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Vegan Cheese Sauce

4.96 from 292 votes

This smooth and velvety vegan cheese sauce recipe is deliciously cheesy, ultra creamy, and super low in fat and calories.

The Ultimate Vegan Cheese Sauce
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You’re going to want to put this luxurious vegan cheese sauce over everything.

And the best part is that it is allergy-friendly – no dairy, no tofu, no gluten, and NO cashews!

This was one of those weeknight throw-a-bunch-of-ingredients-together-and-see-what-happens recipes.

I hadn’t prepared anything for dinner and arrived home feeling super hungry after being out all day. Pasta is one of my go-to meals on those types of days, and this quick vegan white sauce was the result of looking through my kitchen cabinets to see what could go with the pasta.

The entire meal was done in barely more time than it takes to boil water!

My favorite comfort food is comfort food that takes longer to eat than to make ♥

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This velvety vegan cheese sauce is ultra creamy, deliciously cheesy, & super low in fat and calories... You're going to want to put it on everything!!! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com @choccoveredkt
This velvety vegan cheese sauce is ultra creamy, deliciously cheesy, & super low in fat and calories... You're going to want to put it on everything!!! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/02/22/vegan-cheese-sauce-low-fat-no-cashews/ @choccoveredkt

Ways To Use Vegan Cheese Sauce

Or you could serve yourself a giant bowl of this creamy and ultra velvety vegan cheese sauce and eat it with a spoon.

Am I the only one who does this with cheese sauce???

This velvety vegan cheese sauce is ultra creamy, deliciously cheesy, & super low in fat and calories... You're going to want to put it on everything!!! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/02/22/vegan-cheese-sauce-low-fat-no-cashews/ @choccoveredkt

You know how much I love giving options in my recipes.

This vegan cheese sauce is no exception, and you have a few options here.

I developed variations both with and without nutritional yeast, because I know the ingredient isn’t always easy to find and that not everyone is a fan.

If you’ve never heard of nutritional yeast, it’s something used quite often in vegan cooking because of its addictively cheesy taste.

To be clear, nutritional yeast does not taste exactly like cheese; it just has that same umami flavor.

(Umami—or savory—is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.)

Trending Right Now: Avocado Smoothie Recipe

vegan mac and cheese

If you try this recipe, I’d love to see!

Also make this creamy Vegan Alfredo Sauce or my favorite Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce.

The Ultimate Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe
Pin it now to save for laterPin Recipe

Vegan Cheese Sauce

This velvety vegan cheese sauce recipe is ultra creamy and easy to make!
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Yield 1 3/4 cup
5 from 292 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked white beans, such as cannelini
  • 1/2 cup milk of choice, preferably unsweetened
  • 5 tbsp nutritional yeast OR 1/3 cup vegan shredded cheese
  • salt – I like 1/2 tsp
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • If using nutritional yeast, add optional 1/2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
  • optional 2 tsp buttery spread or olive oil – I really like the rich depth of flavor this adds, especially if not using the cheese version
  • optional pinch turmeric, thyme, rosemary, onion powder, etc.

Instructions

  • Drain and rinse beans if they are canned. Blend together all ingredients except cheese, either in a blender or with a hand blender. Transfer to a pot, and add the cheese, if using. Heat on low, stirring occasionally, until desired serving temperature is reached and optional cheese is melted. If serving with pasta, stir in cooked pasta at this time. Add more milk of choice if a thinner sauce is desired.
    Instant Pot Version: Instead of transferring to a pot on the stove, put the blended mixture in your instant pot and heat on manual for 5 minutes. Thanks to reader Emma who created this version and left a comment to let us know it can be made in an instant pot!
    View Nutrition Facts

Notes

Also be sure to try this popular Vegan Mac And Cheese.
 

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More About The Cookbook

Published on February 22, 2016

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been 
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Huffington Post, and 
ABC's 5 O’Clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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273 Comments

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  1. Kristin says

    5 stars
    I’m so glad you posted this–I have a whole bag of nutritional yeast from another recipe I made, and I had NO idea what I was going to do with it all! Answer: mac and cheese. So good.

  2. Reenie says

    I’m going to have to try this soon. Sounds delicious! I have used white beans to make a creamy vegan gravy to serve on quinoa.

  3. Jo says

    finally a cheesy recipe without using cashews etc! i always thought beans might work because of their texture and taste.. im not a big experimenter though so i enjoy having at least a base recipe to play around with 🙂 thank you katie!

  4. Rachel D. says

    5 stars
    You are such a great help, Katie! Our son is dealing with some food allergies and we have to steer clear of nuts and soy until further testing. Cannelini beans, why didn’t I think of it? Lol. Thank you!

  5. Mishel says

    5 stars
    Just made this with a few slight variations (I didn’t have all the ingredients), and I literally had to refrain from eating the whole pot. My little brother, who normally yells at me “No! Not your vegan mac n’ cheese!!”, ate the entire bowl and asked for seconds.
    So fast, so easy, SO making this again! Thank, Katie 🙂

    • Nina says

      May I ask what were your variations? I tried this recipe a few months ago but I was disappointed cause the bean flavor was very obvious, which J didn’t like. Any suggestions?

