A silky smooth, lusciously creamy, Vegan Cheese Sauce that is nut-free, gluten-free, low in fat, high in protein and can be whipped up in your blender in minutes! It's one of my favourite super quick dinners. Toss it through freshly cooked pasta and serve alongside some veggies or a salad. Dinner done fast!
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"Hands down the best vegan cheese sauce I’ve tried yet!!!"
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This super easy Vegan Cheese Sauce is a game-changer. It's seriously good and like my Cauliflower Alfredo, it's nut-free, gluten-free, and really low in fat.
There aren't many nut-free vegan cheese sauce recipes around. Cashews tend to be used on repeat for creamy sauces in the vegan world, like in my cashew cheese sauce recipe, and although they make a really tasty, glossy, yummy sauce that I love, hey, sometimes there are times when you could use a recipe without them.
Maybe you have guests with allergies, maybe you don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a bag of nuts (cashews aren't exactly cheap!), or maybe you are trying to eat a low-fat diet. Whatever the reason you want a nut-free vegan cheese sauce, I've got you covered, because this tofu cheese sauce recipe is just perfect.
It's a super simple Vegan Cheese Sauce, made in seconds, and it's luscious, smooth and creamy and can be used in any recipe where you want a thick, creamy, cheesy sauce. And did I mention it's got no nuts, no gluten, and no fat in it? I did but I feel the need to repeat myself.
Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes:
- Silken tofu - The tofu used must be silken (any firmness of silken tofu), or soft tofu. Don't use medium, firm or extra firm tofu as you won't get the intended texture or flavour. This sauce is super, super velvety and smooth. Much more so than a nut-based sauce and it tastes lighter. That's all because of the silken tofu.
- Nutritional yeast - This is what gives the sauce its cheesy flavour.
- Dairy-free milk - This must be unsweetened and unflavoured. Be sure to check the ingredients list before you use it. Many dairy-free milks have added sugar or vanilla and you don't want these in a cheese sauce recipe.
- White wine vinegar - A little acidity and sharpness is necessary and white wine vinegar does that job while also enhancing the cheesy flavour. It is the best choice however you can use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar if you don't have any.
- Dijon, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika - This combination adds lots of flavour and enhances the cheesiness of the nutritional yeast.
Nutritional Yeast
Please be sure to use good-tasting nutritional yeast when making this recipe. All nutritional yeasts are not created equally. Some brands taste a lot better than others.
Bob's Red Mill nutritional yeast is one I don't recommend as you won't get the intended cheesy flavour. I love most of their products but their nooch is not great. Same with Braggs. They are both ok used in small amounts but in a recipe where you use a lot like this it will make a big difference to the overall result. I like the brands Hoosier Farms (in the USA), or Everland (if you are in Canada).
How To Make Vegan Cheese Sauce
This simple, Vegan Cheese Sauce couldn't be easier to make:
- Put the ingredients in a blender or a food processor and blend.
- Pour into a pan and warm through gently on the stovetop or use in any recipe calling for cheese sauce.
It's the easiest vegan sauce ever, and because all of the ingredients are super soft, you don't need a fancy pants high powered blender to make it silky smooth. Any blender or food processor should be able to take care of it.
Serving Suggestions
The possibilities are endless. Stir through pasta for a quick and simple dinner, use it as a dip, drizzle it on nachos, add to casseroles and pasta dishes, or serve with vegetables.
Recipe
Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce (no nuts!)
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 12 oz (340 grams) silken or soft tofu
- ½ cup (35 grams) nutritional yeast , make sure it's a good tasting one
- 1½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika , or chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt , adjust as necessary if using table salt
- ½ cup (120 mls) dairy-free milk , it must be unsweetened & unflavored
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Warm the sauce through gently in a pan on the stove top before serving, or use in your favorite recipes.
NOTES
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Gabriel says
I could hug you! I was so close on a quick tofu based sauce but missing the mark and couldn't figure out why. The white wine vinegar was the big difference maker that took it from bland to cheesy. I upped my nooch a little and now my biggest problem is stopping myself from eating it all in one go. Thank you!
Melanie McDonald says
Aw, thank you! I'm so pleased you're enjoying the recipe!
Fraz says
I came across your post by accident last week and saw that your recipe uses tofu instead of cashews or potatoes. What luck!! I made the cheese sauce last night and it was fantastic and delicious. My wife told me she is no longer eating store bought cheese. I also made the sauce with jalapenos because I love spicy food and it was also delicious. Two thumbs up.👍👍
KM says
Just perfect, low in calories & pretty high in protein. Sometimes I sub lemon, other vinegars or even just white wine for the white wine vinegar, depending on what I have on hand - it’s pretty flexible!
Robyn says
I just made this and did a quick taste test before heating and it's absolutely delicious. This would make great queso which is what the leftovers will be.
Judy Mann says
It’s the easiest and the best.
Jan says
Can you use sauce for cauliflower cheese
Melanie McDonald says
Yes.
Judy Mann says
I have tried many cheese recipes, some simple, some involved,some with potatoes, some with cannelloni beans, and some with cauliflower. Your is the simplest and definitely the very best.
Nayla says
We just made it today and everyone loved it! So easy and so delicious. Thank you!
