion. Soaking with salt helps to minimize phytates (phytic acid) and tannins (polyphenols).
After soaking, rinse cashews well, drain and puree with the nutritional yeast, sea salt, granulated garlic, canned coconut milk, a little Dijon mustard and turmeric. It's that easy.
How to Enjoy
- Drizzle it over steamed or grilled vegetables
- Use it to top chicken or fish
- Anywhere else you might use a cheese sauce
- It's makes a good dip for raw veggies too
- Use it for a cheesy dip for nachos
I first created this recipe for Dr. Mark Hyman's New York Times bestselling book, Eat Fat Get Thin. That is when I began to seriously experiment with and appreciate nutritional yeast and not cooking with dairy. It's a great read about not fearing healthy fat.
Recipe FAQ's
Cashews, nutritional yeast, turmeric, Dijon mustard, garlic, coconut milk (canned) and white pepper.
To make them softer for pureeing/blending, to make them more digestible. Here is an article to explain more in depth.
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt divided use
- ¾ cup canned coconut milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 large garlic clove finely chopped or ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Place cashews in a small bowl or or jar and cover with water by several inches. Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Allow nuts to soak for 6-8 hours to soften. After soaking, rinse and drain nuts.
- To make the sauce, place soaked nuts, ¼ teaspoon of the sea salt that is left, and the rest of the ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor or a blender and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. If it gets too thick, add a little water to thin to your desired consistency.
Jennifer says
How important is the salt in this? I'm on a very low sodium diet and have to minimize salt everywhere I can. Is the salt in this only for taste, or is it important to the process?
Sally Cameron says
Hi Jennifer, You can make it without. Might not have as much flavor for some people, but if you are used to low sodium it should be good for you. Give it a try. Note too that 1 teaspoon of the salt is only used for soaking and is not consumed. Rinse the cashews well after soaking. See the nutritional label I added. This has 67 grams of sodium per 2 tablespoons. In looking at sodium on labels, read Dijon labels carefully and choose one lower in sodium. That will help reduce too.
Linda says
This recipe was absolutely delightful. Thank you. This will definitely be a staple in my fridge.
Sally Cameron says
Thanks for commenting Linda, love to hear that!
Sarah says
My daughter can't have tree nuts, is there anything I could sub for the cashews? This recipe sounds great and she can eat everything else the recipe calls for.
Sally Cameron says
Hi Sarah, that is a tough one as hits recipe is really based around nuts. Unfortunately I think you are going to have to do something else for your daughter. Sorry I don't have a good substitute for you. Quick thought but I am not sure how it would work. You would have to experiment and adapt it. Instead of the cashews, thicken with tahini (sesame seed butter) if she is ok with sesame seeds.
Andrea Tinonga says
I just use a full fat coconut milk! It'll thicken upon reduction, you don't need the cashews! Hope this helps.....
Additionally, you can add a pinch of nutmeg and mustard seed to deepen the"cheesy flavor" the nutmeg creates a deep, earthy flavor while the mustard seed adds the sharp twanginess!
Stephanie Weaver, MPH, CWHC says
I adore these kind of sauces! Anything with soaked cashews and nutritional yeast is a hit in my book. I have a similar thicker sauce on my blog that's a white pizza sauce. Nom. And I am STILL cooking from Eat Fat, Get Thin. What great recipes.
Sally Cameron says
Hi Steph. Love to hear that! I am with you, anything with cashews and nutrition yeast, how can you go wrong? Will check out your recipe.
Denise says
This is an amazing recipe. Thank you so much. I am gonna love it!