      • saffron says

        Nina I am yet to try it but I plan on substituting the beans for soaked macadamias!! People normally use cashews as a base, but as I follow he low fodmap diet I can’t have them.. will post back with an update x

  6. Cucicucicoo: Eco sewing and crafting says

    Oh my gosh, I’m making this tonight! I love mac & cheese (I’m veggie, but not vegan) but my husband can’t eat dairy so I never make it. And I have all of these ingredients already at home! I often have problems with the ingredients that I can’t find where I live, so I was so happy to see nutritional yeast as an alternative to non-dairy cheese. Thanks! Lisa

    • Jess says

      Vegetarians abuse, torture, mutilate, intentionally kill mother animals and their babies like flesh eaters. Visit ADAPTT (.) org

      • Anna says

        Oh, give it a rest, Jess. I am a vegan but your post embarrasses me. People get to it when they get to it. Trying to shame them into giving up meat is going to accomplish the exact opposite of what you want to accomplish. There’s another word for this kind of riches signaling… Arrogance.

  7. Christine says

    5 stars
    Holy Cheese Sauce! This was wicked good! I had everything on hand – it was quick, easy, and oh so delish! The only bad part was I almost ate all of the sauce before the pasta was ready. My tip, cook the pasta first so that dilemma is solved! Katie, you rock!!

  8. Sylvia says

    Hi Katie, this cheese sauce looks A-MA-ZING, I’m so excited to try it! One quick question though, would it be the same if I used a food processor instead of a blender?

  9. Beverly Smith says

    5 stars
    Yummy!! I just made your cheese sauce for my brown rice pasta. It’s delicious!! I had extra sauce,,, steamed some broccoli… What a great fast meal. Loved it! Thanks!

  10. Michelle says

    Katie, Katie, Katie I <3 you!!!!
    I have "followed" you (IG, Pin & online) for a couple of years now so when I saw your cookbook in Barnes & Nobles over the weekend I got plumb giddy! I literally squealed out loud and my husband said, "You act like she's a real friend of yours". I did not let him shatter my bubble, I simply stated "I've been close to her for yearZZZ" 🙂

  11. Lauren Murdoch says

    5 stars
    THANK YOU for this recipe! I got put on a restrictive diet that has no gluten, dairy, or tomato…. left me with no pasta sauce to speak of and so many recipes were loaded with high calorie, high fat ingredients like ground nuts and coconut milk. This was creamy and smoky and wonderful!

  12. Debbe says

    5 stars
    I love your recipes, adore your site. Except that annoying popup that keeps wanting me to sign up to receive your recipes. I already signed up several years ago.

    So, I do have a question. Do you cook beans from dry? And lentils? Everytime I make one of your recipes, I have to look up how much dry it is to make the amount requested in the recipe. It would be so helpful if that was included right there in the recipe!

    I do love your site. Thank you so much for these recipes. They help us all eat healthier. Including desserts!

    <3

  13. Kristen Tribley says

    5 stars
    Tried this tonite..so good..I added a little prepared mustard and a little ancho chili powder..my 14 year old devooured it..

  14. Trisha says

    5 stars
    This was great! I used pinto beans since that was what I had on hand, along with the nutritional yeast option, olive oil, and unsweetened coconut milk beverage. I did add a bit more salt and garlic powder. We had this mixed in with rice pasta, and topped with a little ketchup. YUM! Both my kids gobbled up two helpings, and I thought it was excellent too! My kids are used to having real cheese on their macaroni, but I am trying to reduce our intake of milk fat. They had no idea there was no actual cheese in here! This went over much better than another “macaroni and cheese” recipe I’d tried with butternut squash as the base for the sauce.

  15. Nikki says

    This is the only vegan cheese sauce I’ve made so far that my kids will eat. Finally mac and cheese will be back in the dinner rotation!
    I used Silk cashew milk and Daiya pepperjack cheese. So yummy!

  16. Emily says

    I cannot say enough good things about this sauce, just made it last night and I’m already addicted! Its so easy to make, I used nutritional yeast and left out the vinegar, and its was so good! Now my go-to sauce, I want to make it again tonight 🙂

  17. Kat says

    4 stars
    Super quick. Easy to clean up. I blended up the cheese while the pasta was cooking, and the timing worked out pretty well.

    The dish looks AMAZING, and the consistency is pretty on point in my opinion, only thing I would suggest is throwing some broccoli or (if you eat meat) hot dogs or something just to give it a bit more flavor. I’m not sure if I did something wrong but mine tastes kinda bland and I followed everything step by step.

    I’ll DEFINITELY use this in the future, just gotta add some broccoli and I think I’ll be good 🙂 Thank you thank you!

  18. Mary-Anne says

    Very disappointing. Tasteless and bland, but somehow with a gross aftertaste. NOT mac and cheese, not even close. Not a fan. I was quite disappointed, as I have tried other great recipes from this blog!

    • Julie Dove says

      Sounds like your can of beans was rancid? I’ve never had a problem when making this recipe so recommend trying again with a new can! 🙂

  19. #truthtruth says

    lol that’s why she says to use “unsweetened” milk….because she’s referring to non-dairy milk options like rice, almond, coconut milk, etc. that usually come in sweetened or unsweetened flavors.

  20. Courtney says

    God love you Katie!! I just ate a little cheese sauce like soup LOL I’ve always wanted to do that, but couldn’t because it’s too fattening! This beats any other vegan cheese sauce I’ve tried.

