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Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

Name: Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked potato (, see note for precooked amount); ¼ cup cooked white or yellow onion (, see note for precooked amount); ¼ cup cooked carrots (, see note for precooked amount); 3 tablespoons cooked red pepper (, see note for precooked amount); 3 medium garlic cloves; ¾ cup cashews (, see note); ¼ - ½ cup liquid reserved from cooking the veggies (, adjust for the thickness you want (can also use veggie broth)); ½ - ¾ cup unsweetened plain cashew or almond milk (, adjust for the thickness you want ); ½ - ¾ cup nacho jalapeno slices (, adjust for the flavor you like (mild if you don’t want this spicy)); ¼ cup juice from the nacho jalapeno slices; ¾ teaspoon sea salt; ¼ - ½ teaspoon chili powder, chipotle powder or cayenne pepper (, to add spice and extra flavor); nacho jalapeno slices (, for garnish)

By Sophia DeSantis, Reviewed by Anjali Shah on May 3, 2025

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This 40-minute vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce has the perfect flavor and texture, made with healthy ingredients. The base is a blend of cashews and vegetables, which gives it that creamy, gooey nacho cheese texture. I slather it on vegan nachos or use it as a dip.

Hand dipping a tortilla chip into a bowl of cheese sauce.

If you’re all about dipping and drizzling like I am, welcome to the sauce party! I’ve been making everything from my vegan taco sauce to that dreamy vegan caramel I shared recently, and let’s just say my friends know there’s always something tasty waiting at my house. I love that these are all homemade and made with good stuff, so I don’t have to hold back!

Table of Contents hide

👩🏽‍🍳 Why I Love This Recipe

🍽 Serving Suggestions

🧊 Storage Directions

❓Recipe FAQs

🧀 More Vegan Cheese Recipes!

📋 Recipe Card

And when it comes to Taco Tuesday nights or Cinco de Mayo celebrations, you better believe this vegan nacho cheese is making an appearance. My friends would probably stop talking to me if it didn’t show up next to a full spread of Mexican favorites. Ha! I always serve it with my vegan enchiladas and a whole taco lineup – think vegan birria tacos, sweet potato tacos, and black bean tacos. It’s a full-on flavor party every time.

👩🏽‍🍳 Why I Love This Recipe

Nacho cheese night is a real thing in our house. I’m talking chips all over the counter, my boys asking “is it ready yet?” every five seconds, and my husband trying to “taste test” straight from the blender. This recipe started as a way to keep things dairy free, but now it’s just how we do it, no one even asks for the old version anymore.

What I love is how I can toss everything into the Instant Pot or a regular pot, then blend it all up into this super creamy, cheesy dip. The combo of cooked potato, carrot, onion, red pepper, and cashews with a splash of jalapeño juice is everything. It gets thick, a little tangy, a little spicy, and totally dip-worthy. We’ve used it on nachos, in burritos, and even drizzled it over baked potatoes once. 😉

I make a big batch and stash the extra in the fridge, and it reheats great. The kids love it, my husband claims it’s “dangerously good” and I’m just happy I figured out a way to make nacho night something we can all enjoy without needing a single processed ingredient. Highly recommended!

🥘 Ingredients

So, how do I make it work using whole foods? Honestly, it took a lot of trial and error. But the base of this vegan nacho cheese recipe comes down to a few key ingredients:

Veggies: I use a mix of potatoes, carrots, onion, red pepper, and garlic to get that creamy texture and mild sweetness.

Jalapeno: Pickled jalapeno slices and their juice give that classic nacho flavor.

Creamy ingredients: Cashews and a splash of dairy-free milk is what I add to help everything blend smoothly.

Liquid: I save some of the water from cooking the veggies to control the texture when blending.

🔪 How To Make

This vegan cheese is super easy to make! You’ve got two great options: the quickest way is using an Instant Pot (a trick I learned from a reader who tried it with my original cheese sauce), and the other is cooking everything on the stove top until tender.

Here’s what I do: I add the raw potato, onion, carrots, red pepper, garlic, and cashews to my Instant Pot with 2 cups of water, then cook on manual high pressure for 5 minutes and let the steam release naturally. If I’m not using the Instant Pot, I toss everything into a regular pot on the stove, cover it, and let it simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes until the veggies are nice and soft.

