The Best Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce (Dairy Free Queso)

4.72 from 21 votes

The best vegan nacho cheese recipe. Rich, creamy and delicious. Made with cashews, nutritional yeast and more.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 244kcal

Author: Maria

1 cup raw cashews
1 small potato
1 carrot
6 pickled jalapeno slices
3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno brine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
⅓ cup nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups water
3 tablespoons salsa optional. Add this in the end and don't add this to the blender

Peel and roughly chop potatoes and carrots. Place carrots, potatoes and raw cashews into a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes and carrots are tender. About 8-10 minutes.
1 cup raw cashews, 1 small potato, 1 carrot

Drain the water from the sauce pan and add the potatoes, carrots and cashews to a blender as well as all the ingredients, MINUS THE SALSA, above. Blend on high until well combined. Add a splash of water or two if it's too thick.
1 cup raw cashews, 1 small potato, 1 carrot, 6 pickled jalapeno slices, 3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno brine, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ⅓ cup nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 cups water

Transfer the cheese sauce to a sauce pan and heat on low until sauce thickens, stirring the whole time. Stir in a couple spoonfuls of salsa if you'd like. Taste, and add salt if needed.
3 tablespoons salsa
Serve over tortilla chips and top with your favorite nacho toppings.

This keeps in an air tight container in the fridge for about a week.

This can be frozen in a freezer friendly bag for 3 months. Just thaw out in the fridge before using.

Re-heating - When you re-heat, you will need to add a few splashes of water, since this thickens up a lot after storing.