    • Julie Dove says

      If you taste the beans, did you drain and rinse them well enough? Beans, themselves, shouldn’t have an aftertaste. You can always use cooked-from-dried beans if you want to be sure you don’t get a canned taste, but if you rinse well enough then that shouldn’t be a problem anyway.

  21. Racey says

    favorite, healthiest AND fastest vegan cheezy sauce recipe i’ve ever tried. i usually love daiya, but i made the recipe without, and it was still fantastic. total winner!

  22. Drea says

    I tried this recipe but unfortunately it has that fake taste of the daiya cheese.is there anything that can get rid of that synthetic-oil-tasting flavor of the daiya cheese?!

    • vegan cook says

      Use Violife, Follow Your Heart, or Field Roast’s Chao brand vegan cheeze. Daiya, is rubbish! I was at a festival once, and thrilled when I found a vendor advertising vegan pizza, so I bought a slice, & took a bite. Then ran over to the nearest trash can, & scraped the disgusting Daiya shreds off it, & ate what remained of the pizza [sauce & crust], & so I’ll never buy Daiya again. There are some 100x better brands out there now.

  23. Clocks says

    It still taste like beans. Salty somewhat tasty runny beans. But still beans. Sorry, I appreciate your recipe. Maybe someone can add some modifiers?

  24. Nicole says

    Made this tonight with half nooch half daiya added some miso too, topped with panko. Awesome!! Love that the base is beans! Hubby liked it too 😉

  25. Jessica Passig says

    This was flat out delicious!! Loved it, AND so incredibly easy to make! 5 minute successful recipe…total win. I steamed cauliflower and ate it immediately, I think even my family would enjoy this on pasta and veggies and they cringe overtime I say I made a “vegan” recipe….lol. This is really good. I also like that it doesn’t make a gigantic amount of sauce that I need to figure out how to use or store. Recipe for me made exactly 1 3/4 cups of sauce.

  26. Katrina says

    I mixed this sauce with some pasta and broccoli, transferred to an oven dish and sprinkled with breadcrumbs, and baked for about 20 mins. It was incredible! So creamy, feels like a cheat meal when in fact it’s super healthy!! My sister couldn’t believe there was no cheese in this, BEANS! Thanks Katie.

  27. sage claycomb says

    I made this with chickpeas and it was pretty dang good! Thank you. I was looking for a non-nut based cheesy sauce. yay!

  28. Marie says

    I’ve never tried to make mac n’ cheese since I became vegan because I was afraid it would taste conpletely different. But not one of your recipes dissapointed me until now so I will give it a try. 😀 Can I bake the pasta after or it will ruin the sauce? If I can, how much should I bake it?

  29. Kathie says

    I made this recipe today and blended in about 2.5 oz of spinach. Very green, but it worked well. The sauce reminds me of egg salad.. maybe because of the lima beans? I like it.

  30. Bella says

    This is super good! Very easy and quick to make. I’m the only Vegan in my family but everyone else loved this too. It tastes pretty similar to normal Cheese sauce/ mac and cheese, it’s not quite the same but definitely still delicious!!!

  31. Amber says

    Yum! I can’t get over how good this is. I made it with coconut milk, nutritional yeast, and I added some black and red pepper. (And accidentally did twice as much garlic powder).

  32. Alanna Stevenson says

    Hello! This was delish, but mine still had a bit of texture from the beans and wasn’t quite as creamy as the pics, I used a food processor, would this be the problem?

    • Julie Dove says

      Did you use canned beans? The beans should be pretty easy to blend completely if using canned white beans, which are soft to begin with.

    • Julia says

      5 stars
      I’ve explored lots of vegan Mac and cheese options and this is by far the best! It tastes SO good! However, I think I did something wrong, it has a bit of a gritty taste to it. I’m not sure what I can do to get it smoother, this has been an issue anytime I use nutritional yeast so not sure why… I used a ninja blender, any suggestions to fix this would be great because this is an amazing recipe!

  33. Olivia says

    So, I am apparently one of the odd ones out in that I’m allergic to dairy and all beans/legumes, but not cashews. 🙂 I’ve never made vegan cheese sauce; never even heard of it actually. Do you think I can soak cashews and use those instead of the beans? This recipe looks really good and I am IN LOVE with nutritional yeast! 🙂

  34. Jana says

    If I am making a panini sandwich with sautéed bell peppers and onions do you think this would be good with it ?

  35. Sue Smith says

    I’m new to vegan cooking and wondered if I’d stick with it. I tried stuff out of vegan mags which is really nice but no way would I be cooking 15 ingredient meals everyday. I love it and so does my husband. I’ve been making it every week for the last month! Thank you so much. Slowly working my way through your recipes, fantastic.

  36. Tam says

    Blood doesn’t belong on a food site. I know it is a good thing to donate blood and I do but it is unseemly on a food site. Not interested in your recipes the blood imagery is too much for me 😉

  37. Nicole says

    Tried this tonight for the first time because my hubby is not a fan of nutritional yeast. He is, of course, skeptical of all things “not real” (his words, not mine) but he did say, “Not bad!” Thank you for this recipe. I’ll definitely be making this again!!

  38. Rachel says

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this cheese sauce recipe!!! I actually add in the daiya AND nutritional yeast. I think it gives it a more cheesy taste. I’ve put it in lasagna and over zoodles. SO good!

