Are you looking for a fast dairy-free cheese sauce? One that you can toss with some pasta or drizzle on top of broccoli, potatoes, tacos, or burritos?
Well, you’ve come to the right place! Step right this way please.
Because this is the BEST dairy-free cheese sauce ever. No soaking cashews. No boiling potatoes or steaming carrots. No nonsense. You can literally toss all of the ingredients in a saucepan and heat in less than 5 minutes. Then use it on vegetables, tacos, or this dairy free mac and cheese recipe.
First Published: June 23, 2016… Last Updated: March 22, 2021
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A no-nonsense, all-purpose vegan cheese recipe
This recipe has been perfected and tweaked over the years by yours truly. Of course, the first time I made it, I winged it by using what I had on hand at the time. And it was such a success that I tried to repeat the process. This turned into experimenting with different variations and ingredients, which led me to crafting this deliciously yummy recipe at the bottom of this post.
One of the things I love about this recipe is that you can use it in a number of ways.
I’ve used it on just about everything– drizzling it on burritos and over a large plate of nachos, topping it on baked sweet potatoes and veggies, and stirring it into macaroni pasta. Mmmmmmmm.
The best part? It’s VERSATILE. I like mine EXTRA CHEESY, which is why I added two varieties of Daiya cheese. But if you want to take the minimalist approach, see my variations below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Despite what some may think, YES you can melt dairy-free (vegan) cheese, especially with the vegan cheese options available on the market today. Just cook your cheese sauce on a medium heat, and stir until melted through. I like using Daiya brand vegan cheese because it melts so well.
Nope! For variations, check out the Allergy Information and Substitutions below.
Allergy Information and Substitutions
- This cheese sauce is 100% vegan, meaning it is dairy-free, egg-free, and meat-free. It is also naturally nut-free, gluten-free, and soy-free.
- Don’t want to use store-bought vegan cheese? Double up on the nutritional yeast and add a dash of onion powder, garlic powder, and ground turmeric. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Don’t like coconut? Swap it out for another dairy-free milk of choice, such as almond, oat, or soy.
- If you don’t have nutritional yeast on hand, it’s okay to skip it if you have plenty of dairy-free cheese shreds. I think the nutritional yeast just adds a touch of flavor + good-for-you ingredients such as vitamin B12.
- If you don’t have two types of vegan cheese, you can load up on just vegan cheddar cheese.
- For a Mexican-style cheese sauce, stir in some cumin powder and some diced tomatoes and/or roasted bell peppers and onions. You can also stir in some salsa for an extra kick. I’m drooling already. The choices are unlimited and always delicious!
Recipe ingredients
What you’ll need (see the recipe box below for exact measurements).
- Full-fat coconut milk
- Nutritional yeast
- Dairy-free cheese shreds (I use a mixture of cheddar and pepper jack)
- Salt and pepper ( I use Himalayan pink salt)
How to make it
Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Heat on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until all the vegan cheese has melted.
Remove from heat. Toss with cooked pasta or steamed broccoli (or both!). You can also drizzle on tacos, nachos, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, and more!
More dairy free cheese recipes:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card and, if you enjoy it, leave a comment. Thanks in advance!
Yummy Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce in 5 Minutes
Equipment
- saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup vegan cheddar cheese
- 1 cup vegan pepper jack cheese
- dash of salt and black pepper (I use Himalayan pink salt)
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan. Heat on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until all the vegan cheese has melted.
- Remove from heat. Toss with cooked pasta or steamed broccoli (or both!). You can also drizzle on tacos, nachos, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, and more!
Notes
- Don’t want to use store-bought vegan cheese?Double up on the nutritional yeast and add a dash of onion powder, garlic powder, and ground turmeric. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Don’t like coconut? Swap it out for another dairy-free milk of choice, such as almond, oat, or soy.
- If you don’t have nutritional yeast on hand, it’s okay to skip it if you have plenty of dairy-free cheese shreds. I think the nutritional yeast just adds a touch of flavor + good-for-you ingredients such as vitamin B12.
- If you don’t have two types of vegan cheese, you can load up on just vegan cheddar cheese.
- For a Mexican-style cheese sauce, stir in some cumin powder and some diced tomatoes and/or roasted bell peppers and onions. You can also stir in some salsa for an extra kick. I’m drooling already. The choices are unlimited and always delicious!
Nutrition Information
Rachel Williams
How long would this sauce stay fresh in the refrigerator after making it?
Randi Tisdall
I would say 3-5 days if sealed in an air-tight container.
Heidi
Does this still taste good without the Dayia Cheese Shreds?
Randi Tisdall
Hi Heidi, great question! It’s been a while since I’ve made this lol, but looking at the recipe I’m thinking that if you up the nutritional yeast to maybe 1/4 cup, you could still get a really good “cheesy” taste. You could also sprinkle in some onion powder and a pinch of garlic powder. If you make this, I’d love to hear how it went!
Amber Harrop
I love cheese and I would love to try this Randi
Randi Tisdall
Thank you Amber!!
Deborah Davis
Hi Randi,
This sauce is boss! I can think of a zillion ways to use this sauce. My basic Buddha Bowls will taste great with this vegan cheese sauce on them. Thanks for sharing this at the Plant-based Potluck Party. Pinning and sharing!
Randi Tisdall
Thank you! Hope you get to try it!
Life Diet Health
Hello Randi 🙂 This looks delicious – I usually use cashews in my vegan cheese sauce so I’ll have to give your version a try! Thanks for sharing at the Plant Based Potluck Party 🙂
Randi Tisdall
Oh yes I love cashew cheese too! I hope you get a chance to try out this recipe, thanks for stopping by!!
Kimberly
This looks great! Will definitely try for my daughters!
Randi Tisdall
Awesome! I’d love to hear how it turns out!