Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

This easy vegan nacho cheese sauce is everything you want from a cheese sauce - it's creamy, cheesy, and perfect for drizzling over tortilla chips, tacos, burrito bowls, or roasted vegetables.

Made with potatoes, carrots, nutritional yeast, and cashew butter, it delivers all the cheesy flavor of classic nacho sauce without any dairy.

Bonus: it’s bright, tangy, and full of flavor, with a subtle hint of pickle brine and tomato paste giving it that extra oomph.

🌱 Ingredients & Notes

For the base:

• Potatoes - cooked until soft; gives creaminess and body and adds that gooey texture
• Carrots - cooked until soft; adds natural sweetness. You can also use cooked sweet potatoes
• Smooth cashew butter - or simply soak raw cashews for 4 hours or boil them for 20 minutes, then blend into cashew butter as a substitute. The cashew butter helps create the creamy texture of this cashew nacho cheese sauce without needing dairy products.
• Coconut milk - for extra richness, swap for soy milk or other plant milk if necessary
• Tapioca starch - helps create that stretchy, melty texture
• Water - to make the tapioca slurry
• Extra virgin olive oil - adds richness and sheen, alternatively use canola oil or vegetable oil

Seasonings:

• Nutritional yeast - creates the cheesy flavor and adds an extra layer of umami flavor to the sauce.
• Tomato paste - adds color, depth, and a subtle Mexican flavor to the finished sauce.
• Pickle brine - tangy lift
• Sea salt & black pepper - to season to taste
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Lemon juice

Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for detailed quantities and measurements.

Easy Variations

• For a nut-free version, replace the cashew butter with cooked white beans.
• If you don't have cashew butter, soaked raw cashews work well too.
• Potato starch can be used instead of tapioca starch.
• Add a pinch of chili powder or a splash of hot sauce for a little kick.
• For extra tang, swap some of the lemon juice for apple cider vinegar.

🔪 Equipment

• High Powered Blender or food processor - high-speed preferred for smooth sauce
• Saucepan - for activating the tapioca
• Small bowl - for mixing tapioca slurry

🧑‍🍳 Instructions (Step-by-Step)

1. Boil potatoes and carrots until soft.
2. Blend cooked veggies with cashew butter, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, seasonings, tomato paste, pickle brine, lemon juice, and olive oil.
3. Mix tapioca starch with water, then blend into the sauce.
4. Heat gently in a saucepan to activate the tapioca.
5. Serve warm over nachos, fries, or roasted veggies.

🍽️ How to Serve

This vegan nacho cheese recipe is perfect served over tortilla chips or corn chips, but it's equally delicious drizzled over baked potatoes, tacos, burrito bowls, black beans, or roasted vegetables.

You can also:

Drizzle over loaded nachos for movie night.

Pour over baked or roasted potatoes.

Use as a dip for tortilla chips, veggie sticks or pretzels.

Pair with sweet chutneys like raspberry chutney for a tangy-sweet contrast.

❄️ How to Store

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, stirring occasionally.

Freeze for up to 1 month; thaw in the fridge before reheating.

🔜 Related Recipes

This vegan nacho cheese sauce is also delicious drizzled over my Vegan Burrito Bowl or served alongside these Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos for an easy crowd-pleasing meal.

Here's a handy recipe card that you can print out and keep in your kitchen for easy reference:

📖 Recipe Card

Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

Romy

Creamy, melty Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce made from potatoes, carrots, and cashews - perfect for drizzling, dipping, or dunking.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Condiment, Dips, Sauce

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• 1 blender
• 1 saucepan
• 1 small bowl

Ingredients

  

• 1.2 lbs potatoes (about 550g) about 550g, peeled and cooked
• 12 oz carrots about 350g, peeled and cooked
• 3.5 oz smooth cashew butter 100 g
• ⅓ cup coconut milk 80ml
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
• 5 tablespoons water 65 ml
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Spices & Seasonings

• 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons pickle brine
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

 

• Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots. Boil in salted water until soft, then drain.
• Add the cooked vegetables, cashew butter, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, pickle brine, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon juice, and olive oil to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
• Mix the tapioca starch and water in a small bowl to create a slurry. Add it to the blender and blend for 1 minute.
• Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and heat gently over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm over nachos, roasted vegetables, fries, or as a dip.

Notes

• Serve with sweet chutneys, such as raspberry chutney, for a delicious sweet-and-savory contrast.
• If using raw cashews instead of cashew butter, soak them for 4–6 hours or boil for 20 minutes before blending.
• Reheat gently and stir occasionally to maintain a smooth, creamy texture.

Keyword creamy vegan sauce, nacho topping, plant-based cheese sauce, vegan nacho cheese sauce

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