  39. Emma says

    Made this sauce, loved it! great to have guilt free cheese sauce to drown your pasta and veggies in 🙂 made it with macaroni, zucchini, spinach and mushrooms and was awesome!

  40. LJ says

    Wow! I can’t believe how good this is. I used daiya vegan cheddar and added a sprinkle of paprika. I am so happy with this! It’s the best recipe I have found to date! Thank you!

  41. Christine says

    This was delicious! I made mac and cheese, used it a hollandaise-type sauce on top of poached eggs and toast (to die for), on top of roasted potatoes, and added some hot sauce and dipped tortilla chips and veggies in it. I’m sure there is a thousand uses for this sauce , and it’s healthy….I will be making this lots!!! I also added a tablespoon of Dijon mustard for a nice little kick. Thanks for the recipe!

  42. Lisa says

    Hi Katie, I just recently discovered your website and this recipe. Ik picked it for my first vegan mac ‘n cheese ever en it was a big success! So yummy! Even still cold, straight from the blender I could have eaten all of it. But I managed to save some for the pasta and broccoli I had cooked 😉
    I put it all together in an oven dish, covered it with bread crumbs and let it broil just a little.
    My non vegan husband thought he was eating cheese!
    I am really gratefull for recipes like this one as it allowes us to eat vegan without compromising on flavour or the joy of eating.
    Thank you so much!!!

  43. Kaci Lopez says

    Just mad this for my husband and I, I have been recently going vegan and he has decided to go vegan recently as well, we loved it!

  44. Tara says

    Oh, my. I am always on the lookout for vegan cheese sauces – without the gooey vegan shredded cheese because sadly hubby doesn’t like that. This was amazing. I was going for a nacho-type and added cumin, turmeric and chili powder. Astounding, and easy, low-fat and creamy. I’m going to try this for a Florentine next blending the spinach into the cheese as well. I might just have to keep a gallon of this in the fridge!

  45. Hannah Brewer says

    Amazing! I’m allergic to cashews and have issues with soy. This is so freaking delicious and easier than anything else I’ve made. Thank you!!
    I added some paprika to mine. Excited to try different flavor combos each time I make it.

  46. Lynn says

    Made this cheese sauce as a base for a queso to go on my vegan nachos. Yum! Added some onions, minced garlic, bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers, and voila! The queso was gone before I could blink. Safe to say this will be a regular recipe in our household.

  47. AngelaR says

    Almost perfect! I would have to say though, using a hand mixer is not a wise decision. Not only does it make a bit of a mess, it is not effective in getting a nice consistency. I am going to have to purchase a food processor and try this again. Of course, I could tell this wasn’t ordinary mac n cheese, but it was still tasty. Thank you for the recipe.

  48. Lyn says

    How many servings does this make? The serving size says 59g is that approximately a 1/4 cup? I’m trying to figure out the nutrition label.
    Looks great by the way:)

  49. Amy says

    Omg – this is the best “cheese” sauce I have ever had!! I had all the ingredients on hand – did the nutritional yeast version with a pinch of smoked paprika! DELISH! Steamed broccoli, mushrooms and lentil pasta! Oh – and based on the comments I went ahead and made a batch and a half (since my beans were 1 1/2 cups) tasted it and then became very persnickety about an left on the side of the pan while stirring!!! It’s that good:)

  50. Ian says

    This is now, without doubt, my new favourite sauce. Been looking for a good sauce to make Mac&Cheese for my vegan partner and this has came out top of the list for creamy, smooth, versatile deliciousness. And the pumpkin seed to top it all, is how quick and easy it is to make. Thank you Katie!

  51. Sarah Quinn says

    I clicked on this link while searching for recipes using cheese sauce (because I have some of mine left to use up) and I was hoping it would be another one I could use but unfortunately my husband can’t have beans so we’ll have to stick to our own but I figured I’d share it with you as well. We just made up this recipe and it can be made without the konjac and gelatin to be used as a cheese sauce and making it vegan. I like that the base is veggies.

  52. Christine says

    O my! This is amazing! I was licking the container after making the sauce. I just used the sauce on a recipe for scalloped potatoes – cant wait to see how it turns out! This sauce will become one of my basics – thank you! YUM!!!!

  53. Devon says

    CCK, not sure how you do it, but you do. All I have been craving is Mac n cheese and you just came in to save me! I made mine with nutritional yeast and oh. My. Goodness. One wue question for you all—if I use vegan shreds, will I get a cheesier/stringier texture? Thanks in advance fam :]

  54. Kat says

    I just made this in my instapot, what can I do to thicken it up, by the way it tastes pretty good, I used nutritional yeast but not quite as much..
    I used the whole can of beans and doubled everything, next time not so much salt. I am pleased with this because I am tired of nut cheese and am always looking for alternatives.
    Thanks

  55. Jody Cook says

    Ok I’m no vegan let alone vegitarian but I decided to do a Daniel fast for 21 days and needed some recipes that are basically vegan. This looked interesting since I’m not interested in the cashew base option. As I type this I’m eating my whole wheat pasta with this sause. I didnt have the cheese threads so I used the yeast option, and I must say, it’s not too bad. It did does have a bit of a grainey texture this way, though. I also added more garlic powder and included some onion powder too. I will try it next time with some cheese threads and hope this eliminates the graininess. Pair this with a salad and bon apetit’ for me. Thanks!

