Easy cheesy cashew sauce! You won’t believe how creamy and cheesy this sauce is when it is made from just cashews and a few other simple ingredients. Great for vegans, those avoiding dairy and paleo-dieters.
This recipe has been a long time coming. I make this cashew cheese sauce all the time and have done for years – I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to blog it!
I love to use this sauce on pasta, on pizzas, in risottos, drizzled over potatoes or vegetables, burritos and more. It’s SO delicious.
I remember when I first tried it years ago, before I was vegan, I wasn’t expecting to like it at all.
I was a very fussy eater and was only just starting to experiment with free-from foods so wasn’t expecting something made from cashews to be a good substitute for cheese.
But I was shocked at how delicious and cheesy it was! I remember I said “oh my god” out loud and proceeded to eat it by the spoonful.
So definitely don’t knock it before you try it!
And don’t be put off if you’ve not heard of a couple of these ingredients because I promise you they’re not that expensive or hard to find.
Your local health food shop will more than likely stock nutritional yeast and you can find miso paste in your local Asian supermarket or the world food aisle at the general supermarket.
The rest can be found at any supermarket!
This cheesy sauce is:
- Dairy-free & vegan
- Gluten-free & paleo-friendly
- Healthy
- Versatile (can be used for so many different recipes)
- Easy to make (you just need a blender!)
Use this cheese sauce on your pasta, on your toast or on a pizza!
Use this vegan cheese sauce to make:
Store-cupboard Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Vegan Creamy Leeks & Butter Beans
📖 Recipe
Cashew Cheese Sauce
A delicious dairy-free cheese sauce, perfect for pastas, pizzas and more! Feel free to halve the recipe if you want a smaller portion.
Ingredients
- 150g / 1 cup raw cashew nuts, soaked overnight in water
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes*
- 2 tsp miso paste or 1 tsp marmite*
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- (optional) ½ tsp mustard powder*
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 240ml / 1 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk (I use roasted almond)
Instructions
- Drain the cashews and discard the water they were soaked in.
- Add to a high-powered blender along with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Add more almond milk, if needed to create the desired consistency. I like it when it's thick but runs off the spoon.
- Use straight away or add to a container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
*Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast with a natural cheesy flavour. You can find it in most health food shops or online and it's not expensive. If you want to use powder, halve the amount.
**White or red miso paste really helps give that fermented cheese flavour. It can be found in health food shops or Asian supermarkets. I buy mine from my local supermarket in the Asian food aisle. Marmite gives the same effect but is more intense so you need to use less.
***You can use a pinch of ground paprika instead. It just gives a subtle kick.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size Approx 2-3 tbspAmount Per Serving Calories 123Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 3mgSodium 135mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 6g
Tam finn says
Hi Aimee,
First can I just say I love your recipes ❤️ As do my meat eating friends Thank you.
I was just wondering where I might find white miso online? I’m in Ireland and for some reason I can’t find it anywhere. anyone I speak to say they haven’t seen white miso in Ireland.
Many thanks,
Tam
Aimee says
Hi Tam! You can find it on amazon but it’s really not *essential* you can use brown miso (which can be found in asian food shops or some supermarkets) or just leave it out. You could also try adding a small drop of soy sauce. So don’t worry if you can’t get hold of it :-)
atiya says
I made this sauce today and it was a big success. It turned out much better than I expected. So tasty and creamy without being heavy. Both my husband and my father loved it. Thanks for posting it.
Stephanie VB says
I am hoping this will work well in a pasta casserole. I will let you know since that’s the menu tonight!
Aimee says
That sounds delicious, how did it work out?
Szasza Paz says
Thank you for sharing this great recipe..My husband loves it. Just made it today, and we just had it as a dip with crackers, but can’t wait to have it on pizza, and pasta etc etc
Angela says
I absolutely love this sauce! The nutritional yeast really makes the flavor. I didn’t use the mustard. Thank you for the recipe.