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
Pam says
Do you think I could use Rotel tomatoes (or the juice from a can of Rotel tomatoes strained) instead of the dairy free milk in order to make it similar (I know cheese wise it won’t be really that similar) to the old velvetta/rotel dip? I could add the actual tomatoes from the canned strained rotel tomatoes back in after it is blended I guess. The only reason I ask is I see a lot of cashew cheese sauce recipes with water instead of dairy free milk. Or do you think it just won’t work or taste good? My son has gone vegan also but misses the velvetta/rotel dip at certain events and wanted to try cashew cheese dip as a substitute.
Also, we have all the various types of miso at our Whole Foods. We are trying to avoid soy or minimize it so do you think the chickpea miso would work fine for the white miso or no? I think I read it is a little stronger maybe than white miso though. I just think miso is a good idea if it helps simulate the cheesy taste.
Kristine says
I have a lot of trouble with garlic. Any substitutions? Thanks!
Aimee says
You can leave it out, if you like! Have you tried black garlic before? Apparently thats good for people who can’t usually tolerate garlic. You can also experiment with chives or spring onions (or green/spring garlic if you can get your hands on it) but like I say – totally fine to leave it out too. I just love putting a lot of garlic in everything :)
Kristine says
I have a lot of trouble with garlic. Any substitutions?
Nikki says
Love this! Will definitely try it – especially on some homemade vegan pizza ;)
Bailey Mills says
I cannot wait to try this. there are not a ton of vegan options yet. I pack my lunch and dinner to take with me to work. I wondered how long this is good for? could i make two jars and store them. thanks for you’re awesome blog! supa cool!