  56. Jerry says

    I’ve never used a non-dairy butter or “cheese shreds” as called for in this recipe. I try to avoid processed foods. What is contained in these two ingredients? Without knowing, I’m not likely to try this recipe.

  57. Carol says

    Just made this, kind of. Used black eyed peas with some “aquafaba”, Ripple milk, 1 package of Chao yellow cheese, garlic, onion and mustard powder and a dash of sriracha. Sooooo good! Thanks for the bean idea. Nice for a change. I’m going to thicken it a bit and add some beer to make a pretzel dip for superbowl food.

  58. Kellie says

    Man, I just made this and it LOOKED sooooo good. But it ended up just being ok. Maybe if I had a really high end blender it would be better, but I found that it had a very prominent bean taste and texture. I wish it worked better as a dupe, because cashew cream is so much more expensive to make. ?

  59. Andrea says

    Fast, easy and delicious! I added WAY more nooch than was specified. In addition to nooch I added some Daiya cheese shreds, a teaspoon of mustard powder and some turmeric for color. SO creamy and yummy!

  60. Steven says

    This is an old recipe so I doubt you are still responding to comments, but here goes: if using nutritional yeast, what purpose does the 1/2 tsp of vinegar serve? Just curious! BTW: I love your SpaghettiOs recipe, it has become a staple for my daughter who is allergic to both egg and dairy.

  61. Kasey says

    Wow! I’ve tried a few vegan cheese sauce recipes and this is by far the best I’ve tried! Love it. I did the version with nutritional yeast and vinegar, and added a teaspoon of miso, a touch more salt and some onion powder and turmeric powder. 10/10 would recommend

  62. Karen Ackerman says

    Katie– Daiya products are NOT vegan;i.e., ingredients include palm oil and/or derivatives thereof. I do realize you did allow for an alternative, but please reconsider suggesting Daiya as a potential/viable ingredient for any vegan recipe. Thank you.

  63. N Nicole Boyd says

    I’ve made this recipe about five time I’m excited making it again for a friend who isn’t vegan he loves my vegan food

  64. Kris says

    I made this last night and it was SO good! The only thing I changed was adding in a couple of spoonfuls of coconut cream. I always have a can of coconut milk chilling in the fridge. Adding in the cream gave it a, well, creamier consistency. I put this on top of chickpea macaroni and it was very filling. THANK YOU!

  65. Robin says

    I need help with this one. I just made it and it didn’t work so I’m assuming I missed something with all these rave reviews. I only had white kidney beans so that’s what I used. I used nutritional yeast and apple cider vinegar, earth balance and almond milk. In the pot, it was creamy and smooth. Not what I’d call cheesy, but an interesting beany sauce. The moment it touched my pasta it solidified into a sticky paste. The pasta is just a lump with white stuff stuck to it and I’m not going to eat it because it’s a very unappetizing texture and almost no taste. What did I do wrong?

    • Jason Sanford says

      Hmmmm that’s so weird and never happened to me before, and I always use almond milk!
      What kind of pasta did you use? Can you add more milk to make it creamy again?

  66. Ashley says

    Hi. I’m new to trying out vegan dishes. I don’t have a blender or food processor, I’f I just used extra of the vegan cheese and omitted the beans, would it taste the same? Or, maybe did a combination of the yeast and cheese together?

    • Jason Sanford says

      I think that would be fine to just use extra cheese, and maybe scale back the liquid and salt. Be sure to report back if you try!

  67. Soraya says

    Hello 🙂 Been wanting to try this recipe for a long time, I just have one question: do you add the nutritional yeast to the blender or to the pot? Thank you 🙂

  68. Ryan says

    This recipe is NOT vegan. it is calling for SHREDDED CHEESE… okay you can your MILK of “choice” but in no way does it suggest that you use any other milk other than cows milk because it doens’t state that using a almond, or coconut etc will result in a good Product. If you are going to label this recipe it needs to be labeled VEGETARIAN.

    • Jason Sanford says

      The recipe clearly states “such as Daiya vegan, OR 5 tbsp nutritional yeast” for the cheese shreds. And Katie has been vegan for over a decade. Every recipe on her site is tested with nondairy milk.

  69. Tricia says

    I made this last night with Daiya smoked Gouda vegan cheese and it was really good! I used way more than 1/3 cup…almost the whole block…just to accentuate the smoky flavor. I’m going to try this with vegan mozzarella or just nutritional yeast in lasagna.

  70. Tricia says

    I just made this last night with Daiya vegan smoked Gouda and it was really good. I used the whole block though. I used soy milk and more cheese covered up that taste and was extra smokey! I’m go to try this with vegan mozzarella or just nutritional yeast in lasagna.

  71. JBR says

    Made this for my vegan daughter who ate it with tortilla chips. She missed cheese since becoming vegan, and it was gone in minutes! I used nutritional yeast instead of vegan cheese shreds, because that’s what I had on hand. This will become a staple recipe!

  72. Madeline says

    Hi can I use this as a white sauce for my lasagna? 🙂 also how much sauce is this? Will it cover a lasagna or do I need to double it . thanks !

  73. Libby says

    SO GOOD!! I am not vegan, but I used this recipe with sharp cheddar cheese (instead of vegan cheese, same amount) to make a lightened-up cheese sauce to go with broccoli and chicken for my weekly meal prep. Amazing!! It still tastes rich even though it is significantly lighter than regular cheese sauce. It feels like eating a big bowl of comfort food!!