Lucy O'Sullivan says
Hi
Can this be used for a vegetable bake?
Love your recipes 😊
Melanie McDonald says
Yes. Use it any way you would regular cheese sauce. Hope you enjoy it!
Lorraine says
Game changer! Love this recipe! I didn't have smoked paprika or white wine vinegar. I used MoriNu Silken Soft tofu ( a bit watery, I think medium would be better) and while reading the recipe I mistakenly added 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder...lol I just kept going. I didn't have smoked paprika so used 1/4 tsp paprika with 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. I subbed in Rice Vinegar for the white wine version. Tossed the sauce on some Rotini with steamed broccoli. It came out delish! Thank you so much for sharing!
Judy mann says
I made this recipe tonight. It was fabulous. Cheesy, tasty, so easy, I would recommend it to everyone. I am so happy to have found you. Judy Mann.
Melanie McDonald says
Thank you so much, Judy. I'm really pleased you enjoyed it!
Joanne says
Wish I'd found this sooner! So versatile and so delicious! I foresee I'll be be making this regularly ☺️
Gillian Philip says
Simply delicious! So quick and easy to make and every single person that’s tried it at mine says how amazing it is and asks for the recipe 🤩❤️🔥
Kandy says
I have tried different "cheeze" sauces but this one is bar none the BEST! I have made it several times and love it on pasta, potatoes, veggies and even by the spoonful! Great recipe, thank you!
Marge Teilhaber says
Verrrrry good! I ended up filling up a 15z glass jar. No way I'm going to heat it up any/every time I use it, so I poured it over roasted potatoes and cauli and also a large green salad directly from Vitamix. The recipe says 35 grams = ½C nooch but according to my scale and measuring cup, 35g is not ½C but 56.7g is. I did 1/4t salt versus the recipe calls for 1t.
Next time I might use navy bean broth instead of milk and throw some cooked navy beans into the blender. I'm going to enjoy this! I'll probably make several large'ish ice cubes (7 or 8T each) to make sure I don't waste any.
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it!
I include cup measurements for convenience but ALWAYS recommend weighing ingredients. It's the only way to be accurate. The problem you pointed out is exactly why. The weight of half a cup will vary depending on the brand of nutritional yeast, whether it's powdery or flaky, the size of the flakes, and how you fill the cup. The correct way to fill a cup is to spoon gently into the cup and not to shake down or compact and definitely not to scoop. When you scoop you can end up with about 1/3 more more of the ingredient than intended. Volume measurements are SO inaccurate. My mission in life is to get everyone using a digital scale!🤣
It doesn't matter too much in a recipe like this where the amount of nooch won't make or break the recipe, but with something like flour or sugar in a cake it could make the difference between a great cake and a flop.
Hope that helps!
Marge Teilhaber says
I use a digital scale for everything. But it's maddening not trusting it. Example, dry navy beans, 1 lb Eden vs. 1 lb Vitacost, 10 items on nutritional label, 6 are the same and the other 4 are verrrrry different. For 1/4C, Eden is 150 calories and Vitacost is 100. Sodium 10mg vs. 0. Total carb 28g vs. 21. Dietary fiber 12g vs. 5. They're both little white beans, same size to my eye. C'mon!
Melanie, I just ate some raw veggies and cold navy beans with a fair amount of your “even-better-the-next-day” sauce. I had a feeling I’d like it more the next day and I was right. The smoked paprika is tamped down a bit and now I LOVE the sauce. Even with pasta I don’t see myself heating the sauce. What am I missing here?
Lainey says
This is one of the best and easiest vegan cheese sauce recipes I’ve ever tried. I love that it’s nut free too! I used a 16oz pack of silken tofu and soy milk and it’s so good. I can’t believe how fast and easy it was to make. Will definitely be s staple in my kitchen moving forward, thanks so much for sharing :)
Jonathan Holmes says
Any chance I csn do this with medium firm fava bean tofu? My wife is allergic to tofu
Melanie McDonald says
For the best silky textured sauce it really needs to be made with silken tofu. With regular tofu it isn't as smooth and doesn't heat/cook as well. If that's all you can use though I'd have a go for sure. I'm sure it would be more than edible. You will probably need to add a bit more milk and maybe more seasonings to taste if the flavor of the tofu comes through. I've never tried fava bean tofu so I'm not sure what the flavor is like/if it's as neutral as silken tofu. Hope that helps!
cindy brown says
awesome.......... really great and healthy and protein because of the tofu! Thank you so much, Melanie.......... it's recipes like this that make it easier to be vegan and to make my Self, the animals and the planet healthier....................!!!!!
Melanie McDonald says
You're welcome, Cindy. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it!
Elvis says
I made this tonight instead of using my go to Daiya cheese sauce, that has 10000mg of sodium. Really delicious. I added a little tapioca starch to thicken it to see what would happen. Worked well.
Larry says
I made this last night, and it was fantastic!
Nina says
This is a must try! I was skeptical of using silken tofu after using it in other recipes and something always tasting off. That was not the case here. I love how easy and affordable this “cheese” recipe is- no need to soak nuts or boil veggies only to end up with a grainy/ tacky sauce . Absolutely delicious! I used the sauce in a wrap and over pasta. Thanks for sharing!