Satisfy your cheesy craving with this guilt-free easy vegan nacho cheese sauce. Perfect for nachos, pasta, veggies or any dish needing a creamy, dairy-free cheese sauce.
Ingredients
2 cups raw cashews
3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
4 cups water, divided, plus more as needed to thin
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1-2 teaspoons Sriracha, optional
1/2 teaspoon turmeric, optional for color
Instructions
First soak the cashews. You can either do a quick soak, or soak the cashews for several hours or overnight. To quick soak, simply boil water in a tea kettle or on the stovetop, cover the cashews with the boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes. Drain.
In a high powered blender, add the cashews, lemon juice, 3 cups of the water, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and the salt. Add optional turmeric to make the cheese more yellow/orange.
In a medium saucepan, add the cheese sauce from the blender. Using a whisk, warm over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to bubble and thicken. Add the last cup of water, depending on how thick or thin you want the sauce to be.
Add more salt to taste, and Sriracha if using, depending on your spice preference. If the cheese sauce sits for a while, or you refrigerate the leftovers, it will thicken. Simply warm it again on the stove, adding water as needed to thin.
Serve over tortilla chips, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes and more.
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