  74. Karyn says

    Hi Kaitie! I discovered your website yesterday and have been addicted to looking at the recipes and copying them to try! Thanks so much! I am a bit of a sweet-aholic, and being able to make healthy sweets will be a big deal for me! (Though I have copied a number of the savory recipes also!) Blessings!, and Thanks again for sharing your recipes!

    • Karyn says

      🙁 Katie, my apologies for spelling your name wrong! Too used to spelling it that way I guess, as I have a cousin who spells it Kaitie!

  75. Jamie says

    It was pretty good! We are definitely adding it to our recipe rotation. The texture was a little thick from the beans. I don’t think I blended it enough. Maybe I could even add a little more milk. I processed it in the food processor. I used soy milk and Daiya. I definitely want to try it again with nutritional yeast. If I use Daiya again, I think I want to add more cheese though. I tripled the recipe to feed my hubby and I, and our three kids. That was enough for a pound of pasta. Thank you for sharing! Making it again. 🙂

  76. Olga says

    A comment about milk. The diary producers and their lobbyists are trying very hard to own the words “milk”, “cheese” and butter. These can be dairy derived or vegan (non-dairy). For decades “cocobutter” has been used in tanning products without an uproar. The vegan category has grown 600 % over the last few years and is seriously threatening the “dairy industry”. People are switching to healthier nd more sustainable plant-based alternatives. So far very few attempts have been made at correcting this problem. People like Miyoko Schinner of Miyoko’s Kitchen who makes the most amazing vegan cheese and award winning butter are trying to fight this at the government level. “Butter” can be vegan or dairy. So the next time you see the words “milk”, “cheese”, and “butter” please VEGANIZE your recipe with vegan equivalents. Thank you!

  77. Kendra says

    I made this as written with the nutritional yeast and vegan buttery spread and it was delicious. I will definitely be making again. I loved that it was so easy and healthy.

  78. Carla says

    Sorry but I do not like this sauce at all, the beans leave a bitty texture! Flavours are nice though, but not for me sorry

  79. Heidi says

    I used the Nutritional Yeast version and added a bit of dry mustard powder along with the turmeric. Yummy! Going on Baked potatoes with Broccoli for lunch!

  80. kristen campbell says

    i made this on the fly for dinner tonight and it was delicious! i added some smoked paprika and a little more smoked salt and it was really satisfying- thanks for the recipe!

  81. Katy says

    I made this today using lite canned coconut milk , the nutritional yeast, no oil , salt pepper cayenne and adding some of the liquid from a pickled jalapeño can and 3-4 of the jalapeños! This is the best vegan quest dip I’ve ever made!!! Thank you so very much for this recipe!!!

  82. Lana says

    Unfortunately I can’t even read the entire recipe without the ridiculous Walmart ad taking over the screen. Tried multiple times. Sorry you’ve lost a potential follower here :/

    • Jason Sanford says

      Hi, there should not be any takeover ads on Katie’s blog. If you’re seeing one, we absolutely want to know about it so we can contact her ad network and stop it. Can you send a screenshot to chocolatecoveredmedia at gmail? Sorry for the trouble – this is definitely not something we are running on our end!
      Jason (media relations)

  83. Leba Joseph says

    I am really gonna try this my husband is vegan but the children and i are veggie . Usually uses cashew but will try the beans. . Leba from Trinidad.

  84. Emmillie says

    Katie. I love your site. I have learned so much. Bet your kitchen always smells wonderful. With the cheese sauce I substituted tahini instead of the oil. And also substituted 1/2 c pumpkin and 1/2 c cooked beans. It was a brute cheesy looking sauce believe me. But really yummy. Thanks for being such a great mentor

  85. Shane Witters Hicks says

    I got so excited when I saw a cheese recipe that uses BEANS. Thank you, Katie, for posting. I tested your recipe with nutritional yeast, lite coconut milk, and a dab of Earth Balance buttery spread.
    Before transferring to the saucepan, I blended in 1 tbsp tapioca flour to make the cheese thick and stretchy (since I wasn’t using cheesy shreds). It turned out beautifully. The tapioca flour definitely changed the flavor a bit, so I added a few pinches more nooch, vinegar, and about 1 tsp white miso. So all in all, I think I used 1 tbsp tapioca flour, 6 tbsp nooch, 1 tsp vinegar, and 1 tsp white miso. The flavor and consistency are AMAZING (the miso really brightens things up). I poured the sauce over a veggie/rice/bean stir-fry and it was quickly devoured. This cheese sauce is a game-changer for vegan cooking!!!

  86. Hida says

    Hello! Thank you so much for the recipe! I tried making it the other day and the taste and texture turned out more like hummus than creamy or cheesey, although I am quite certain I followed the recipe – it was still quite delicious and I’ve been eating it all week, but I think I must have done something wrong. Do you have any tips? If anyone knows what I did wrong, please let me know! Thank you so much!

  87. Maddy says

    Just made this and it turned out great! I’m not vegan, but trying to eat a lot more plants, and hopefully give up meat dairy and eggs completely in the near future. I made pasta with the sauce, (nutritional yeast version) tomatoes and mushrooms, and I topped it with breadcrumbs and shredded vegan cheese and it turned out great! Of course it’s not quite cheese, but I loved it anyway. Thanks for sharing!