Top of silver bowl with different veggies inside.

Blend the ingredients: I scoop the cooked potato, onion, carrots, red pepper, garlic, and cashews into my blender. Then, I pour in the reserved veggie water, dairy free milk, jalapeño slices, their juice, and sea salt, and blend everything until it’s super creamy.

Top of blender with orange cheese sauce inside.

Serve it up: I like to pour it into a serving bowl and let it cool slightly. It gets thicker as it cools and even thicker after chilling in the fridge. When I reheat it, I just warm it on the stove and stir until it’s smooth and creamy again.

Cheese sauce being poured into a white soup bowl.

Dip all your faves: I grab a big bowl of chips, slice up some fresh veggies, and let everyone dig in. This is always a crowd-pleaser, and we never seem to have leftovers.

White bowl filled with cheese sauce and chopped chiles and a chip on top.

💭 Expert Tips

The #1 Tip I can give you for making this vegan nacho cheese sauce is to cook the veggies until they’re really soft. It helps everything blend smooth and creamy, which is what makes the cheese so good. If you’re using the stovetop, cover the pot to help steam them faster.

Other Tips To Keep In Mind:

Use the cooking water: I save some of the veggie water because it adds extra flavor and helps with the blending. I just add a little at a time until it’s the texture I like.
Adjust the jalapeños to taste: I start with a small amount of pickled jalapeños and taste as I go. If I want it spicy, I just add more until it’s just right for us.
Use a high-speed blender if you can: When I use my high-speed blender, it gets everything creamy so fast. If you don’t have one, just blend a little longer and be patient.
Let it rest if it’s too runny: If the sauce comes out thinner than I want, I just let it sit for a few minutes or warm it on the stove. It thickens up perfectly.

📖 Variations

This vegan nacho cheese is a spin off of my original vegan cheese sauce, which is a huge hit with both dairy and dairy-free eaters! I also have a white cheese sauce and a vegan queso which aren’t far behind on the favorites list. Here are 3 more variations of this nacho sauce recipe you could try:

Smoky Nacho Cheese: I like to add a little smoked paprika or chipotle powder for a deeper smoky flavor. It’s perfect when I serve it with grilled veggie kabobs.

Mild and Kid-Friendly: For my boys, I skip the jalapeños and use a splash of lemon juice instead of the brine. It still tastes cheesy and smooth without being too spicy.

Nut-Free Version: I’ve made this with sunflower seeds instead of cashews when cooking for friends with allergies. I soak the seeds first, and it turns out creamy with a slightly earthier taste.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

One weekend, I made a whole spread for a taco night at home, and this nacho cheese sauce totally stole the show. I layered it on top of a healthy vegetarian burrito bowl, added a side of black beans, and everyone was quiet for a good five minutes, which with three boys at the table, is a big deal.

Another time, we had a movie night and I put together a big loaded veggie nacho tray with guacamole, chopped tomatoes, and this cheese poured all over. My husband asked if I could make “this exact setup” every Friday. So yes, this sauce has officially earned its place in our table.

🧊 Storage Directions

Refrigeration: I let the sauce cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It keeps well for up to 5 days.

Freezing: Yes, you can freeze it! I pour it into a freezer-safe container and store it for up to 2 months. Just leave a little room at the top since it expands.

Reheating: When I’m ready to use it again, I warm it gently on the stove or in the microwave, stirring often until it’s smooth and creamy again. If it thickens too much, I just add a splash of dairy-free milk.

❓Recipe FAQs

Why did my sauce turn out too thick or too thin?

Sometimes the sauce can turn out thicker or thinner depending on how much liquid you pour in while blending. What I usually do is start with the smaller amount first and see how it blends. If it’s too thick and hard to mix, I just add a little more milk or cooking water, a spoonful at a time, until it’s smooth and creamy the way I like it. It’s super easy to adjust as you go.

Can I use a different non-dairy milk?

Yes, I’ve tried it with almond milk and oat milk too. As long as it’s unsweetened and unflavored, it works great.

What if I don’t want it spicy?

You can totally make it mild. I just use fewer pickled jalapeños and skip the optional chili powder when making it for the kids.

Hand dipping a chip in a bowl of orange cheese sauce.

🧀 More Vegan Cheese Recipes!

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