  88. Marissa says

    I tried this recipe with chickpeas. I was a little bit disappointed at first because it definitely does NOT taste like cheese and had a lumpy consistency (I have a Blendtec). I put it on some steamed broccoli and it grew on me. This will not do the trick for a cheese fix, but if I think about as a cheesy(ish) bean sauce, it’s pretty good. Thanks for creating a healthy, clean recipe. Looking forward to trying some of your desserts.

  89. Candice says

    Tried this tonight for the first time, what a hit!
    I made it with macaroni and added broccoli for the last two minutes of boiling time. I doubled the recipe and added the nutritional yeast and the shreds. I added tumeric to make it orange. It was a huge success and now we have lunch for tomorrow.

  90. Colleen says

    Very nice alternative to cashew cheese! I used the version with nutritional yeast and olive oil instead of margarine. I threw in extra garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard and a bit of turmeric. I will say it was grainy after being in my Vitamix for what I thought was enough time, but I’m glad I let it run another minute or so for it to get hot because it got much creamier. In fact it got so thick I could have used it as a dip for chips, but I just thinned it out with more almond milk and put it over a baked potato with broccoli. Thanks so much for sharing!!

  91. Sue Williams says

    Thanks for this sauce recipe. It was very tasty although I will probably reduce the nutritional yeast quantity by 1tbsp next time. My guests loved it, one vegan, one not. I will make it again.

  92. Shay says

    This tastes AMAZING!!!
    Gluten, rice, soy & dairy free cheese is often so gross or so expensive to make I’d more/less given up. I personally think daiya cheese was made by somebody who’d never tasted real cheese. I made this with nutritional yeast and potatoes as the base instead of beans (too hard on my tummy), I’d just found quinoa pasta and wanted to give it a go. To me it tastes a lot like the oven-baked mac&cheese my mom would make. So I tossed it into an oven dish, sprinkled toasted gf bread crumbs on top and baked it for a bit, a little pepper and it’s perfect. Even my roommate who can have dairy and gluten said it tastes very close to the real thing.
    I added an additional tbsp of nutritional yeast and a little more garlic powder. This is a recipe I am definitely writing down to use again and again.

    • Jason Sanford says

      Milk of choice means whatever plant-based milk you wish to use. The nondairy cheese is optional, as it states in the recipe.

  93. Sandi says

    Thanks for this recipe! even my picky omnivore partner liked it…I made it in the Vitamix using the soup/sauce setting and it was really fast…used the nutritional yeast option and canned beans….very fast and tasty

  94. Hadessah Ryan says

    This sauce is SOOO yummy! I’m not vegan but I make this on the regular because it’s so easy and tasty.

  95. Alex says

    I used all nutritional yeast, added more ‘butter’ than called for, and added a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat. It was AMAZING and so easy! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

    • Jason Sanford says

      Sorry we have never tried! If you experiment, be sure to report back with results!
      Jason (media relations)

  96. Victor Spencer says

    This is so freaking good. I made it twice now, once with white beans and once with garbanzo beans, both times were great. For the second time with garbanzo beans, I made some changes to thwart any potential garbanzo bean taste, but I think I’ll keep the changes from now on because the resulting cheese had a sharper/stronger flavor which I liked. I doubled the salt, used 2 oz shredded cheese (sorry don’t know the cups), and added the nutritional yeast and vinegar anyway. And for the seasonings, I added 1/8 tsp each. Anyway, I love this recipe. It’s so awesome.

    • Victor Spencer says

      Oh and it stands up in the oven. I baked it as a topping (with sun-dried tomatoes and spinch mixed in) for 40 minutes at 350°F and mine didn’t burn or have any negative side effects. Was extremely delicious.

  97. Jennifer says

    I tried this recipe and really liked it. It was super easy and quick to make. It was extra creamy. The original recipe was a little too thick for my taste so I added a little bit extra oat milk until it reached my desired consistency. The flavor was outstanding. I opted for nutritional yeast over a vegan cheese alternative. Thanks for the recipe! My non vegan mother also enjoyed it.

  98. Lara says

    Hi, Katie!
    First of all, you are amazing!
    I have a question about this recipe: what if you cannot do nutritional yeast or vegan cheeses.. could you still make this sauce with something else?? I really hope so..

  99. Chelsea says

    I made the version with the nutritional yeast. All I had was Spaghetti noodles, so I substituted those for the noodles. I followed everything in the recipe to point except I added more almond milk to try to make it creamier and more salt and garlic powder. It was ok, but I just found out that I have a dairy allergy and remember what real cheese takes like. This is somewhat close in flavor, but the smell and texture was different. I had a hard time getting over those differences. I am not sure if it just I miss real cheese too much or if the version with vegan cheese is better. Any suggestions?

  100. Tammy says

    For recipes using more than a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, I recommend people try UNFORTIFIED nutritional yeast because the added (often synthetic) vitamins in the fortified brands can leave a weird after taste…or just taste strange in general. For recipes that use it more than just a seasoning, I use the SARI brand…its non gmo, unfortified and tastes great! I got it on Amazon…not sure what stores carry it.

  101. Micky says

    What kind of Daiya shreds are suggested? Could you use mozzarella style for a white sauce or cheddar style for a more traditional Mac & cheese? I’m wondering is some of the Field Roast/Chao or Follow Your Heart cheeses would be good too – they have a smoked gruyere and provolone that could be mixed up for a multi-cheese blend.

  102. Micky says

    So I commented earlier with a question about using cheese in this but I went ahead & made it anyway last night. I had a can of butter beans on hand so I used those & went with the cheese option. The can of beans was about 2 cups so I doubled the recipe & used 1/3c of mozzarella Daiya and 1/3c of cheddar Daiya. Served this over some leftover pasta/peas/kale I had. Now, I wouldn’t call this a cheese sauce, per se, but more like a cheese flavored sauce or cheese style sauce. It’s good but don’t expect this to be a true vegan sub for cheese sauce. Was it good, though? Yeah! My leftovers were even better today with the sauce. This was super easy to make and I’ll probably always have the ingredients on hand so it’s a good recipe to keep handy.

  103. Hope Abramson says

    I just made and YUM!!!! I used nutritional yeast because I’ve been eating it on popcorn for 40 years! Thank you!

  104. Dorothy says

    Although this doesn’t taste all that much like a traditional cheese sauce, (vegan cheese sauces just don’t) it is very good; and I will make it again.

  105. Diana says

    I used my high speed blender on soup setting and skipped dirtying up a pot…the lazy cook. Turned out smooth and creamy. It was a little on the thick side, so added a little extra milk. Great as a cheese dip with veggies and steamed potatoes.

  106. Karen Pinder says

    I just made 2 batches of this cheese sauce. Turned out delish! Hubs had it with salsa and tortilla chips. Can it be frozen? Or can it be stored in fridge in a jar for a day or two?

  107. Brit says

    I’ve made this twice! The first time, I really liked it but it tasted very “beanie” and texture because my blender kind of sucks. So this last time I made it I doubled the recipe and replaced half the beans with a sweet potato. It was so delicious!! Thank you so much for this recipe, because I never would’ve thought of using beans as part of a mac & cheese!

  108. Kat says

    SO GOOD 😱😱❤️❤️ use vegan CHAO original cheese and just rip it up before melting. I used a little extra butter and cheese because I wasn’t worried about calories, it’s amazing! It’s great over shell pasta 😍

  109. Jody says

    I haven’t tried it yet, but this recipe looks amazing! I just have a few questions about it.

    1. Could l replace the milk with water?

    2. Do chickpeas work in place of the white beans, and will the sauce taste like hummus if l use them?

    3. Does this sauce bake well (i.e. in pasta bakes or lasagne)?

  110. Leah says

    I just made this for nachos. I used the nutritional yeast and added some hot sauce. Everyone LOVED it, even my anti-nutritional yeast husband. Thanks!!

  111. Sharon says

    This was creamy, well seasoned and delicious. I used in I vegetable casserole recipe that called for a can of Campbells cheese soup. I also made enough to mix with pasta (Mac and cheese) Yum!

  112. Dharma says

    It says there are variations with & without nutritional yeast but I can’t find how much to add for the nooch version… did I read right over it somewhere?

  113. Jamie says

    Wow, this was so good! I used butter beans instead of canelli and it turned out great! I also used my immersion blender. Definitely agree that the plant butter adds a perfect creaminess. MMMM

    • CCK Media Team says

      We found it gives a little bit of a bean flavor if you sub garbanzo beans, but they definitely still work if you want to try, and you might like the flavor.

  114. Christine says

    Your recipes sound amazing! I have IBS so can’t eat cauliflower, beans or cashews (yes, such a bummer!). Do you have any cheesy recipes that don’t call for either?

  115. Nancy says

    5 stars
    OH YUM!!! I used the nutritional yeast option with a little bit of olive oil and apple cider vinegar, fantastic! It’s a keeper! Thank you!!

  116. judith l long says

    5 stars
    I have tried at least 10 cheese sauces !
    This is a Winner!!! I did add dry mustard and Mexican oregano and some hatch green chiles no vinegar with the nutritional yeast for some spicy cheese sauce to go with quinoa tacos and or bean and rice enchiladas! This will be my go to cheese sauce thank you ! Going to see what else you have ! Yay!

  117. Chris Pollard says

    Thanks for this recipe. We are wondering if it would work with thinly sliced potatoes and celeriac to make a vegan dauphinoise.

  118. Hh says

    5 stars
    I added 2 tablespoons of miso paste & paprika & ground pepper and it was amazing!! Shocked this recipe was so good cuz its mostly beans LOL

  119. Carolyn B says

    5 stars
    Ok so I’m extremely new to veganism and have tried many recipes on Pinterest. Most if not all have been delicious, but I have never commented or reviewed.

    However I had to make a review/comment on this one due to the fact that unlike the other recipes this one actually came fairly close to the prep/cook time listed!!!

    Oh and I added some pickled jalapeños and used as a “cheese” dip this evening…fabulous!!!!

  120. Rebecca says

    5 stars
    Yum! Love how easy this was. I did the variation with nooch and also added a generous squeeze lemon juice and a good dollop of sambal oelek, so good! Very much looking forward to leftovers for lunch the next few days.

  121. Chaya says

    5 stars
    This was yum! We tried the “fake cheese” version and the results were enthusiastically consumed. Thank you for this – it’s a keeper!

  122. Ellie says

    4 stars
    Hi! I’m a long term supporter of this blog, and love the recipes! This recipe sounds great, but I have some issues with dairy. Can I use oat milk for a sub?

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